BMI3C –Career Studies
The Three Learning Styles
Most people process information most effectively in one of three ways: Visually, Auditory or
through hands-on experience (tactile or kinesthetic). Understanding how you best learn is an
important piece of self-knowledge because you can then identify the best learning strategies to
use in different situations. With this awareness, you can use strategies to accommodate other
situations to fit your learning style – as described below. As with other theories, you should find
one of these three styles is dominant, with the other two not absent, but less effective in the
majority of learning situations.
Visual Learners:
learn through seeing...
These learners need to see the teacher's body language, and facial expression to ~vily
understand the content of a lesson. They tend to prefer sitting~at tKe~ front of the-classroqhi to avoid visual obstructions
(e.g. people's heads). They may tbink [A 'p-rc$-u-'~es and le.drn best from visual displays including: diagrams, illustrated
text books, bwthgad_ trar(spor6ncies, videos, flipcharts and hand-outs. E)uring a lecture or classroom discussion, vi-sual
learners often prefer to take detailed notes to absorb the information.
Auditory Learners*.
learn through Ilstenlnq..
They learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through and listening to
what others have to say. Auditory learners interpret the underlying meanings of speech
through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. Written information may
have little meaning until it is heard. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and
using a tape recorder.
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners:
learn through , moving, doing and touching...
Tcictile/Kinesthetic persons learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring
the physical world around them. They may find it hard to sit still for long periods and may
become distracted by their need for activity and exploration.
Appendix 1. 29
THE THREE LEARNING STYLES
Visual
Do you try to see the word?
Do you sparingly but dislike
listening for too long? Do you
favor words such as see,
p ture, and imagine?
Do you become distracted by
untidiness or movement?
Auditory
Tactile/Kinesthetic
Do you sound out the
word or use a phonetic
approach?
Do you enjoy listening but
are impatient to talk? Do
you use words such as
hear, tune, and think?
Do you become distracted
by sounds or noises?
Do you forget faces but
Do you write the word
down to find if it feels
right?
Do you gesture and use
expressive movements?
Do you use words such as
feel, touch, and hold?
Do you become distracted
by activity around you?
remember names or
Do you remember best
remember what you talked
what you did together?
Do you forget names but
remember faces or remember
where you met?
about?
Do you prefer direct, face-toface, personal meetings?
Do you prefer the
telephone?
Do you talk with them
while walking or
participating in an activity?j
Do you like descriptive scenes
or pause to imagine the
actions?
Do you like to see
demonstrations, diagrams,
slides, or posters?
Do you enjoy dialog and
conversation or hear the
characters talk?
Do you prefer verbal
instructions or talking
Do you prefer action
stories or are not a keen
reader?
Do you prefer to jump right
I
t it with someone
a ou
Ise?
Do you enjoy hearing
in and try it?
verbal instructions about
directions and figure it out
how to do it?
as you go along?
Do you call the help desk,
Do you keep trying to do it
ask a neighbor, or growl at
or try it on another
the computer?
computer?
Do you ignore the
Do you look at the directions
and the picture?
Do
seek out pictures or
you
I
CO) 11 titer,"7~-
diagrams?
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