Kids are all unique in how they learn. This is so intuitively obvious to any parent with more than one child. Maybe one of your kids can sit for hours with a book while the other bounces off the walls. But give them physical objects to manipulate and interact with, and they engage at an extremely high level.
Schools, unfortunately, often struggle to implement individualized learning modules. It’s not a question of unwillingness, but bandwidth. How can one teacher with thirty children figure out how each one learns best, and what to do about it?
As a parent, you can help by familiarizing yourself with your child’s unique learning requirements. Figure out how they retain information best. Pass your insights along to the teacher, or find ways to cater to their unique needs at home.
In this article, we provide an in-depth overview of how to support your child academically.
Why Learning Styles Matter
The reason individualized learning styles matter is very simply because your child’s brain is wired to process information in a specific way. For example, if they are auditory learners, they may not respond as effectively as they could to visual stimulation.
That doesn’t mean they won’t know what they are looking at if you show them a video. It does mean they will benefit from instruction more tailored to their learning style. Schoolwork will be a little easier for them.
When you find out how a child learns best it often removes a lot of friction from the experience. They become less frustrated with their work. Kids who have been reluctant students may become passionate learners almost overnight.
What Types of Learning Styles Are There?
There are four basic learning styles that most children fall into.
Traditional school instruction favores read/write and auditory learning styles. Teachers give their lectures and then provide individual assignments that are usually completed with a combination of reading and writing.
There is a modern trend to diversify instruction as much as possible so that every learning style is accounted for in instruction. However, it simply isn’t possible for teachers to give every single one of their students a fully individualized lesson.
By understanding what style your students learn best in, you may be able to connect them with materials they will respond well to. Below, we provide an overview of what each learning style entails.
Visual
Visual learners respond best to visual stimulation. They may learn most effectively from videos, graphics, and pictures that help reinforce points. Visual learners often respond well to colors. For example, if text-based information is broken into colored graphs, it will be easier for a visual learner to comprehend and remember it.
Visual learners often do well with graphic novels and other forms of visual media. They may benefit greatly from variety.
Auditory
Auditory learners benefit most from oral instruction. They have an easier time remembering things that were told to them and may do their best with class discussions over written reflections. Auditory learners will respond well to recorded media, like audiobooks.
Read/Write
Read/write learners do well in environments where they can engage with texts and record their thoughts on the page. They will often learn well independently and thrive in traditional classroom dynamics.
Kinesthetic
Kinesthetic learners feel most engaged when they are in motion. They will do well with active lessons. For example, acting out a passage from a book, or physically interacting with materials relevant to a lesson.
Kinesthetic learners might find it hard to sit still for long periods of time and will do best when they are able to move around. Unfortunately, most traditional learning environments do not offer much for kinesthetic learners.
I’ve Figured Out My Child’s Learning Style. Now What?
Naturally, your child’s school won’t be able to bend instruction around your child’s learning style. However, their teacher probably will be happy to leverage that information as much as possible in modifying assignments, or even diversifying the way they teach certain lessons.
You have to keep in mind that teachers want nothing more than to help their students succeed. They probably try to individualize their lesson plans as much as possible, diversifying instruction to address the various learning styles in their room.
Once you figure out what conditions generate the most success for your student, consider sending their teacher an email. “Hey, I found that my son learns really well under X CIRCUMSTANCES. Do you have any suggestions for how I can leverage that information at home?”
Your teacher may be able to work that info into their curriculum. They may be surprisingly open to the idea of slightly modifying tests and assignments to accommodate their learning style. Remember—they want their students to be as engaged as possible. If you have information that can help facilitate that engagement, they will be happy to hear it.
Even more probably, they will have a list of suggestions for how you can use it at home to help your child with homework. Those tips will be labor-intensive on your part, perhaps, but they will help your child achieve better academic outcomes.
Are There Risks to Overpersonalizing Lessons?
One of the common criticisms leveraged against an emphasis on individualized lesson plans is that the real world is not so accommodating. By the time students reach high school and college, the opportunity to individualize learning will be very limited. Once they move onto the world of employment, it will be almost non-existent.
While these criticisms are true, it’s also true that there are few opportunities available for students who cannot achieve a basic understanding of early education concepts. Kids who understand how they learn best are empowered to find ways to grapple with higher learning and work concepts in a way that suits them later in life.
Helping children succeed in school is never a bad thing.
Conclusion
Parents often have to be their children’s advocates when it comes to dealing with the school system. It’s not fair, nor is it even accessible for people who lack the time or means to engage in that way with their child’s education.
Unfortunately, that’s just the way things are, and it’s not going to change anytime soon. Schools have a lot of kids to look after. They do their best for each one, but they’ll never understand your child the way you do.
Taking the time to figure out your child’s unique learning style is a great way to help them achieve the results they are capable of.
Guest Author Bio
Sarah Daren
With a Bachelor’s in Health Science along with an MBA, Sarah Daren has a wealth of knowledge within both the health and business sectors. Her expertise in scaling and identifying ways tech can improve the lives of others has led Sarah to be a consultant for a number of startup businesses, most prominently in the wellness industry, wearable technology and health education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life with a focus on making America a healthier and safer place for future generations to come.
Schools, unfortunately, often struggle to implement individualized learning modules. It’s not a question of unwillingness, but bandwidth. How can one teacher with thirty children figure out how each one learns best, and what to do about it?
As a parent, you can help by familiarizing yourself with your child’s unique learning requirements. Figure out how they retain information best. Pass your insights along to the teacher, or find ways to cater to their unique needs at home.
In this article, we provide an in-depth overview of how to support your child academically.
Why Learning Styles Matter
The reason individualized learning styles matter is very simply because your child’s brain is wired to process information in a specific way. For example, if they are auditory learners, they may not respond as effectively as they could to visual stimulation.
That doesn’t mean they won’t know what they are looking at if you show them a video. It does mean they will benefit from instruction more tailored to their learning style. Schoolwork will be a little easier for them.
When you find out how a child learns best it often removes a lot of friction from the experience. They become less frustrated with their work. Kids who have been reluctant students may become passionate learners almost overnight.
What Types of Learning Styles Are There?
There are four basic learning styles that most children fall into.
- Visual
- Read/Write
- Auditory
- Kinesthetic
Traditional school instruction favores read/write and auditory learning styles. Teachers give their lectures and then provide individual assignments that are usually completed with a combination of reading and writing.
There is a modern trend to diversify instruction as much as possible so that every learning style is accounted for in instruction. However, it simply isn’t possible for teachers to give every single one of their students a fully individualized lesson.
By understanding what style your students learn best in, you may be able to connect them with materials they will respond well to. Below, we provide an overview of what each learning style entails.
Visual
Visual learners respond best to visual stimulation. They may learn most effectively from videos, graphics, and pictures that help reinforce points. Visual learners often respond well to colors. For example, if text-based information is broken into colored graphs, it will be easier for a visual learner to comprehend and remember it.
Visual learners often do well with graphic novels and other forms of visual media. They may benefit greatly from variety.
Auditory
Auditory learners benefit most from oral instruction. They have an easier time remembering things that were told to them and may do their best with class discussions over written reflections. Auditory learners will respond well to recorded media, like audiobooks.
Read/Write
Read/write learners do well in environments where they can engage with texts and record their thoughts on the page. They will often learn well independently and thrive in traditional classroom dynamics.
Kinesthetic
Kinesthetic learners feel most engaged when they are in motion. They will do well with active lessons. For example, acting out a passage from a book, or physically interacting with materials relevant to a lesson.
Kinesthetic learners might find it hard to sit still for long periods of time and will do best when they are able to move around. Unfortunately, most traditional learning environments do not offer much for kinesthetic learners.
I’ve Figured Out My Child’s Learning Style. Now What?
Naturally, your child’s school won’t be able to bend instruction around your child’s learning style. However, their teacher probably will be happy to leverage that information as much as possible in modifying assignments, or even diversifying the way they teach certain lessons.
You have to keep in mind that teachers want nothing more than to help their students succeed. They probably try to individualize their lesson plans as much as possible, diversifying instruction to address the various learning styles in their room.
Once you figure out what conditions generate the most success for your student, consider sending their teacher an email. “Hey, I found that my son learns really well under X CIRCUMSTANCES. Do you have any suggestions for how I can leverage that information at home?”
Your teacher may be able to work that info into their curriculum. They may be surprisingly open to the idea of slightly modifying tests and assignments to accommodate their learning style. Remember—they want their students to be as engaged as possible. If you have information that can help facilitate that engagement, they will be happy to hear it.
Even more probably, they will have a list of suggestions for how you can use it at home to help your child with homework. Those tips will be labor-intensive on your part, perhaps, but they will help your child achieve better academic outcomes.
Are There Risks to Overpersonalizing Lessons?
One of the common criticisms leveraged against an emphasis on individualized lesson plans is that the real world is not so accommodating. By the time students reach high school and college, the opportunity to individualize learning will be very limited. Once they move onto the world of employment, it will be almost non-existent.
While these criticisms are true, it’s also true that there are few opportunities available for students who cannot achieve a basic understanding of early education concepts. Kids who understand how they learn best are empowered to find ways to grapple with higher learning and work concepts in a way that suits them later in life.
Helping children succeed in school is never a bad thing.
Conclusion
Parents often have to be their children’s advocates when it comes to dealing with the school system. It’s not fair, nor is it even accessible for people who lack the time or means to engage in that way with their child’s education.
Unfortunately, that’s just the way things are, and it’s not going to change anytime soon. Schools have a lot of kids to look after. They do their best for each one, but they’ll never understand your child the way you do.
Taking the time to figure out your child’s unique learning style is a great way to help them achieve the results they are capable of.
Guest Author Bio
Sarah Daren