Learning style

Different groups of psychologists have, over the decades, each come up with their own tests and methods for determining and classifying people's learning styles. Not all the systems of tests, methods and categorisations agree with one another.

Generally, however, people popularly accept that they may prefer to learn through spatial-visual, kinetic, language-oriented or logical styles (with this set of four categories often used to help child learners), or in visual, kinaesthetic or auditory styles (this set of three often being applied to adult learners).

Keeping things simple by ignoring the different sets, we'll just take a look at what all those terms might mean:

Spatial-visual

Learners who lean towards the spatial-visual style seem to absorb things better when they are shown, or can create, clear images, diagrams or illustrations of them. Colours and patterns interest them, and demonstrations of how things are done seem to be effective ways of imparting information to them.

Kinetic/kinaesthetic/tactile

"Kinetic" processes relate to movement. "Kinaesthetic", a word not found in traditional dictionaries, indicates something similar, and to touch (which is where "tactile" comes in). This learning style is essentially the preference for understanding something through touching it, walking through it, and generally getting hands-on with stuff.

Language-oriented

Language-oriented learners prefer to verbalise things, read to understand something or absorb information through clearly delivered lectures. They like playing with words, putting a problem into words to solve it, and grasping ideas set out in stories. They can learn quickly through handouts, reading material and good spoken delivery.

Logical

Individuals with a logical-learning preference like thinking through things, questioning others, and pondering abstract ideas. They enjoy understanding how things interrelate, and what purposes various ideas and experiments can serve. It helps if they understand the point of something before learning it or working on it.

Auditory

An auditory preference is seen in people who enjoy learning by listening to others, and discussing matters with others to understand the issue. Sometimes, what is said (the pure verbal aspect) may mean much less to such people than the tone of voice in which it is spoken. They may need to read something aloud to fully grasp it.

Understanding your preferred learning style can be useful because it can help you choose the approach that enables you to learn most quickly and effectively.

However, knowing one's preferred learning style/s can instead narrow some people's views of themselves and their abilities, if they start to dismiss or discount other styles of absorbing information. They may decide to label themselves ("I'm a visual type, so I can't possibly listen to this audio tape", or "Hey, I'm a kinetic learner - don't give me these textbooks"), and ignore their broader capacities.

Know yourself by all means, but do not use your learning preferences as an excuse for coddling your weaknesses. Very few people are so restricted by physical and mental challenges that they can learn in only one way, exclusively. Most individuals of normal mental and psychological capability are able to learn in all ways, just that they lean more towards one or two styles. These are preferences, not a disability.

People also grow and change, developing new interests and ways of seeing the world. Your learning preferences can change as you grow, and you may find yourself more flexible about applying different approaches to various situations when you are more mature - it does not have to be true that we become more set in our ways as we age!