An International School Catered to the 8 Learning Styles

With ever-increasing studies done into how the mind works and how individuals learn and retain knowledge, research has proven that students often have individual and varied learning styles. To deliver the best learning outcomes, it is now imperative for schools and other educational centres to incorporate these different learning styles in their teaching methods.

The 8 learning styles are visual, auditory, physical(kinesthetic), verbal (linguistic), logical, social, solo, and natural. Most resources will tell you there are only four. However, we have dug in deeper to realise that four others often get left behind.

We will delve into the 8 different learning styles, when and how they are used, and the advantages & disadvantages of each one.

The 8 different learning styles
Here are the 8 different learning styles that schools would do well to incorporate into their programmes to make it easy for every child to learn and develop. Scholars out there have opinions about exactly how many learning styles there are. Before the adoption of the eight, New Zealand educator Neil Fleming established that there are potentially only four learning styles.

According to Neil, the four primary learning styles are visual learners, aural learners, reading/writing learners, and kinesthetic learners; the VARK model, in short. We will be looking at these first.

1. Auditory Learners
Auditory or aural learners are individuals who learn best by hearing. They can read and understand anything. However, understanding and memorisation come naturally to them when they listen to the words.

Students learning with this style will usually prefer to read words aloud to better understand the text. Teachers and educators often find it easier to combine this learning style with others

Advantages of the auditory learning style

• Ability to multitask: auditory learners are able to learn better through listening. This simply means that they don't need to involve their eyes, hands, or other parts of the body as long as they can still concentrate.
• Easily accessible resources: any student learning with the auditory style easily finds sources of educational materials in the market or internet. At Invictus International School, students with several learning styles are catered for and all materials are provided to help students become the best version of themselves.
• Increased retention: research has proven that one of the best ways to retain information is to hear it. Students that learn by listening to tapes, recordings, and others can do it anytime, and anywhere, and still retain the information

Visual learners often find it more comfortable to use multiple learning styles. Learning with visuals is considered the most effective way to learn but is hardly used in most educational centres even though studies have shown that over 65% of the human population learns this way.

Spatial learning may include reading, writing, and watching graphical representations of coursework. This learner very easily adapts to other ways of learning but will find visuals more appealing and understandable.

Advantages of the visual learning style

• Ability to pause and rewind: rewinding videos or slideshows makes it easier for visual learners to understand information faster and easier. At Invictus International School, we have fully qualified and experienced educators who have used several learning strategies. With visual learning, we simplify the toughest subjects.
• Easy to memorise: of all the learning styles, visual learning is the style that makes it easier to remember what was taught. This is because the brain can always easily replay the information just as it happened.
• Creates the desire to learn in the student: students enjoy seeing what they're being taught. With visual learning, the students will always want to be where the lesson holds.
• Spatial learning can be done anywhere: individual learning becomes super-interesting and easy with visual learning because it promotes distant education/learning for students with special needs.

Disadvantages of the visual learning style

• It is easy for the mind to wander: visual learners are prone to a higher level of imagination and can often begin to wander off. It is left for the teacher to always carry them along, every step of the way.
• They may miss some information: because the eyes and the ears have to work at the same time, visual learners may unconsciously miss some information.

Video learning requires equipment: students who have visual learning as their preferred learning style will need a lot of equipment for information to be passed. Some of these will include screens, data connection devices, and others. This is why, at Invictus International School, we place a lot of priority on providing the required infrastructure and equipment for all our students with varying preferences in learning styles.

3. Verbal Learners (Reading and Writing)
Verbal learners are students who prefer to learn by seeing or hearing words. In this case, it's not so much about whether the instruction or information is spoken or written, as long as words are involved, verbal learners will do well.

Verbal learners receive information and retain it best when they include intelligent use of words like rhymes, wordplays, and good vocabulary.

Advantages of the verbal learning style

• Can easily adapt to multiple learning styles: verbal learners will adapt easily to different learning styles; visual, auditory, physical, and more. As long as the terms are used correctly and in the language/s of their preference, they'll have the upper hand. At Invictus International School, we cater to students with a variety of languages including English, French, Chinese, and Khmer.
• Tactics can be simplified: concepts, techniques, and ideas can be broken down into pieces of writing to help the student process information better.
• Learning is fun: students who prefer the usage of smart words in teaching will find the learning process fun. When faced with any test, they can easily remember the word or usage of it. This also means that memorisation comes easily.
• Improves literature: the student can be influenced by the usage of terms to become more interested in literary work, promoting personal and individual learning.

Disadvantages of the verbal learning style

• May confuse other students in the classroom: students who learn better with verbal learning may make it difficult for other kids in the classroom to understand information. This is why Invictus International School, for example, encourages personal and individual learning for all our students. This also helps to prepare them for higher education.
• Language may be too complex for beginners: teachers must understand the level of students they're teaching. The language needs to be broken down to allow younger students to understand information as it is being taught.

4. Physical (kinesthetic) Learners
This is the last of the methods in VARK (visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic). Physical learning has to do with the learning method that lets the student see and touch lecture materials. Physical learning can be done in different ways and for different subjects. Note that it also involves tactile learning.

In this case, the theory doesn't solve the problem. Students want hands-on experience. People in this category learn best by doing and not just by hearing or seeing. At Invictus International School, we do the theory to help students understand the instruction and go on to execute the practical aspect to show students a physical representation (evidence) of what they learned.

Advantages of the physical learning style

• Hands-on experience: people who learn best with this method become more experienced as they can see the evidence of the theory they have read or written in notes. They practice what has been taught.
• They practice on their own: the kinesthetic learner may not need the help of a teacher or the four walls of a classroom to learn. They simply touch and feel things on their own. This makes personal learning a lot easier.
• They'll do better at science: science involves research on concepts & ideas and experiments. Teachers can incorporate these into the curriculum and help the kids better understand the subject.
• They're better at sports: a kinesthetic learner will develop skills in sports better than people with other learning styles.

 Disadvantages of the physical learning style

• The idea of classroom learning irritates them.
• They may fidget if asked to sit still: because they're used to learning with their body, they want all their activities to be physical.
• Not very detail-oriented.
• Only a few schools use this method: it is rare to find a school that incorporates this style of learning or any of the other learning styles for that matter. This is why, at Invictus International School, we try to set an example for academic centres, incorporating the VARK model into our programmes to prepare all our students for higher education (university).

5. Solo Learners
Solo learners are people who learn best on their own. They may use any of the learning styles and techniques mentioned above but will prefer to do it all alone.
A Solo learner does well when they maintain personal journals or notes of what they have read. They'll learn faster if encouraged to share what they learned in their alone time with the teacher and ask questions about things they don't understand. Teaching a solo learner can be easier than teaching students with other learning styles.

6. Social Learners
Social learners are the direct opposite of solo learners. People in this category learn best when they're in a gathering with like minds. They're also referred to as linguistic learners because they enjoy interacting with others.

Schools can take advantage of this to help every child improve. At Invictus International School, not only do we encourage and incorporate social learning but we also use extra-curricular programmes that let students share what they have learned and other non-personal experiences with one another. This boosts their morale and confidence and prepares them for social interaction during higher education.

7. Natural Learners
Learners in this category are similar to those who use tactile techniques for learning. The only difference is that they love to interact with nature. They'll perform superbly when dealing with plants, animals, and the natural environment.

Natural learners can adapt to other learning styles easily too. They'll do better in subjects like agriculture and biology. At Invictus International School, we incorporate programmes like field trips and excursions to places where students observe plants and animals in their natural habitat.

8. Logical Learners
Logical learners are natural thinkers. These learners love to solve problems with quantitative reasoning. They analyse sounds, patterns, and behaviours and come to a reasonable conclusion.

Teachers can group pupils in this category and help improve their skills by using strategies such as encouraging them to reach conclusions based on the theory, asking questions about what they don't understand, providing relevant materials, and demanding logical inferences.

 

Discovering your child's learning style

Everyone in the world falls into one group or the other in this list. Knowing, in time, which learning style best suits a student will help them do better starting from primary up to university level.

To know your child's preferred learning styles, you could:

• Pay more attention to their behaviour while learning with any of the styles.
• Open your mind to all the learning styles and decide which works best.
• Choose an educational institution that caters to most of the learning styles.

At Invictus International School, the goal is to ensure that every child is given the kind of education they deserve. We incorporate various learning styles, using several languages to support mental growth as well as to prepare students for higher education.

You can learn more about Invictus International School and the strategies we use by simply giving us a call at +855 23 723 212 or sending us an email at info@invictus.edu.kh. We'll be waiting to hear from you.