Individual Learning Styles

A student’s sensory preference determines the individual learning style. Student learners may prefer either the auditory, visual or the tactile/kinaesthetic style of learning. Visual learners are attracted to bright, colorful graphics. These learners retain information by viewing pictures, slides, graphs, films and demonstrations.

Auditory learners benefit the most from listening to recordings that is a review of the information presented to them in class. They learn orally from both listening to instruction from the teacher and audio tapes.  Tactile/kinaesthetic learners absorb knowledge through touch and movement. They prefer to work with hands-on role-playing and other activities that use bodily parts as a mnemonic device. An example is the useof hand-signals.

Print-oriented learners read to acquire knowledge. Interactive learners learn during discussions with other students in small groups or working together with another student. Olfactory learners rely on smell to acquire knowledge. These learners benefit when teachers associate particular smells with certain educational activities in the classroom.