Read/Write Learners

You Know Your Learning Style…. Now What?

Visual Learner (See)…

Auditory Learner (Hear)…

Kinaesthetic Learner (Do)…

Now we will tell you about Read/Write Learners! You’ve read about visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic learners. There is one other group of learners who are called read/write learners. This is actually Marjorie’s (one of our tutors and blog writers) learning style. Read/Write Learners learn best by taking many notes, rewriting information, and of course reading. Marjorie has developed this style to the point where she can just write down the information – and without looking at it again – remember it. Most studies do not include this learning style when trying to classify learners. For example in this study, visual learners are 65% of the student population, 30% are auditory learners, and 5% are kinaesthetic learners (www.studyingstyle.com). My personal opinion is that it is because reading/writing can be included in the other learning styles and may not present as an individual style. Also, in testing, it is mostly adults who score high as Read/Write Learners, possibly because of training through education and the workforce where most other styles are not taken into account.

So now you can reference different learning styles, what do you do with this information?Let’s look at some examples practical exampes using numeracy and literacy…with a TWIST!

Math – Equivalent Fractions

Equivalent fractions is determining if two fractions are equal – for example 2/4 and 1/2 (yes), or 3/4 and 1/3 (no). Some of these will include creating fractions with the lowest common denominator (LCD); for example 1/3, 2/4 = needs to be 4/12 and 6/12.

Visual:  Using different visual models (pizza, pie charts, circle graphs, etc.) place various fractions together to compare them. Create a colourful bookmark of fractions, listing the equivalent ones (see www.superteacherworksheets.com) as an example. Create flashcards for sets of equivalent fractions and study them.

Auditory: Use any of the above models and repeat them out loud. Recite the process of creating the LCD when comparing fractions. “Let’s compare 1/3 and 2/4. The lowest number that both 3 and 4 are products of is 12. 1/3 has to be multiplied by 4 and becomes 4/12 and the 2/4 has to be multiplied by 3 and becomes 6/12. They aren’t equal 2/4 is bigger.”

Kinaesthetic: Create the different fractions by using aquarium stones, pennies, Lego, game markers and compare them. For those with more time and a little higher budget, you can also create blank pie charts and laminate them. This way you can fill in each pie chart and compare them side by side.

Read/Write: Follow along in you textbook, complete the workbook, find extra worksheets to practice, create an equivalent fraction bookmark, write out all the equivalent fractions you need for the lessons you are working on.

English – Reading

Visual: Look at the shape of the words, use pictures to show meaning. Flashcards with a picture and a word would work well here. Online videos of phonetics (www.pbskids.org) or online reading books (Tumblebooks – free through the Vancouver Island Regional Library – ebooks section) that highlight each word as they are read could work great here. Use different colours for different sounds. If you have trouble with the hard/soft sounds of the C and G – use a different colour for each sound until you are more comfortable. Create your own picture stories with words you choose or are chosen for you. Watch the movie.

Auditory: Think about the sounds of the letters. Again, using flashcards and online books might really help here as well. Use your finger to underline each word while you are reading out loud. Have someone read to you and do the same thing. Create a story from a picture – read it out loud. Sound out words as you try to spell them. Watch the movie.

Kinaesthetic: This if often the hardest for kinaesthetic learners. For verbs try to do the action (jump while you spell j-u-m-p), with permission of course. You can do the same for many of the adjectives (red, soft, hard, etc.) Make letter shapes with your body, paper, or other household objects. Get magnetic blocks and physically spell out the words. Individual foam letters will let you feel individual letter shapes. You can even try acting out different scenes of the story.

Read/Write: This is your thing. Just keep reading!

Most people learn well by incorporating all the different learning styles. Try taking ideas from each of the areas when learning.

 Tutoring…With A Twist tutors not only support learners in every subject area; we also support them with a predetermined life-skill. By helping learners develop the tools they need to succeed in the classroom, we also help them develop the tools to succeed in life.