Learning Styles

Have you ever had trouble learning something?

Were you able to overcome the problem? How?

      Have you ever sat in class thinking that you would never understand what the teacher was trying to teach? Maybe the presentation didn't fit your learning style.

Traditionally, schools present information in two ways - through language and through formulas involving numbers and logic.

Psychologists, however, now say there's a problem with this. People have different strengths and different learning styles to match these strengths. For example, one person might struggle with information in a paragraph but understand it immediately in a diagram. Another person will struggle with the diagram but not with the paragraph.

 Psychologist Howard Gardner of Harvard University has said there are at lest seven learning styles.

1* Linguistic : these people learn by using language- listening, reading, speaking, and writing.

2* Logical : these people learn by applying mathematical formulas and scientific principle.

3* Visual : these people learn by seeing what they are learning.

4* Musical :  Instead of finding music a distraction, these people learn well when information is presented through music.

5* Kinesthetic : Movement and physical activities help these people to learn.

6* Intra-personal : these people have a good understanding of themselves and can learn best if they can relate what they are learning directly to themselves.

 7* Interpersonal : these people have a good understanding of others and learn well by working with others.

   If school present information in all these ways, psychologist say, all students will benefit. Students who have a linguistic or a logical learning style will be able to develop new strengths. Students with other learning styles will learn more and have more success in school - and possibly in life.

Mr Kyaw Naing.