Aspects of Education, An Examination of Eight Learning Styles

Kiendra Chester
English 102, Denise Ortiz, Winter Quarter 2015
March 19th, 2015
Walla Walla Community College, Walla Walla, WA

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Abstract

What is your learning style? The purpose of this paper is to explore the many ways of
different teaching styles. I am basing my paper more around elementary education, but I
do also state some aspects of all levels of education. It shows the importance of knowing
each learning style to help student needs and learn to understand each student better. The
paper outlines the importance of eight major learning styles, such as: verbal, physical,
logical, visual, interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, and naturalistic. Sources consulted
include Laura Gottberg, Louis Stranberg, and College Teaching. This could be especially
important when trying to find out the emotional needs of the students and makes it easier
to understand each child and even yourself. With the help of knowing the eight learning
styles, there could be one great teacher.

KEYWORDS: eight major learning styles, teaching styles, Laura Gottberg, student needs

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Aspects of Education, An Examination of Eight Learning Styles

Elementary education utilizes many valuable tools and lessons that kids learn
each day while they are in elementary school. It is very important and needed in a
students childhood. Even though students might find themselves playing games, having
naptime, and eating snacks, there are still many other important aspects of this profession.
Elementary school teaches the basic skills that all people should have. It is one of the
most important things that everyone needs to go through when talking about education.
To be an elementary school teacher one should have patience and a creative mind. By
being creative, it can make learning fun and can help the students open up their minds.
Teachers need to know the different types of children and their home lives. There are
many different types of children and a teacher wants to know their emotional needs and
make sure the students are learning at their best ability. In elementary school there is a
variety of subjects to know as a teacher, such as math, science, social studies, and
reading. Elementary education prepares children for future education while teaching them
the basic needs of life and how to be successful.
Teachers are helping others every day with important information and valuable
skills. Students progress could be different from one day to another day. Elementary
school is great when it comes to showing progression. It shows students are learning and
growing. Teachers feel great accomplishments when their students can eventually say and
spell their ABCs. As elementary school teachers, especially in Kindergarten, they are the
first ones to show children how to spell, which is something they will be using the rest
of their lives, said Laura Gottberg (2015). an elementary school teacher at the

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Kindergarten Center in Spokane Valley. Elementary education is when the beginning of

their future starts. Although some may think not much is learned in elementary education,
students are really learning and developing in ways that they will be using for the rest of
their life.
Teachers should know the learning styles before they go into teaching. Each
student has a different way of learning. The learning styles refer to the different ways that
students are best able to learn new information. There are other forms of education that
have only focused on one or two different learning styles. The newer approaches to
education have introduced many learning styles to make sure that different students can
learn as well as possible. Even though different schools may consider different learning
styles, there are five general styles and three other social styles that people normally fall
into. The eight major styles are verbal, physical, visual, logical, interpersonal,
intrapersonal, musical, and naturalist, according to Carol Speth, Donald Lee, and
Patricia Hain all from the University of Nebraska. This was stated in an article in the
journal titled Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education (2011).
Elementary students usually learn in multiple ways within all of these different learning
styles.
Verbal, or linguistic learners, typically learn best through language, both through
listening and reading. Verbal intelligence consists of the way to think in words and to use
language to express what they are meaning. They benefit from traditional teaching
techniques. These types of learners benefit a great deal from language and often are ahead
in classes where language is shown, such as English and Reading. They learn best when
talking things through and listening to what others have to say, said Mestre in the

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Reference & User Servces Quarterly, (2006). Verbal learners interpret the main meaning
of speech through listening to the tone of voice, speed and pitch. They usually benefit
from reading text aloud and using a tape recorder.
Physical, or kinesthetic, learners often learn best through doing things physically.
Most of the school population is kinesthetic which includes touching, feeling, and
experiencing the material by hand. These types of learners may do well in science classes
with a great deal of lab work, or in sports and other physical activities. Kinesthetic or
physical learners are most successful when they are totally engaged with the learning
activity, according to Louis Stranberg, a Teaching Academy high school teacher (2015).
Stranberg has had many years of experience at Central Valley High School in Spokane
Valley, Washington. Physical learners also tend to learn well while moving. Little
movements such as tapping a pencil, tapping their toes, or shifting in their seat can
sometimes enhance their learning. Sometimes they just find it hard to sit still for long
periods and may become distracted by the need for activity. When children start in
kindergarten they are very kinesthetic and tactual learners by moving and touching
everything as they learn. They learn best through a hands-on approach while actively
exploring the world around them. Later on through second or third grade, students have
become more of the visual type of learner. Then in the late elementary years students,
mostly girls, become auditory learners. However, there are still many adults that remain
kinesthetic throughout their lives (Stranberg, 2015).
Visual, or spatial, learning refers to people who learn most effectively through
what they see. People who are visual learners often prefer to be toward the front of a
classroom so their view is unobstructed, and seeing the facial expressions and body

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language of a teacher can also be important to their learning. These learners need to do
that to fully understand the content of the lesson. Visual learners also typically benefit
when using graphs, charts, pictures, and diagrams. Aural, or auditory-musical, learners
are best able to learn through hearing material, according to Davison Mupinga, Dorothy
Yaw, and Robert Nora, all from Vincennes University in Indiana, in their article titled
The Learning Styles in College Teaching (2009). These types of learners benefit from
oral lectures or a class discussion, and they often read aloud to themselves when covering
detailed notes to make sure to absorb all the information.
Logical, or mathematical, learners tend to learn through logical understanding of
how things work and relate. These types of learners often make lists and tend to excel at
math and science; in other subjects they may often ask how things are connected or relate
to each other, according to Demand Media from EHow (2010). Social learners learn well
in groups, either in full class or small group discussions. Solitary learners tend to learn
best through self-study or by working alone. Logical or mathematical learners should be
provided with puzzles whenever possible. Once being challenged, the student with a
puzzle-like question could be able to comprehend everything easier. When helping a
logical learning type, present them with patterns. Figuring out a pattern is often very
useful for that type of learner. The use of multiple teaching techniques and approaches
that take advantage of the various learning styles can be important for a teacher to
effectively reach all the students in a classroom and help them learn the material (Mestre,
2006).
Interpersonal learners are also known as the social type. They enjoy being around
other people, have many friends, and love participating in social activities. Interpersonal

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learners like to participate in cooperative learning activities and relating to others. These
types of learners understand the moods, feelings, and motivations of others.
Interpersonal children respond better to tutoring or shared teaching, says Kolb, (2014).
A. They prefer to work in groups, go on field trips, and brainstorm with the class. These
students are often strongly aware of their surroundings and the emotional situations in the
classroom. Interpersonal learners can be sensitive to how others may be feeling. They are
shown to be a teacher, therapist or salesperson in the future (Kolb, 2014).
Intrapersonal learners tend to learn on their own and are more unsociable. This
type of learning style reveals a student who is more private and independent. They are
pretty much the opposite of interpersonal. Intrapersonal children can be well focused on
the current lesson being taught (Speth et al., 2011). These learners like to spend time
alone and think over their own challenges or accomplishments. Instead of enjoying
working in groups like interpersonal learners, they would rather think independently and
be somewhere quiet. Intrapersonal students plan goals ahead of time and have a deeper
understanding of themselves (Mupinga et al., 2009).
Musical or auditory learners learn best when they hear information or talk to
themselves in learning situations. It is helpful for musical students to learn from a song
that the teacher has made up. They follow along much better when remembering from a
tune they heard. The musical type of learning style might talk aloud to themselves and
enjoy talking. They memorize things by repeating them out loud and really enjoy music.
When an elementary school teacher is teaching a learning style like this they should use
video tapes, books on tape, or read aloud to them often, according to Gottberg (2015)
who is a kindergarten teacher with experience of these types of learners. Teachers should

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try to give directions verbally. There are many strategies to use when dealing with this
type of learner to maximize the students learning.
The last learning style is the naturalist type. Naturalistic learners have the ability
to understand features of the environment and nature. They are very interested in things
like the ecosystem, environmental science, and all other nature-like things. These
children learn best when collecting effects that are close to nature. When teaching a
naturalistic student, they would love to be outdoors whenever possible to learn about all
nature, according to CAPT, a research and leadership site. They should be provided with
visual activities or hands-on activities. They can be great learners and are very intelligent
when it comes to nature-like situations.
When there is a bad fit existing between learning styles of most students and the
different teaching style of the teacher, some students could become bored and careless in
class. Mostly with students that are older they could do poorly on tests or get discouraged
about the classes they are in. Elementary students seem to need to have a more outgoing
teacher that they can get along with instead of a strict teacher that wouldnt get along
with each and every child, Gottberg (2015). It is very important as a teacher to
remember that every individual child learns differently and has a different or unique
learning style. It has been shown that Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the school-aged
population remembers what is heard; 40 percent recalls well visually the things that are
seen or read; many must write or use their fingers in some manipulative way to help them
remember basic facts; other people cannot internalize information or skills unless they
use them in real-life activities such as actually writing a letter to learn the correct format

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(Mupinga et al., 2009). For the teacher, when a students learning style is known, it is
then their job to build on that style of learning.
Teaching is a nonstop thinking of the childrens future. Teachers are among the
most important people in aspects of needs in a students life. Elementary education shows
lessons that students learn each day that are needed for their future. The different type of
student learners is important for a teacher to know. By knowing all of the emotional
needs of the students, it makes it easier to understand each and every child. Teachers feel
great accomplishment when their students are showing progression. All teachers put in
very hard work and time for the students education. Elementary education prepares
children for their future education and how to be successful. With the help of knowing
learning styles and helping each student progress every day, there could be one great
teacher.

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References
CAPT. (2008). CAPT: Books, research for MBTI, archetypes, leadership, psychological
type. Center for applications of psychological type. Retrieved Jan. 10, 2015 from
http://www.capt.org/
Demand Media. (2010). Active learning styles. EHow. Retrieved Feb. 9, 2015 from
http://www.ehow.com/about_5453156_active-learning-styles.html
Gottberg, Laura. Personal interview. Feb. 2015.
Kolb, A., & Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experience based learning systems, Inc. Devoted to the
advancement of experiential learning. Experience based learning systems, Inc.
Retrieved Jan. 10, 2015 from http://www.learningfromexperience.com
Mestre, L. (2006). Accommodating diverse learning styles in an online environment.
Reference & User Services Quarterly. 27-32. Retrieved Jan. 19, 2015 from
Academic Research Library database.
Mupinga, D. M., Nora, R. T., & Yaw, D. C. (2009). The learning styles, expectations,
and needs of online students. College Teaching, 185-189. Retrieved Jan. 19, 2015
from ProQuest Education Journals database.
Speth, C. A., Lee, D. J., & Hain P. M. (2011). Prioritizing improvements in internet
instruction based on learning styles and strategies. Journal of Natural Resources
and Life Sciences Education, 34-41. Retrieved Feb. 11, 2015 from ProQuest
Education Journals database.
Stranberg, Louis. Personal interview. Feb. 2015.

Related Research

Adams, D., & Hamm, M. (2011). New designs for teaching and learning. Jossey Bass
Publishers: San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass Pulishers. Retrieved Jan. 21, 2015.
ETL project. (n.d.). Introduction. Extract, transform, load, (ETL) project. Retrieved Feb.
16, 2015 from http://www.etl.tla.ed.ac.uk/index.htm
Hativa, N. (2010). Teaching for effective learning in higher education. Dordrecht,
Holland.

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