How do kids learn? Part 3

So, for the last 2 learning styles… we are going to talk about musical (woohoo!) and bodily (?). Oh if you are reading this blog for the first time, the last 2 weeks we’ve been talking about the 7 different learning styles. Check How do kids (and we) learn Part 1 and Part 2 (if you are interested).

 

Musical: If your child is always walking around the house humming a tune, or always needs music to study by, then he/she is likely a musical learner. This type of learner is best at noticing details, pitches, and rhythms that escape the normal listener. They are excellent at keeping tune, and are adept at turning the abstract into concrete objects. These childern learn best through rhythm, melody, and music. When they need to learn something for school encourage them to write a song about the lesson (rap maybe?), or teach them a song. Encourage their natural love of music, and try to incorporate music into as many lessons as possible.

 

 

Bodily: This type of learner is always on the move. They are also called Kinesthetic learners. They constantly walk around, they have to touch everything, and they use body language to convey their feelings. They would rather play sports or do a craft than sit down and read a book. They need active education hands-on activities. As babies, kinesthetic learners are in constant motion, their movements are well coordinated, and they are anxious to crawl and walk as quickly as possible. In a classroom, kinesthetic learners can be fidgety. They’ll often be the first to volunteer to do something —anything—active. They want to do an experiment not watch it or read about it. Keep them moving. These are the learners who can do more than one thing at a time. Interdisciplinary lessons are very successful with these types of learners.

 

So, to summarize, the 7 learning styles are:

1. linguistic
2. interpersonal
3. intrapersonal
4. logical
5. spatial
6. musical
7. bodily

 I think I am a combination of linguistic, interpersonal and musical. How about you?

 

photo: www.kindermusik.com

 

 

 

 

How do kids (and we) learn? Part 1

Have you ever wondered why there are certain subjects you or your children, can do better than others? That’s because we all learn in different ways. Learning styles entails how a person best takes in, understands, and remembers information. In most children, one sense is usually more finely tuned and influential for learning than the others. We receive information in different ways, auditorily, visually or tactile, so if you know which way your child learns better, then you could use that to help them in areas that are difficult for them.

There are 7 learning styles. Today we will learn about 3 styles: Linguistic, interpersonal and intrapersonal.

• Linguistic: This type of learner loves to read, write, and tell stories. They tend to memorize places, dates, names, and trivia very easily. They have a remarkable ability to repeat back everything you have ever told them, word for word. These children learn best by saying, hearing, and seeing words. When they write down a word or a phrase, it is forever locked into their memory. As a parent or teacher we should encourage them to participate in spelling bees and creative writing courses.  

 

• Interpersonal: These are the “social butterflies”. They adapt easily to any type of social situation, have many friends and are excellent leaders. They are patient, understanding, and very empathetic, which makes them a favorite among their playmates. They generally make good leaders because of their ability to mediate conflict, and are often referred to as the Peacemaker of the family. As a parent or teacher, we should encourage their love of people, and allow them to be with many different types of people. They will likely have a variety of types of friends and it is important to support and accept all of them. This type of learner will do best in a group situation as they compare, share, relate, and interview other people. If no group is available, don’t be surprised to see them create one in their animals or toys!

 

• Intrapersonal: These strong willed people work best alone. They pursue their one interests and have a deep understanding of themselves. They are independent and original, and they tend to stand out from the crowd without even trying. They are the strong, silent type. They do best in self paced instruction, individualized projects, and working alone. Because these children work best alone, they often need to be encouraged to socialize.

Next week we’ll talk about spatial and logical learning styles.

Do you think you or your child has strengths in either one of these styles?