"Catering To Your Students Learning Styles..."
 Be a “Differentiation Advocate” for your students by personalizing their reading experiences. The 3 major learning styles (Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Visual) should definitely be considered when working with students during reading classwork and homework. Most students have a preference, and typically their preferences are a result of how they learn best. Below you will find a brief description of the 3 learning styles, as well as a few tips.
Aural or auditory learners do well with hearing information. They remember words to songs and can recall conversations in detail by hearing them in their minds.
Kinesthetic learners learn by doing. Hands-on activities and real-life experiences help them remember.
Visual learners learn best from visual images that do not include writing. Graphs and diagrams are easy for them to understand. They remember faces and places and tend to recall information by picturing it in their minds.
Take A Learning Style Quiz Here


Tips For Visual Learners

  • Use visual materials such as pictures, charts, maps, graphs, etc.
  • Use color to highlight important points in text
  • Take notes on bright sticky tabs or use graphic organizer handouts for note-taking
  • Illustrate your ideas as a picture or use a brainstorming bubble before writing ideas down
  • Write a story and then illustrate it
  • Use multi-media (e.g. computers, smartphones, iPads, videos, and filmstrips)
  • Study in a quiet place away from verbal disturbances
  • Read illustrated books
  • Tap into your imagination (Visualize information as a picture to aid memorization)

Tips For Kinesthetic Learners

  • Reenact a scene from the story
  • Create vocabulary mnemonics
  • Make flashcards that include pictures or diagrams as visual clues
  • Retell text by sorting pictures or phrases that are associated with the text
  • Move around to learn new things (e.g. read while on an exercise bike, practice spelling while going for a walk, dance in between chapters or when a certain number of words are read)
  • Highlight during reading or record notes within the margins
  • Listen to soft classical music while studying
  • Skim through reading material (e.g. do a picture or text walk) to get a rough idea what it is about before settling down to read it in detail
  • Allow students to work at a standing position or chew gum while studying

Tips For Auditory Learners

  • Allow opportunities for discussion of text
  • Encourage participation in class discussions/debates
  • Make speeches and presentations about stories (Retelling and comprehension practice)
  • Use a tape recorder during lessons instead of taking notes
  • Read text out aloud
  • Create musical jingles to aid memorization
  • Create mnemonics to aid memorization
  • Discuss your ideas verbally directly after reading text
  • Dictate to someone while they write down your thoughts
  • Use verbal analogies, and story telling to demonstrate your point