4 Types of Learners - Do You Know How You Best Learn?

“I just can’t get this through my head!”

Sound familiar?

While we all want to learn or try new things, the way new subjects or concepts are taught may not sit well with us. For some, lectures and classroom lessons may sound boring. For others, they may prefer learning through doing.

This comes down to learning styles and learner types.

The VARK Learning Types – Visual, Auditory, Tactile (or Read-Write), and Kinesthetic – are major learning types that help us identify the modes where we do our best learning.

So, as you think about your next skill to try, think about the type of learner you are, and the learning style that will best suit you and your interests.

Visual Learners

If charts, infographics, videos, and generally seeing what you’re learning about helps you remember and understand new ideas and concepts, you may be a visual learner.

Preferring to view concepts in graphic over written forms, visual learners find it easier to see information in visual form. Aspects like art, beauty, aesthetics, and body language are also ideal forms of communication – hence, visual learners may also make good designers or data organisers.

Are you working with or a visual learner yourself? If so, here are some pointers that can help you:

Transforming complicated information into visual forms like infographics, maps, and charts helps visual learners learn better.
Remember, visual learners need to “see to believe”. So having visual aids and process charts can help with better communication with them.
Despite their visual nature, photographs, movies, and videos that do not directly depict processes, symbols, or meaning do not count as ideal modes of presentation for visual learners.

Auditory Learners

When you remember things that are said to you better, or if you can better understand topics when they are presented through a podcast, you may be an auditory learner.

Generally, lectures, class recordings, or podcasts serve as ideal modes of communication for auditory learners. On top of that, reading their learnt skills out loud or by speaking to others aids in better memory recall – this makes speaking and teaching ideal forms of learning for auditory learners.

Are you working with or an auditory learner yourself? If so, here are some pointers to help:

While trying to organise new information, auditory learners will want to say what they have learnt to themselves or others – it is important for them to speak out topics and concepts in their own way.
Emails with abbreviations, slang, and non-formal language can also be a preferred form for auditory learners to learn due to its chat-like manner.
Even songs can help with information recall!

Tactile Learners

Tactile (also known as Read-Write) Learners are individuals who learn best by reading material and writing their own interpretations. If you are someone who needs to take a lot of notes during class or while reading, you’re likely a tactile learner.

Making lists, presentations, and their own notes from what they have read allows the information learnt to better stick with tactile learners – therefore they learn best through analysis and personal interpretation.

Are you working with or a tactile learner yourself? Here are some helpful pointers:

While similar to visual learners, tactile learners prefer information displayed through words or text-based mediums.
And like auditory learners, tactile learners prefer writing notes of read text – through their own interpretation.
Many teachers and employers working with manuals, reports, and documents have a strong preference for learners in this mode.

Kinesthetic Learners

“Don’t show me, let me do it.” – this is something most kinesthetic learners would feel. If you learn best through hands-on experience, simulated or real-life situations, you might be a kinesthetic learner.

Applied activities like mechanics, cooking, woodworking, and sports are just some preferred modes of learning for the kinesthetic learner. The ability to conduct case studies, go through constant practice and application, and get their hands dirty from the experience make kinesthetic learners highly practical and process-driven as well.

Are you working with or a kinesthetic learner yourself? These pointers might be of help:

Kinesthetic learners are most comfortable in the concrete nature of using real-life examples. Hence, being able to practice various skills and gain their own experience appeals greatly to them.
Apart from hands-on activities and experiences, kinesthetic learners may gravitate towards simulations, demonstrations, and video instructions to aid them with their learning.
Learners with this preference will also first ask, “what do I have to do?” and “when do I have to do it?” when given an assignment.

So what type of learner are you? Find out by trying each learning method out and seeing which style suits you the most. That can lead you to search for better learning opportunities and boost your career in the future.

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Source: https://web.wlu.ca/learning_resources/pdfs/Learning_Styles.pdf
Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/vark-learning-styles-2795156
Source: https://psichologyanswers.com/library/lecture/read/101601-who-are-some-famous-auditory-learners
Source: https://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/the-vark-modalities/

Posted on 24/01/24