INTRODUCTION

LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES

Learning styles are the preferred ways by which people learn. Learning styles refer to an individual's preferred manner of processing material, or characteristic style of acquiring and using information when learning. Common learning styles include visual, auditory, and tactile.
It is commonly believed that most people favor some particular method of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli or information. Based on this concept, the idea of individualized "learning styles" originated in the 1970s, and has gained popularity in recent years.It has been proposed that teachers should assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's learning style.

Visual Learners - Visual learners are those who generally think in terms of pictures. They often prefer to see things written down in a handout, text or on the overhead. They find maps, graphs, charts, and other visual learning tools to be extremely effective. They remember things best by seeing something written.

Visual learners often:
remember visual details
prefer to see what they are learning
like to have paper and pens handy
doodle while listening
have trouble following lectures
like to write down instructions or telephone numbers

Auditory Learners - Auditory learners are those who generally learn best by listening. They typically like to learn through lectures, discussions, and reading aloud. They remember best through hearing or saying items aloud.

Auditory learners often:
enjoy oral discussion
remember by talking out loud
need to have things explained orally
have trouble with written instructions
talk to themselves while learning something new
repeat a telephone number in order to remember it

Kinesthetic Learners- Kinesthetic, also called tactile, learners are those who learn best through touching, feeling, and experiencing that which they are trying to learn. They remember best by writing or physically manipulating the information. They learn skills by imitation and practice.

Kinesthetic-tactile learners often:
prefer activities
want to actually do whatever is being talked about or learned
like to move around while listening or talking
often "talk" with their hands
like to touch things in order to learn about them
remember things by recalling who did what rather than who said what