Learning Styles and Teaching Methods

Developing teaching methods based on learning-styles will engage students so that they will retain knowledge at a higher level, boost their academic scores, and show enthusiasm to learn. “Research at the middle level indicates that most students are taught in a formal classroom setting though the use of traditional instructional methods such as lectures, assigned readings, drills, and independent practice. Learning-style researchers indicate that many students achieve well in a traditional educational environment, but the majority of students do not” (Minotti, 2005, 67). Unless diversity in teaching methods is used, it can lead to a long tedious road for many children as they move through their academic careers. Understanding learning-styles and how to change teaching methods to cater to learning-styles is one way to help develop a life long love of learning and deliver positive results.

Learning-styles is the idea that people, in this case children, learn differently (LdPride, 1998). There are three classes of learning-styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. A learning-style test is administered to determine an individual learning-style. The most widely used test was developed by the Oklahoma Institute of Learning Styles by Dr. Sue Ellen Read and Dr. Rita Dunn (Oklahoma Institute for Learning Styles [OILS], 2002, 2006). Other learning-styles tests can be found on the Internet and can also provide good results. Although it may be difficult to determine and work with every single student in a large classroom setting, this test offers insight on how a teacher can best reach the class to deliver and receive the desired results: higher retention, better academic scores, and improve enthusiasm from the students.

The first class is the visual learners who need to “see” a lesson in order to absorb and comprehend. They prefer to have pictures to accompany words, they prefer written instruction versus oral instruction, they enjoy organizing and decorating their work areas, and they retain information best when “delivered through maps, charts, diagrams” (Berghuis, 2001-05), or other images.

For the visual learner there are several ways they can adjust learning to benefit their learning-style. Most importantly the individual visual learner needs to “observe the teacher’s body language and facial expressions” (LdPride, 1998) they need to sit closer to the front of the room to gain an unconstructive view, they rely on maps, graphs, pictures, and will take copious notes (Berghuis, 2001-05). These learners do better when they can highlight and make marginal notes in their texts (Berghuis, 2001-05). They should also preview a text’s chapter by scanning over graphs, maps, pictures or other visual stimulants to give them an understanding of the material being presented. Visual learners tend to think in pictures when recalling information (LdPride, 1998) so all of these visual cues work together to help provide the overall lesson.