Stop The Studying Struggle: Identify Your Child's Learning Style & Enjoy Calmer Homework Time
Uncover your child's learning style so that he/she can study smarter, be more productive, and enjoy calmer homework /study time.
Each person is given a gift of learning in a specific way. Imagine if your child knew the exact way his/her brain liked to learn; learning would be easier and calmer. Perhaps more students might enjoy learning if it weren't so much of a struggle. It seems simple enough to learn the way our brains need to; however, most students are not equipped with this important piece of information, nor are they provided with the correct learning strategies that correlate with their learning style. The good news is, I've got you! I am providing this information right here.
Please know this blog is intended to be a quick overview since you really only need to know the information and strategies pertaining to your child's learning style; I don't want to bore you! If you simply want to find out your child's learning style and how to study smarter, feel free to jump to the bottom of this blog and click the link to the quiz.
According to Neil Fleming, the developer of VAK Learning Styles Model, there are 3 learning styles. These styles are: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. There are other learning styles published; however, these three are the most recognized.
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The Visual Learner
The Visual Learner learns best by seeing the information. It is beneficial for the student to sit in the front of the classroom to clearly see and watch the teacher. Also, taking notes in different formats such as webbing, outlining, and using The Cornell System is a great strategy. In addition, drawing diagrams, and highlighting subtopics in different colors is a helpful way to recall information. Drawing scenes to memorize events and people is another technique that allows the student to visualize that specific event when the inevitable test rolls around.
If you don't have the materials to implement the ideas above, below are some links to help:
The Auditory Learner
The Auditory Learner learns best by hearing the information. The student should focus on listening to the teacher while recording the lecture. After school, he/she can play the recording and take notes on the material during study time. This process allows the student to hear the information twice, in class and after class, which is very beneficial for the auditory learner. If not taking notes in class is a little nerve-wracking and does not seem quite right, short notes may be taken by jotting down only the main topics and ideas. Then, the student can add to the notes while listening to the recorded lecture. Another tip for this learner is to use a Whisper Phone (linked below). The Whisper Phone is a wonderful handheld device that allows students to read aloud into the open end and hear the words by holding the phone to the ear. I recommend ordering a set in order to keep one handy at all times. Having one in the car, the backpack, the bedroom, and the family room will help cut down on wasted time hunting down the Whisper Phone. I used these in my classroom all the time; the kids loved them!
The Kinesthetic Learner
This type of learner learns best by doing and is usually in constant motion. A parent might notice the child bouncing his/her knee or tapping a pencil while studying. This type of learner needs to interact with materials in different ways. Building, drawing, and tracing are beneficial strategies. For instance, building a sticky note diagram on a wall, drawing pictures of events/characters/people, and writing in sand are wonderful learning strategies for this type of student. Sand writing might include: writing spelling words (younger students), writing vocabulary words/definitions (older students), and/or drawing characters with character descriptions (all students). The key for this type of learner is to be moving and engaged. Some links to helpful tools are below:
Final Thoughts & Quiz Link
On a personal note: Dang! Wouldn't you have loved this information growing up? I know I definitely could have used this when I was sinking in school in 8th grade! How about you?
To find out which type of learner your child is, along with many more learning strategies for studying, take the 1-minute quiz (10 questions) and information will be sent directly to you!
Discover Your Child's Learning Style:
Once your teen, tween, or young adult takes the quiz (with your permission), you will receive customized learning strategies immediately.
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