Every student is unique in how they respond to information – some respond better to videos, other to writing elaborate notes, some to interactive demos and others to simply hearing a lecture closely. This is precisely why most teachers and professors offer a blended teaching style known as VAK – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. In order to improve your academic performance, it is first highly important to understand what the different styles of learning are and then to identify which learning style is most suitable for you. Let’s take a look at the eight major categories of learning styles experts have identified over the past few years –
1. Visual / Spatial Learning
A visual learner responds best to videos, charts, graphs, infographics and creating posters and collages on their own. Many engineers and technically-oriented people, such as programmers, respond best to this learning style.
2. Auditory / Musical / Rhythmic Learning
An auditory learner responds best to e-books, mnemonics and information set to music or poetry. Often times, they love listening to music as background noise while studying – it helps them focus, rather than distracting them.
3. Kinaesthetic Learning
A kinaesthetic learner responds best to learning through doing – building 3D models, creating and playing games or quizzes, engaging in lab sessions and even partaking in board games and computer games. Many kinaesthetic learners can be found in creative fields that require a hands-on approach, such as surgery, physical therapy, acting, carpentry and dancing.
4. Linguistic Learning
A linguistic learner responds best through reading, writing, listening and speaking – often times, a combination of reading a concept, hearing an audio recording about it and then writing notes about it before reading them out to someone is ideal. This is actually the preferred learning style of many excellent teachers and professors.
5. Naturalistic Learning
A naturalist learner responds best by applying concepts through application with nature – this is how most scientists learn. Such learners like to experience and observe things.
6. Logical Learning
A logical / mathematical learner responds best through organizing, classifying and categorizing things – they must understand patterns and relationships between things. Many scientists, engineers and mathematicians respond well to this style. Students preparing for competitive exams like Jee mains, Jee advanced, Neet etc generally respond well to this style of learning.
7. Interpersonal Learning
An interpersonal learner responds best by relating to other people – they love sharing stories and working in teams. Many leaders and psychologists are interpersonal learners. They thrive off group energy and social interaction.
8. Intrapersonal Learning
Students Woman Studying Online Browsing E-Learning Concept
An intrapersonal learner responds best to solo time – they set challenging goals for themselves and are self-motivated. Many entrepreneurs are intrapersonal learners – they are self-starters and don’t like much supervision.
There are many tools available to identify your style of learning – for example, at SpeedLabs, we incorporate technology to identify how a student responds best to information so a personalized coaching plan can be developed to suit individual needs. As a rule of thumb, we always incorporate a holistic, hybrid / blended method in order to engage a student fully at multiple levels. To find out more, contact us at info@speedlabs.in
Also published on Medium.