Why you must know your child’s style of learning

If you’ve ever watched a group of children interact, you’ve probably noticed that different children like to do different things. Why is this the case? Many educators and child psychologists believe that each child has a particular learning style that affects how he or she most effectively interacts with the world. Knowing the learning style of your child can help you choose activities that will help your child learn. Simply put, a learning style is the way a person acquires knowledge. It is not “what” a person learns, but “how” a person learns. Educators and psychologists have identified seven different learning styles - or intelligences - that come into play when interacting with the world. Although we are all capable of using them all, most of us rely on only one or two. As a result, we develop our own particular approach to learning based on our favoured learning styles. Educators and psychologists commonly define the seven different learning styles as follows: Linguistic learners relate to language in both its written and spoken form. They learn best through poetry, storytelling, grammar, abstract reasoning, metaphors, similes. Logical-mathematical learners focus on different types of reasoning and logic. They like to make observations, draw conclusions, make judgments, and formulate hypotheses. Spatial learners like to deal with visualisation and imagery. Children with this learning style learn well through painting, drawing, sculpture, designs, etc. Intra-personal learners focus on situations that require them to reflect upon themselves. They like higher-order thinking and reasoning, self-reflection, spirituality, and the awareness and expression of feelings. Interpersonal learners engage in verbal and non-verbal communication with others. They learn best when working cooperatively in groups, reacting to others’ moods and feelings, and understanding the perspective of others. Bodily-kinesthetic learners like physical movement. They learn well when involved in physical exercise and in forms of expression like dance, mime, drama, or role playing. Musical learners have the capacity to recognise rhythm and tone patterns, and a sensitivity to sounds from the human voice and musical instruments. They like to interact with music. Using learning styles Knowing your child’s individual learning style can help you support what your child is doing in the classroom. By providing activities that use your child’s learning style, you can ensure that your child is learning in the best way for him and her. For example, if you have a child who is in kindergarten or first grade, you might want to teach mathematical concepts in ways best suited to your child’s learning style. If your child is a more musical learner, singing number songs might be useful. Linguistic learners might best learn mathematical concepts from stories in which numbers figure prominently, such as Ten Little Mice. Interpersonal learners might benefit from more social activities such as cooking from a recipe. If you have an older child, the concepts might become more difficult, but the approach can remain the same. Once you determine the learning style of your child, provide activities that will reinforce it. In doing so, it will be important to show how things like math are evident in all sorts of different activities, including music, art, and literature. In that way you can ensure that your child’s interests are tapped and still focus on important educational points. Things to Think About As you start to think about your child’s learning styles, you might want to keep these points in mind: l Your child may have several different learning styles that work best for him or her. l Although your child might have particular learning styles, it is important that you still provide a variety of activities. In that way, you will continue to develop other aspects of your child’s personality. l Learning styles can be used both to teach and reinforce concepts. Try using one approach to teach your child a concept, then use a different one to reinforce it. For example, you might want to use a linguistic approach, such as a story, to teach the idea of an animal community, then have your child draw a picture that reflects that concept in art. beta.encarta.msn.com