Learning Styles 101

If you aren't a teacher, you may think that the idea of "learning styles" is pseudo-psychology. How can kids really be that different, anyway? In reality, every child is unique. We hear that a lot, but what does it really mean?

Our current curriculum nation-wide caters to the group, ensuring every student has a base level of knowledge from year to year. However, considering every child in that group has a unique learning style, there is no guarantee that each student will understand and remember the content being taught.

So what is a learning style?

According to Howard Gardner, a learning style is a way "in which an individual approaches a range of tasks."

You may have heard of the standard three - visual (learning by seeing), auditory (learning by hearing) and kinesthetic/tactile (learning by doing), but it actually goes deeper than that.

The only way we can ensure each child is learning effectively is to categorise them into one or more of the styles below and cater their learning plan to fit that category. This is one of the reasons I started Full Spectrum Education in the first place. Individualised, one-on-one education is one of the only ways you can guarantee student's success.

Howard Gardner's Eight Intelligences

The theory of multiple intelligences challenges the idea of a single IQ, where human beings have one central "computer" where intelligence is housed. Howard Gardner, the Harvard professor who originally proposed the theory, says that there are multiple types of human intelligence, each representing different ways of processing information:

• Verbal-linguistic intelligence refers to an individual's ability to analyze information and produce work that involves oral and written language, such as speeches, books, and emails.
• Logical-mathematical intelligence describes the ability to develop equations and proofs, make calculations, and solve abstract problems.
• Visual-spatial intelligence allows people to comprehend maps and other types of graphical information.
• Musical intelligence enables individuals to produce and make meaning of different types of sound.
• Naturalistic intelligence refers to the ability to identify and distinguish among different types of plants, animals, and weather formations found in the natural world.
• Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails using one's own body to create products or solve problems.
• Interpersonal intelligence reflects an ability to recognize and understand other people's moods, desires, motivations, and intentions.
• Intrapersonal intelligence refers to people's ability to recognize and assess those same characteristics within themselves.

(Sourced from Edutopia.com)

There are multiple tests online that can give you an indication of what your learner might be, but even just beginning to recognise how they learn and understand the world around them is a huge step into making sure things they need to know stick in their brain.

If your child would benefit from individualised, one-on-one education with a qualified teacher, get in touch with Full Spectrum Education to organise a free consultation.