Continuing our series on the types of learners, this article will cover how each type of learner best consumes information.
Visual Learners
Visual learners learn through visual, auditory, and tactile senses. Once you have identified these learners engaging them is easy if you:
- Use visuals aids and demonstrations
- Use whiteboards and note boards to collaborate and share thoughts and ideas
- Provide projects or activities and get them working on solutions
- Put them in small groups and assign different tasks each team
Auditory learners
These learners learn best through creative outlets instead of writing down notes. They absorb information best when they react to emotion. Once you have identified auditory learners you can engage them through:
- Ask questions, pose problems and ask for solutions
- Engage them in small groups discussions
- Provide projects or activities and get them working on solutions
- Put them in small groups and assign different tasks each team
Kinesthetic learners
These learners are also referred to as “hands-on” learners. Kinesthetic education is a form of learning characterized by activities that use motor skills in problem-solving or skills training with a goal in mind. Successful learning methods include hands-on work experience rather than examples on paper or through lectures. Once you have identified this group of learners you can engage them through:
- Provide hands-on learning tools
- Involve them in solving problems or outlining projects
- Provide projects or activities and get them working on solutions
- Put them in small groups and assign different tasks each team
Are you seeing a theme? While there are three distinct learning styles, many of the same training processes work. Involvement, engagement, problem solving, activity and project-based learning are all keys to all learning types. It’s understanding the differences to provide the necessary content that will make a difference. For instance, visual learners love videos but so do auditory and kinesthetic learners. Using whiteboards and have the learners build, document or identify information is also a tool that can be used for all learning types.
Jigsaw Interactive offers multiple types and multi-level engagement, activity and project-based learning tools that are easy to use by everyone.
