Different Kids = Different Learning Styles

Sometimes homeschooling our two youngest can be challenging especially when they both have different learning styles. It makes for interesting lesson plans that combine all the learning styles so that both of them can get the most out of each lesson. As you will see below it takes a special teacher to be able to teach different styles at the same time.

Visual learning is learning that is done by "seeing". We usually tackle this type of learning with organization charts, highlighting, graphs, pictures and diagrams. It takes a little bit of time and energy to come up with more visuals but depending on the curriculum you use it may be just a matter of copying the visuals from the teachers manual.

Second on the list for a learning style is the Aural style. The aural style learners learn best by hearing. Note taking may not work for them as they process all the information that they hear the best. Asking them to take notes while listening can greatly impact what they retain and learn. You can accomplish this style by starting each lesson with a description of what they will be learning and doing and emphasizing the major points verbally.

Third up you would have your Read/Write style of learning. The read and write learners love to gain their knowledge from dictionaries, encylclopedias, textbooks, and anything else they can read. They may not understand directions verbally but given the same directions written on a sheet of paper or the board they will be able to fullfill most tasks you give them. This is the least teacher intrusive type of learning.

The last group of learners fall into the Kinesthetic learning style. Teach these learners by a hands on approach. Allow them to learn by "doing". Allow time for the kinesthetic learner to use materials and do the lesson themselves, such as in science. This may take extra time for a lesson to be completed but the knowledge they will gain will be worth the time.

If your are interested in learning more about the four learning styles you can visit: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp