Tag Archives: learning styles

Are You Trying to Fit a Square Peg in a Round Hole?

I wrote the other day about reading notes from several parents talking about how frustrating homeschooling was and how they were sure. . .this was it. . .that child was going to go back to public school. Some complained of discipline issues that could be seen in all aspects of life, not just homeschooling. Others complained that they couldn’t figure out how to teach their child so their child would get it. And still others complained that it was just plain old fashioned hard. In general, homeschooling has never been difficult for our family. We have bad days as does … Continue reading →

Spiral Learning, a superior approach?

In my homeschool curriculum glossary today, I mentioned Sunrise Math, which talks about spiral approach to learning. I wanted to learn and talk more about that now. Spiral Learning aims to strengthen students’ understanding of the basic concepts by revisiting the concepts periodically with different contexts and with increasing sophistication throughout the curriculum. According to a Virginia Tech document entitled Department Level Reform (An Implementation Grant Sept 04-Aug 07). In other words, the study shows that through repetition and gradually increasing difficulty, a student can learn effectively. I recently came across a blog that supplied an awesome illustration of spiral … Continue reading →

Ways People Learn

People have different learning styles and typically utilize one primarily style when learning. Most people ages 40 and over may not have heard of different learning styles. When they were in school they had the chalkboard, textbooks to read and papers to write. Research over the past thirty or so years has introduced the idea that there are three main learning styles that utilize the senses of the body to garner information. 1. Visual Learner-This type of learner understands information better when he or she can see it. His or her eyes are her primary sensor. These people may think … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Tactile Learner

The tactile learner tends to be the child that can’t sit still. This type of learner would take something apart to figure out how it works and they also tend to be good at fixing things. They have to get their hands on something and explore it in order to learn effectively. Some tactile learners have a very hard time in school because they cannot sit still or concentrate without moving for long periods of time. Recognizing that your child learns best by handling things, is the easy part. What’s difficult is trying to figure out how to present things … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Auditory Learner

Does your child sit on the edge of his seat listening to stories? He likes tapes and listening to things in the car. He may be distracted by visual stimuli but concentrates on listening when you’re speaking to him. The child that is an auditory learner can follow verbal instructions easily–you don’t have to bother with writing it down! Auditory learners are frequently gifted musicians being able to “play by ear”. They are also very sensitive to your tone and pitch when you speak, easily sensing frustration or anger. Recognizing that your child learns best from auditory stimulation, is the … Continue reading →

Teaching Your Visual Learner

Do you have a child who thinks in images? They seem not to be able to follow instructions unless they can “see” what they’re supposed to do. They will frequently take information you give them and either write it down or draw pictures for it. They would likely give directions by drawing a map rather than writing it down. If this sounds familiar, you probably have a visual learner. Recognizing that your child learns best from information presented visually, is the easy part. What’s difficult is trying to figure out how to present things in a way that your child … Continue reading →

Learning Styles for Home Schoolers

Are you the type of person who hears something once and knows it? Or do you have all the phone numbers of your good friends memorized? Maybe you took notes through lectures in college, but never needed to refer to them? Chances are, you have one specific learning style which suits you and you learn best when information is presented in that format. Learning styles, simply put, is the way a student takes in information best. Learning styles research, initially was used to reach students who had learning disabilities but now has encompassed a whole range of applications in the … Continue reading →