Lesson Plan for Learning Styles
SUMMARY
Students use a survey to identify their primary learning style and determine study habits that will
help them to be academically successful based on their survey results.
OBJECTIVES
Students will . . .
• Discuss what a learning style is and how they’re used in the classroom
• Complete a learning styles inventory
• Identify their own primary learning style
• Identify appropriate study habits based on their primary learning style
• Explain how they’re going to communicate their needs to the adults in their life
ASSESSMENT
Students will be graded on four aspects of the learning styles inventory and reflection. There is a
rubric on the second page of the worksheet.
1. Completeness
2. Data accuracy
3. Writing of the reflection and evaluation of his or her learning styles
4. Mechanics: capitalization, grammar, punctuation, and spelling
PREPARATION
Photocopy “Learning Styles Inventory” (two pages) worksheet for each student
Photocopy “More About Learning Styles” (one page) worksheet for each student
MATERIALS
Learning Styles Inventory worksheet (two pages) (included below)
More About Learning Styles worksheet (one page) (included separately)
TIME REQUIRED
Two 45-minute class periods
GROUP SIZE
Class, group, individual
STEPS
Day 1
1. Discuss and define general learning style characteristics. Discuss how students do homework and the environment in
which they work best when completing homework. Ask students to respond to the following two scenarios and choose
which best describes their style.
a. You lie on the floor, with the radio on, munching a snack while you finish your homework assignment.
b. You sit at a desk, in a quiet room to finish your homework assignment.
2. Brainstorm other learning styles. You may include discussions about classroom environments and how they relate to
learning. Discussion of negative learning environments may lead to a better understanding of students’ preferred
learning style.
3. Discuss the three learning styles, using the worksheet information. Explain to students that there are different working
environments in the classroom; for example, some people prefer to work where there is lots of visual stimulus and
activity, others prefer a “hands on” approach. Some prefer written instructions, some like graphic images, others like to
listen. Have students then go back to the original two scenarios and explain which learning style(s) they represent.
4. Before having students take the “Learning Styles Inventory” have them make a prediction about their primary learning
style. Have them discuss their evidence with a partner or their group.
Day 2
1. Briefly review the learning styles you discussed during yesterday’s lesson. Have students pair up with a student from
another group and discuss their prediction and evidence before having them take the “Learning Styles Inventory.”
2. Give students a copy of the “Learning Styles Inventory” worksheet. Have them pre-read the worksheet and discuss
what they’ll need to complete for the assignment, i.e. survey, bar graph, reflection. Review the rubric so they
understand how they are demonstrating mastery.
3. Have students calculate the totals for each learning style, i.e. visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Have them fill in the bar
graph to visually represent their learning styles.
4. Hand out the “More About Learning Styles” worksheet and have students use a highlighter, marker or colored pencil to
“highlight” the column that applies to their primary learning styles. Have them check-off the items that describe them in
the “What you like and how you learn” section. Have students review the “Good study habits for you…” section, and
have them pick two to three study habits they plan to use during the First Quarter to improve their academic success.
5. Review the directions for the reflection. If time permits, have them brainstorm on a separate sheet and discuss their
ideas with a partner before writing their reflection. They do not have enough space to answer all of the questions, so
have them choose a few to respond to in their reflection.
6. Have students peer review their written reflections to identify areas of strength and areas of need. Have students edit
their reflections and then individually grade themselves on the rubric.
7. If time permits, have a few students share out their reflections.
8. Collect your class data for the number of students who are visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners
and send the data to Davia.Taylor@d11.org. Davia will be posting school-wide data to demonstrate how our students
learn at JSAA. If you have some exemplar responses, I’d love to post those as well. Make sure to get student
permission ;-)
9. Consider your own teaching and how you are already incorporating a variety of modalities, or how you may need to
diversify your methods of instruction to meet the needs of your students.
VARIATION
Compile learning style preferences from the activity above and discuss with the class whether the classroom
environment meets those needs. Students investigate and identify ways to modify the classroom environment.
Name: ___________________________ Date: __________ Grade Level: _____ Primary Learning Style: ____________
LEARNING STYLES INVENTORY
Part I Directions: Put a checkmark in each statement that sounds like something you do. Total your checkmarks at the
bottom for each column to identify your primary and secondary learning style. It’s okay to have more than one checkmark
per question.
Question
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
1. If I have to learn how to do
Watch someone show me
Hear someone tell me
Try to do it myself.
something, I learn best when how.
how.
I…
2. When I read, I often find that
Visualize what I am reading in Read out loud or hear
Fidget and try to “feel”
I…
my mind’s eye.
the words inside my
the content.
head.
3. When asked to give
See the actual places in my
Have no difficulty in
Have to point or move
directions, I…
mind as I say them or prefer to giving them verbally.
my body as I give them.
draw them.
4. If I am unsure how to spell a
Write it in order to determine if Spell it out loud in order Write it in order to
word, I…
it looks right.
to determine if it sounds determine if it feels right.
right.
5. When I write, I…
Am concerned how neat and
Often say the letters and Push hard on my pen or
well-spaced my letters and
words to myself.
pencil and can feel the
words appear.
flow of the words or
letters as I form them.
6. If I had to remember a list of
Wrote them down.
Said them over and over Moved around and used
items, I would remember it
to myself.
my fingers to name each
best if I…
item.
7. I prefer teachers who:
Use the board or overhead
Talk with a lot of
Use hands-on activities.
projector while they lecture.
expression.
8. When trying to concentrate, I There is a lot of clutter or
There is a lot of noise in I have to sit still for any
have a difficult time when…
movement in the room.
the room.
length of time.
9. When solving a problem, I…
Write or draw diagrams to see Talk myself through it.
Use my entire body or
it.
move objects to help me
think.
10. When given written
Read them silently and try to
Read them out loud and Try to put the parts
instructions on how to build
visualize how the parts will fit
talk to myself as I put
together first and read
something, I…
together.
the parts together.
later.
11. To keep occupied while
Look around, stare, or read.
Talk or listen to others.
Walk around,
waiting, I…
manipulate things with
my hands, or
move/shake my feet as I
sit.
12. If I had to verbally describe
Be brief because I do not like
Go into great detail
Gesture and move
something to another person, to talk at length.
because I like to talk.
around while talking.
I would…
13. If someone were verbally
Try to visualize what she was Enjoy listening but want Become bored if her
describing something to me, I saying.
to interrupt and talk
description got too long
would…
myself.
and detailed.
14. When trying to recall names, I Faces but forget names.
Names, but forget faces. The situation that I met
remember…
the person other than
the person’s name or
face.
Part II Directions: Graph your totals from the table.
My primary learning style is:
________________________
My secondary learning style is: ________________________
Part III Directions: Review the suggested study habits based on your primary learning style on the “More on Learning
Styles” worksheet. Consider the ways in which you learn best. Also, think about two-three reasonable types of studying
you are willing to make a commitment to doing. List these study habits in the box below. How can you communicate this to
your parent/guardian? How can you communicate this to your teacher? What types of activities would best serve your
primary learning style in the classroom? Did your primary learning style match your prediction? Why or why not? Should
this be the only way in which you learn? Why or why not?
Part IV Directions: Use the rubric below to self-grade after you review your reflection with a peer and make necessary
corrections.
Individual
Grade
Criteria
Completeness
Learning Styles Inventory, bar graph, and
reflection completed
Data Accuracy
Bar graph displayed correctly and accurately
represents your primary learning style
Study Habits
Three or more appropriate study habits included
in the reflection based on your primary learning
style
Mechanics
Used complete sentences, appropriate
capitalization, spelling, grammar, and punctuation
in reflection
Total (out of 12)
Teacher
Grade
Point System
3 points – ALL requirements included
2 points – MOST requirements included
1 point – SOME requirements included
0 points – NO requirements included