Visual learnersVisual learners pref

Visual learners

Visual learners prefer to learn by seeing.They have good visual recall and prefer information

to be presented visually, in the form of diagrams, graphs, maps, posters and displays,for example.

They often use hand movements when describing or recalling events or objects and have a

tendency to look upwards when thinking or recalling information.

Auditory learners

Auditory learners prefer to learn by listening.They have good auditory memory and benefit

from discussion, lectures, interviewing, hearing stories and audio tapes, for example.They like

sequence, repetition and summary, and when recalling memories tend to tilt their head and

use level eye movements.

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Learning styles

Kinaesthetic learners

Kinaesthetic learners prefer to learn by doing.They are good at recalling events and associate

feelings or physical experiences with memory. They enjoy physical activity, field trips,

manipulating objects and other practical, first-hand experience.They often find it difficult to

keep still and need regular breaks in classroom activities.

While we all use all three styles of learning to some extent, some learners rely heavily on

one of them.An over-reliance on one style, and an inability or unwillingness to adopt another

style where it might be appropriate, can be limiting in some learning situations and can mean

that learning might be hindered.

An extension of the NLP description of learning styles has been developed by Fleming

(2001). Fleming tells us that when we gather information from the world around us, which

includes the information that we need for learning, we make use of all of our senses. Some of

us,though, employ one sense more than others.The V-A-R-K system assesses how much people

rely on:

■ visual

■ auditory

■ reading

■ kinaesthetic.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) system is a means of establishing an individual’s

personality profile and is used widely in aptitude testing for employment. Designed as a tool

for investigating the many different strands of personality type, the MBTI also has something

for teachers to be aware of. The MBTI describes four personality types which can be

interpreted along the lines of some of the other learning style descriptions.

The Myers-Briggs Model (Briggs and Myers 1975; or Briggs et al. 1980,for example) classifies

individuals according to their preferences on scales derived from the theories of psychological

types developed by Carl Jung.According to the model, learners may be:

■ extroverts – who are happy to try things out and who focus on the world of people;

■ introverts – who are more likely to think things through and to focus on the world of ideas;

■ sensors – who tend to be practical, detail-oriented, and who focus on facts and procedures;

■ intuitors – who are imaginative, concept-oriented and focus on meaning;

■ thinkers – who are sceptical, and make decisions based on logic and rules;

■ feelers – who are appreciative and tend to make decisions based on personal and more

humanistic considerations;

■ judgers – who set and follow agendas, and seek closure and completeness even without having

the full picture; or

■ perceivers – who adapt to changing circumstances and will defer completion until more is known.