Traditionally we have been told that there is only one way of learning: reading and writing. That is the reason for centuries all academic works revolve around these two activities. However, reading and writing approach to learning works well for most of people, it does not work well for all. Educational experts now agree there are different learning styles and each one of us has to find out our preferred way of learning. There are four distinct learning styles
- Visual/Verbal Learning style: Such learners enjoy reading and benefit from written hand outs. They claim to remember by "seeing the words". Such learners enjoy learning on their own and usually excel in traditional exams. Exams provide them a chance to reproduce the words in isolation and independently
- Visual/non-verbal Learning style: Such students learn through charts, diagrams of all kinds, including a video. Texts books with text will not be useful for these learners. Books with illustrations, diagrams can help them learn effectively. They learn "pictures". They use mapping techniques and diagrammatic approach
- Tactile/Kinaesthetic Learning style: These learner learn by doing. During lab experiments they learn by "hands on" They enjoy school trips to museums, factories. They are not good at note taking. They use sketches, work sheets to help their learning objectives
- Auditory/verbal Learning Style: These students learn through listening to "lectures" and recordings. They take part in class room discussions and also debates etc. They learn by "hearing"
The implication is that as a teacher one must be able to classify her students into appropriate groups and meet their learning needs accordingly.
On her part, student must identify her style of learning to maximise returns on learning efforts.
I have been using techniques to help students learn by posting reading materials on the web and also making it available in audio form