Every child has his own way of dealing with new tasks. By
utilizing his natural learning strength, he can come up with creative methods
of learning new things. However, he won’t be approaching every new task in
exactly the same way. Although, the pattern that he uses to interact with new
information is similar every time. This pattern is his learning strength and
the pathway to learn new things. This learning strength combines your child’s
talents and abilities with his skills and knowledge to help him imbibe new
information.
Different types of
learning strengths
Every child has a different learning strength. May it be
learning independently or by working with others, the different types of learning
strengths include learning by looking, learning by listening, learning through
language, learning through action, and learning through logic.
·
By looking – getting information from charts,
maps and pictures; and reading other people’s body language
·
By listening – learning from lectures and
conversations; and understanding tone of voice, pitch and other auditory clues
·
Through language – getting information from
written and spoken data
·
Through action – learning by moving, touching
and doing; and hands-on activities
·
Through logic – trying to make sense of things
with questions like why and how
Different types of
thinking styles
Another factor that helps your child imbibe information is
through his thinking style, which is the way he processes the information he
takes in. Just like various learning strengths, different children have
different thinking styles too. These include reflective thinking, intuitive
thinking, sequential thinking and global thinking.
·
Reflective thinkers – These kids need time to
think about what they have seen, heard or read. Such kids tend to be quiet and
thoughtful, and believe in thoughts before actions.
·
Intuitive thinkers – These kids need to explore
the ‘why’s of things. They look at something and break it down into small
details. They never memorize what they see, read or hear. They always break up
the data and understand it well, considering it to be the better way of
remembering things.
·
Sequential thinkers – These kids need logic
behind every idea. They watch every detail that add up to the bigger picture,
and understand the best when they steps behind every thought. They also prefer
to do things in a logical order or sequence, one step at a time.
·
Global thinkers – These kids can see the details
as well as the bigger picture at the same time, thus helping them to make
decisions and reach solutions quickly. For them, everything suddenly comes
together and makes sense, unlike in the case of sequential thinkers who need
logical steps.
So, what is your child’s learning strength and thinking
style? Taking account of your child’s talent, ability, skill, knowledge, and
thinking style together, you can understand how he engages with new
information, and how he naturally learns. Finding out your child’s learning
strength is important to help you find the best studying options for him, and
also improve on other aptitudes he can work upon. Thus, it can help you find
the best pathway for at-home learning, which makes it easier for you to teach
him effectively. But what about at school!? Their learning becomes effective
and beneficial if the teachers also focus on specific learning styles. If your
child is at GAFL CBSE school inBangalore, you need not worry as teachers there are well aware of these
different learning strengths and thinking styles, and treat every child with
patience according to the category they fall in.
