The Kinesthetic Learner: I like to move it, move it!!

The Kinesthetic learner likes to move, to experience their world in a tactile and active way. Sitting staring at a textbook or sitting listening to the teacher speaking for 30 minutes will drive them crazy! They learn best when they are moving!

In the classroom, this learner is the one who fidgets, who gets up from his or her seat often, who wants to walk around or write on the board. The kinesthetic learner loves to DO things – build models, do experiments, draw or write, put things together, break things apart. They like to stand up and jump or run around. The activities they love in the classroom are those they can actively be involved with!

As a kinesthetic learner, you must remember that sometimes your movement distracts others, so find a seat where you can move and others can’t see you so much - the back of the class is always nice! Bring a tennis ball to roll under your foot (make sure you don’t kick it across the class though!) or a ball of prestick or modeling clay to play with while listening to the teacher. Remember that writing is a tactile activity too – so make notes in class, draw pictures about the topic, make mind maps as the teacher teaches.

Here are some activities the kinesthetic learner can do to help him or her study more effectively:

-       Teach yourself the work by writing on a whiteboard.

-       Use post-its or sticky tags – write the information on the tags and stick them on a mirror or wall, you can rearrange them into groups and stand at the wall reading them to yourself as you learn.

-       Make a timeline by hanging a string across your room and peg up keycards that contain important dates and information.

-       Walk around while you study.

-       Learn spelling or timetables while jumping on a trampoline or kicking or bouncing a ball.

-       Build models and do experiments at home to study.

-       Measure real life objects – length, mass, volume.

There are lots of things you can do, but always remember to be active while you do it!

The Auditory Learner: Always listening – sometimes more than you think!

The Auditory learner remembers and understands work best when he or she has heard it or spoken it. In the classroom, auditory learners like to talk, hum or make sounds (like clicking with their tongues) that stimulate their auditory senses. This sometimes looks like a lack of concentration, but you will be surprised at what they have actually taken in from what the teacher has been talking about.

Most teaching activities happen in a visual and auditory way, so learners for whom this is a strength, will benefit from good explanations, clear verbal instructions and any other audio-visual materials used to teach a topic. Activities in class that auditory learners enjoy include discussions, role plays or skits, speeches, debates and group work.

As an auditory learner, make sure that you stay on topic during group work and discussions – because talking is your thing, it’s really easy to chat about off topic things. Also, make sure that there are no annoying sounds that will hinder you from hearing properly or distract you from listening. Things like an annoying fan or someone drilling or banging down the hallway will distract you from using your senses in the best way!

Here are a few activities that auditory learners can use to help them study more effectively. Remember that they like to speak and listen.

-       Make up songs or rap a rhyme.

-       Read the work in your book or notes out loud.

-       Teach the work to yourself by speaking out loud.

-       Work with a study-buddy who is also an auditory learner and teach each other the work, or discuss questions and answers.

-       Study with music on in the backround.

-       As you do a Maths sum or problem, talk yourself through the steps of completing the sum.

-       Convert written info into auditory info by recording yourself teaching the work or recording your teacher in class. Then you can listen to the info later.

-       Watch videos with good audio explanations

Your child's learning style - The key to their success (2)

THE VISUAL LEARNER - What you see is what you...remember.

For the visual learner, seeing is everything. If you want to explain a route to somewhere, the visual learner either has to picture the area as you explain, visualizing as you go, or they prefer if you write down directions or draw a map. The visual learner processes information best if it is taught or explained in a visual way.

So, for the visual learner, school may be something in which they thrive.

Most of the teaching and work that is done in class is done in a visual way – writing words on the board, projecting slide shows or pictures or videos onto the board, completing worksheets, writing essays, the list goes on and on. In the classroom, these learners are generally the ones who enjoy working in quietness on their own. They struggle with auditory distractions such as other children talking or annoying sounds (eg: the child behind them humming, or drilling or banging from construction).

So when it comes to doing homework, studying, learning or memorizing new information, everything should be done as visually as possible.

Here are a few strategies you can use to help your child learn better in a visual way:

-  Mind maps – some children prefer pictures, some prefer words. Make a mind map of all of the important information in a new topic.

-  Flash cards – write/draw new information on flash cards – a different section on each card. Read them, arrange them into groups or topics, cover the information, read the heading and try to remember the information, cover the heading, read the info and try to remember the heading.

-  Write out spelling words or timestables multiple times, trying to remember more off by heart as you go.

-  Use a whiteboard or chalkboard with different colours for different sections.

-  Write out questions in the form of a test then answer the questions.

-  Write out questions and answers on cards and scramble them up, then try to match the correct answer to each question.

(So many ideas! Can you tell I’m a visual learner!?)

These are things you can use to help your child to learn new information and remember all they need to in order to excel in that upcoming test or exam.

And the golden rule for learning… MAKE IT FUN!

If you’re bored, your child is even more so – when it’s fun, it sticks!

Your child's learning style - The key to their success (1)

When your child knows what their learning style is and how to use this to their advantage, they can be empowered to be themselves and succeed.

This series is an introduction to what a learning style is and how to use it to your advantage. 

Each child is unique, with their own set of characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. Helping a child to identify his or her strengths and weaknesses is important so that they know what they can work with and build on and what they should avoid.

A learning style is one of these strengths. It is the way the each individual child takes in and processes information best. If information is taken in and processed effectively, it is more easily retrieved (remembered).

There are many different theories about what the different learning styles are and how many there are, however, we will use a model of 3 learning styles: the Visual Learner, the Auditory Learner and the Tactile/Kinesthetic Learner.

Children learn in all of these ways, but tend to be more inclined towards one or two of these particular learning styles. This means that while children experience information in all of these ways, they tend to take in and process information better if it is given to them in the style that their brain tends to prefer.

Here is a very simple example:

In a classroom setting, the teacher talks about the concept of fractions. She shows them an example of this by cutting an apple into various fractions. Then, she draws pictures with accompanying numbers to show how the numbers and reality work together. She hands out a worksheet to be cut and pasted in their books. Finally, she asks the learners to complete their worksheet and allows them work with their partners if they would like to.

The information about fractions has been given in a very visual and auditory way – children see the apple being cut up, they see the pictures and numbers written on the board, they’ve heard her speaking about the information.

The task they’ve been given is largely visual as well, but it contains elements of tactile and auditory learning: The children must cut their worksheet out and paste it in their books, they also have to write answers and draw or colour in pictures on the worksheet. These are tactile things, even though the children is not necessarily moving around too much. They have also been given the option to talk with their friends about the information. This is an auditory process.

All of the children have encountered the same lesson, but if you ask them what they remember the most, you will get different answers because some parts of the lesson resonate more deeply with each individual child than other parts do. This is rooted in the child’s learning style.

In the next few posts we’ll discuss each learning style in more detail with some more tips on how to use it to your advantage, taking in and processing information more effectively so that it can be retrieved in the future.

Opening Special

Hi everyone!

August is opening special month!

Register with us before the 31st August 2015, and we'll give you 10% off any package you choose!

Contact Lisa at motiv8tuition@gmail.com for all more details!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

~

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Here it is...the face of Motiv8Tuition!

This is what we're all about: Building our students' confidence so they have all they need to reach their potential!

Such excitement for what lies ahead!

The Power of Your Words

Have you ever thought about how powerful your words are?

I met up with one of my good friends and mentors today and she is so careful to use her words to build up rather than tear down. Have you got someone in your life who's like this? A person who, when you've spent some time with them, can make you feel like you're actually capable of doing the things you've set out to do! We need to surround ourselves with people like this! And more importantly, we need to become people like this.

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬ NLT)

So, maybe you're a parent, or a teacher, or a tutor... Every word that comes out of your mouth and travels into the young ears of our children also travels into their hearts.
If we use cutting words, words that break down, words that bring fear and worry we will weigh them down and rob them of their joy and potential.
But... If we use words that encourage, that inspire and build up, words that cultivate hope in their hearts, they can be released to be all they've been designed to be!

It's a ... boy? girl? Nope... It's a Tuition company!

I am SO excited to announce the birth of my new company, Motiv8Tuition!

Over the years I have been a tutor and teacher I have seen the immeasurable value one-on-one tuition can provide for students. It’s my passion to see the next generation reach their potential using their abilities, gifts and talents appropriately. 

Unfortunately, I've seen that learning in a school setting is often not suited to the individual needs, character and abilities of each learner. This is somewhat a reality of education. With one-on-one tuition, however, learning can happen in a way that learners are best suited for. This increases their confidence, their motivation and their ability to achieve. 

It’s always been a joy for me to see the progress of my students and I look forward to see the impact Motiv8 Tuition will have on the next generation reaching their potential. 

We're launching next term, reaching students in the Northern Johannesburg region in Grades 4-7. 

If you want to contact me regarding tuition for your child or if you'd like to be a tutor for us, please email motiv8tuition@gmail.com. 

Stay motivated!

~Lisa