There are several types of learners and each one of my kids so far is a different one. Lady G is visual, Queen V is audial, and Mr. T, I believe, is kinesthetic. he cannot sit still worth anything. What makes it difficult is the fact that I have one year left with him to get my idea of learning across to him. Not every teacher will teach for each of the types of learners in a classroom... and usually the kinesthetic learner is the one left behind. I so don't want that for my T!
He can be such a sweet boy and loves attention- so much so that he will pick on any sister in a 5 foot radius to get it... good or bad.
Ok.. so on with the learners.. what type are you? What types are in your families? How do you help your kids learn, be good people and put their best foot forward.
THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER
Ways to Spot One - A child who Wants to:
* move all the time
* touch and feel everything, rubs hands on walls, hallways, door frames as he moves
* thumps buddies
* can take an item apart and put it back together
* enjoys doing things with his hands
* is well co-ordinated, good at sports (except eye-hand co-ordination if visual modality strength is lacking)
* frequently uses fists
* may make paper airplanes
* needs to use concrete objects as learning aids
* cannot rote count or sequence material without aids
* has difficulty establishing one-to-one relationships in number values
* after age 6.5 is generally classed as an underachiever
* often described as a child who can't keep his hands to himself
* needs to explore his environment more than average for this age
* is often considered hyperactive
1. Adjustments - What can be done
* provide quiet down period after physical activities
* alternate quiet periods and rest periods
* task reward may work well
* avoid putting him too close to other children
* provide cues for end of study time - timer or clock
* encourage visits for drinks/bathroom before class
* make it harder to move than to sit still - e.g. desk against wall
* is often unaware of own movement and distracted by that of others
* may be on medication for hyperactivity - find out
* use picture to help establish associations - words/numbers/meanings
* attach verbal labels
* use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic methods for teaching writing
* allow for planned times for movement, such as monitor jobs
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* Teaching methods - How to plan
* use movement exploration - adding/subtracting/prepositional concepts can be taught on monkey bars
* have children clap or tap out numbers, syllables, walk patterns of words
* use number lines on the floor - child can use heavy objects along the line for more physical feedback
* use sandpaper letters/felt letters, writing in sand/clay, 3-D materials
* child may need to talk to self for motor feedback
* use all manipulatives possible
* do lots of things with eyes shut using 3-D letters
* use lots of writing - may need to introduce with stencils
* supply concrete objects for counting sequencing, establishing patterns seeing similarities and differences
THE AUDITORY LEARNER
Ways to Spot One - A child who:
* never stops talking
* tells jokes and tries to be funny
* can win spelling bee if taught "say-spell-say" method
* is a good story teller - they get taller and taller
* has poor handwriting, a history of reversals
* can remember what is said to him and repeat it accurately
* makes a good boss
* likes records, folk dances, rhythmic activities
* has ten excuses for everything
* knows all the words to all the songs
* can memorize easily
* has a poor performance on group intelligence tests
* seems brighter than group tests reveal
* has poor perception of time and space
* Adjustments - What can be done
* take out as much noise as possible
* find him a quiet place to work
* very soft background music may help
* use as few words as you can when giving directions
* if you repeat, use the same words
* speak directly to the child
* earphones and tape recorders help cut out distractions of other noises
1. Teaching methods - How to plan
* teach him to talk through tasks
* allow him to spell out loud
* let him say syllables out loud
* have him name punctuation marks as he reads to develop an awareness of their function
* play lots of rhyming and blending games
* allow him to think out loud. Encourage oral response
* tape record lessons and tests Use records.
* pair him with a visual learner
* encourage him to use colour cues and markers
* use neurological impress method (child pointing to words while you read to him)
THE VISUAL LEARNER
Ways to Spot One - A child who:
* likes to look at books and pictures - stays with a book, not just manipulating books on and off the shelves
* loves to look at orderly things - demands neat surroundings
* can find what others have lost and remembers where they have seen things
* sees details - how you dress, if your slip is showing, errors in typing
* can find a page in a book or workbook readily - may have it half done before the others start
* can't get directions orally (if the child is timid, will copy from others rather than ask for more directions)
* likes to work puzzles
* probably will be able to make good pictures - at least ones with good balance
* can set the table correctly and remembers where the dishes belong in the cupboard
* may have a speech problem
* may watch teacher's face intently
* rarely talks in class or responds in as few words as possible
1. Adjustments - What can be done
* take out visual distraction - place him in as uncluttered an area as possible
* leave a frame of blank wall around visual displays
* on a worksheet, put a heavy line around items to help pupil attend to one item at a time
* give him a big marker
* allow him to point if necessary. Let him touch the first letter of each word
* let him get one worksheet at a time, rather than handing him several papers at once. This also gives the child a purpose for moving about as he turns in his completed work and gets his next assignment
* try not to stand in front of a cluttered background when instructing
* give him one step of an assignment at a time
1. Teaching methods - How to plan
* give lots of visual directions
* give demonstrations
* use matching games, charts, and graphs
* use maps and teach the use of a legend
* use colour coded systems
* use number frames and abacuses
* use dictionaries and give visual symbols for sounds
* use configuration clues
* have him look for words, letters, pictures in papers and magazines
* use mirror to see mouth
* use clues such as a green dot as the place to begin, a red dot to stop. This also helps to develop directionality
* allow the child to work with rulers and number lines to develop math concepts
**I got this information from
uvic
