The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

Learning Styles: What You Should Know To Help Your Tutees
62
Jeffery Pressnell
Fall 2010
You have been working with a student for a few weeks now, but you have not been able to get
anything to stick into that students mind. You are frustrated and not sure what you are doing wrong. You
have tried saying it in every way that you can think of, but it just isn’t working. You are wondering if it is
your fault or the students, and you wonder what to try next.
This situation is common for many tutors, and there may be many solutions to the issue; however, one
that might be good to try first is to look at the students learning style because every student has different
styles that work better for him/her, and your tutoring style might not be a match for your students, so it is
your responsibility to change your tutoring style to fit the needs of your students.
You may have heard of learning styles in the past or even have done a learning style
questionnaire. If you have and are familiar with the different learning styles, good for you, and now you
can begin to work more effectively with your students. If you are unfamiliar with the different styles,
continue reading on to learn a bit about some of the main ones and some of their characteristics.
The Different Learning Styles
Auditory Learners: Students who are auditory learners typically learn best when they hear things spoken
to them instead of reading the information, thus the name auditory. They may also work well
collaboratively in a discussion/study group because it allows them to hear the ideas spoken by their
groupmates, and they would probably much rather be told how to do a task verbally than reading a set of
instructions that are written down. Some strategies that can be helpful for auditory learners are:
• Talk aloud when studying
• Use a tape recorder during lectures
• Use mnemonics to help remember information
• Studying flash cards verbally or with someone else
• Try to teach someone else what you’ve learned
Visual Learners: As the name suggests, students who are visual learners are typically going to learn
better when they see things written down rather than by hearing. They would rather complete a task using
written directions instead of oral instructions. Some strategies that work well for visual learners are:
• Taking good notes on what is said during a lecture
• Annotate their notes and textbooks heavily
• Create their own diagrams, charts, graphs, maps, tables, or matrices
Kinesthetic Learners: These type of learners like to learn by actually doing things they are learning.
They are typically hands on learners; they like to be active while they are learning, and they may have
some difficulty sitting through lectures. Some good strategies to suggest for kinesthetic learners are:
• Try to sit in the front of the class and take good notes to keep busy
• Walk around or be doing something active while studying
• Use a chalkboard or white board to map out topics
• Try typing notes or ideas on a computer
• Try to apply what the student is learning to real situations and apply the ideas if possible