Donna Massin's List: Learning Styles

• Auditory
  

   

  Auditory learners often need all the facts in place to learn. If you answer what for them they are happiest. These children like to be given an outline to follow, with things done properly and in order. They also enjoy hearing the facts vocalized.
  

   

  
  

   

  Visual
  

   

  Visual learners often need to know why. Generally, if they know why they need to know something, they will buckle down and learn it. They prefer to see the information. Their learning preference is satisfied because they see the facts.
  

   

  
  

   

  Kinesthetic
  

   

  The kinesthetic learners need to use their bodies in the learning process. They like to know how. Having your kinesthetic child incorporate movement keeps them content while they are seeing and listening to the information being presented.

• Varied Learning Styles

  Visual Learners

  Visual learners learn best by seeing. Provide the visual learners in your classroom with colorful illustrations and graphics while they are learning fractions. Differentiate a lesson on comparing fractions by allowing these students to select from colored pencils or crayons to shade in fraction strips. Use lots of visual aids when working with these types of learners. Sandwich bags filled with colorful candy, snap cubes and counting bears are all useful manipulatives to keep on-hand.

  Auditory Learners

  Auditory learners learn best by hearing. Help the auditory learners in your class to develop poems and chants that can aid in their understanding of third grade fraction concepts. Be prepared to give oral directions to these types of students and encourage them to verbalize their steps as they complete tasks such as identifying equivalent fractions. Auditory learners may particularly benefit from working in pairs or in small groups where they can speak and interact with classmates.

  Kinesthetic Learners

  Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing. Give these students plenty of opportunities to participate in hands-on activities like cutting out fraction strips for comparing, adding and subtracting fractions. Allow time for them to physically demonstrate parts of a group using their own bodies. Give them the chance to get up and move in between assignments. Fraction games that involve using manipulatives are great for your kinesthetic learners.

• What I couldn't seem to do, however, was to translate any of them into classroom use without massive systemic support and effort-
• t Aristotle proposed that anything worthy of study could be approached from four directions, inquiring into: The That, The Why, the If, and What it is or what it means (Ross, 1923/1995
• that all these kids will be better off for having their natural learning perspectives recognized, honored and encouraged; and that they will be better off for having seen that there are areas where they can still grow (sometimes myopically called weaknesses), and further that such growth may be aided by learning from the natural strengths of others.

1 more annotation...

• mainly within gifted programs, a paradox implying only the gifted require cognitive development.
• For about 15 minutes daily during the middle 7 months of the school year, all students undertake SOI activities that develop the mental abilities which teachers assume each student brings to the classroom; e.g., attention span, memory and recall, comparison/contrast thinking, process orientation, symbol decoding, contextual comprehension, etc.