Visual, auditory, hands-on? What kind of learner is your child?
The types of educational materials you choose and the way in which you coach your child through the learning process will depend on his or her learning style. Is your child a visual (seeing), auditory (hearing) or tactile (touching) learner--or a combination? Ask your child to take a fun test to find out. For ’tweens and teens, I like the downloadable version at http://www.learnmoreindiana.org/. You’ll find it by clicking the “Need to Know” tab and then “Learning Styles.”
Most people are not auditory learners, yet many teachers in secondary education stand in front of the class and lecture, or do “chalk and talk.” With this approach, at least half the class is likely to tune out. Elementary classrooms are generally more successful because they are kinetic. Elementary teachers are adept at accommodating shorter attention spans.
Allegra's take: The “chalk and talk” approach is quite popular in middle schools. While attending public school last year, I would often drift off daydreaming as the teacher stood up and talked. Eventually, I learned to take notes and follow along in the textbook, as I am a visual/tactile learner.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to discover and use your own personal learning style. The quiz linked to earlier in this article was easy and fun, and helped me learn how to better absorb material both while homeschooling and in public schools. I highly recommend the test to all middle and high school students.
