OPTIMIZE YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING STYLE K-3 If flashcards only help to frustrate your child and talking through an addition or subtraction problem just confuses him, perhaps the usual study techniques contradict his personal learning style. “There are multiple channels in the brain for learning,” says Brandi Roth, PhD., a Beverly Hills psychologist and author of Secrets to School Success: Guiding Your Child Through a Joyous Learning Experience. “It is particularly important to understand how a child processes information.” Roth says there are three main pathways to learning: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. To determine how your child processes information, ask him what comes to mind when he hears the word “cat.” Students who see a picture of a cat or see the word “cat” in their mind are probably visual learners. Auditory learners will first hear the sound of a cat’s purr, for example, and kinesthetic learners will feel a cat’s soft fur. Once you know your child’s learning style, you can tailor his study habits accordingly. “It is very important to ‘study smart’,” Roth says, “Meaning you use your best strengths, whether it’s visual or auditory or kinesthetic, to learn the best way.” Visual learners learn by watching. Use pictures, handouts, movies and maps. Visual learners tend to study by themselves in a quiet room rather than in a group. When studying for a spelling test, visual learners often benefit from visualizing the words in their mind and then writing them out on paper. Other helpful study methods for visual learners include: Use color highlighters Make lists and outlines Read books with pictures, maps and graphs Visualize information to aid memorization Draw “webs” that connect all of the child’s ideas on paper Auditory learners learn by hearing. Group discussions, videos, lectures and music all work with these students. They learn better when they read a text aloud or can discuss what they think. Auditory learners take cues from their teacher’s tone, pitch and speed and often find underlying meanings. Roth recommends asking children to repeat what they’ve learned in their own words and then help them prioritize the information. Visual learners also can: Study with someone so they can talk about concepts Compose or listen to speeches Create jingles or poems to help memorize information Use a tape recorder instead of taking notes on paper Read instructions aloud Talk through a problem or explain it to others Kinesthetic learners learn by doing. “Kinesthetic learners always want to touch everything and be involved physically with the material they’re learning,” Roth says. “As much as possible we want to provide something that they can hold or manipulate.” Kinesthetic learners learn best when their muscles or senses are actively engaged. They take a hands-on approach, learning from imitation and touch. Roth adds that kinesthetic students sometimes have difficulty because visual and auditory teaching methods are used most in schools, and abstract concepts are a more difficult to hold or manipulate. “Kinetic learners sometimes find science concepts difficult so I ask them to act them out. It helps them to better conceptualize a cell or an atom,” she says. Kinesthetic learners can bounce a ball as they recite their times tables or write a spelling word in the air to help them study. Other helpful study methods for kinesthetic learners include: Manipulate models whenever possible Chew gum while studying Taking study breaks to move around Reading on an exercise bike Playing charades or role playing. Learning styles are not absolute. Children can use all three modes when they learn. “Everybody learns a combination of ways, learning areas are not separate functions, the brain is not made up of segments but works together as a whole,” Roth says. “The primary role of parents is to stand by and know their child and observe their child and to help them to succeed by helping the child to understand themselves. If they do that, they become the best parent because they’ll understand the uniqueness of their student.” QUIZ: Is your child a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? Answer the following questions to find out. 1. What helps your child work through a math problem? a. Adding or subtracting from a pile of blocks. b. Reading the problem out loud. c. Writing it down. 2. When given a new building-block set, does your child: a. Dive in and start matching random pieces together? b. Talk to himself as he figures out where each piece goes? c. Make a car just like the picture on the box? 3. What does your child enjoy the most? a. Playing “Head, shoulders, knees and toes.” b. Singing songs. c. Looking at colorful videos or pictures. 4. Which is your child’s favorite class? a. Gym class b. Music class c. Art class 5. When given a spelling word, your child: a. Writes it down to see if it feels right. b. Sounds it out. c. Closes his eyes and pictures the word before writing. If you answered: Mostly As: Your child is a kinesthetic learner. Mostly Bs: Your child is an auditory learner. Mostly Cs: Your child is a visual learner.