How more auditory learners study Auditory students tend to learn mainly by hearing classroom information. They seem to learn best through their ears, especially via verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through and listening to the words of others. They interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. When they have pages to read for homework, they need to quietly say the words aloud in order to hear the words as they read. Often, written information has little meaning until it is heard. When they are learning concepts such as phonetic sounds, they need to hear the similarities. For example, they may not realize "ph" sounds just like "f" unless they say the sounds out loud. Reading aloud, going over class notes and talking to oneself about the relevant points is important. Before reading, set a purpose and verbalize it, after finished a task, be sure to summarize out loud what was just read.
These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder. Taping lectures or notes and playing them back to learn the information can be quite an effective way for an auditory student to understand and remember the information. The speaking of ideas into a tape recorder is like having a conversation with someone. If possible, such learners should talk to their friends about the material. Because auditory learners sometimes encounter problems keeping columns aligned, math computations can be completed on graph paper. The extreme left-hand column in Table 1 below lists alternative strategies for the auditory learner.




How more visual learners study


Visual students learn mainly by 'seeing' the material to be learned, that is, when the material is presented graphically, as in charts, tables, illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos, flip charts, hand-outs, maps, etc. Such students often prefer sitting at the front of the classroom to avoid irrelevant visual obstructions. When in class, visual people should look at the teachers when they are speaking, participate in class discussions and take detailed notes during lectures. Visual learners enjoy watching the teacher's body language and facial expression. This enables them to better comprehend the content of the classroom subject under discussion. When studying, such students tend to study alone in a quiet place and try to transcribe their material on paper. When possible, make designs, drawings, graphs or tables of complex abstract ideas and work alone.
Students who learn visually often have trouble working while having a dialogue, even if the dialogue directly pertains to the subject matter. Any homework they can complete using diagrams, time lines, charts, or graphs will be better remembered. As they read pages for homework, they need to either take written notes or underline important facts and dates in colors. When they are learning such auditory concepts as phonetic sounds, they must see the letters to learn.




How more kinaesthetic-tactual learners study


Of all the types of classroom students, perhaps the kinaesthetic / tactual learners are the most maligned group; they learn best through a hands-on approach. In other words, these are your touchers and feelers; they like to be physically involved as they find it extremely difficult to sit still. They often get out of their desks, pace around the classroom, want to have music or television playing in the background. In short, they are almost constantly finding themselves distracted.
They need to learn keyboarding skills, because these types of learners work well on computers where they can touch the keys as they type. They learn well when they can do things, such as in a lab. They need to actually use their hands and bodies while learning. Kinaesthetic / tactual learners may need to walk around or pace or hop or whatever while reading. When studying for tests, they need to make flash cards to remember important dates and facts. Unfortunately, they often have a hard time in school because they have to sit still and listen to a teacher. They need to learn to take notes in class in order to have something for their hands to do. The two right-hand columns in Box 1 below contain additional alternative strategies for such learners.