Learning Styles &
Types of Learners
“A learning style is the way each learner begins to
concentrate on, process, and retain new and difficult
information.”
– Rita Dunn
People learn in different ways, so present
material in various ways to accommodate
all learners. Most learners fall into more
than one category. If something is not
working, try a different approach.
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
• Gardner's theory was first espoused in his 1983 book, Frames
of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
• Gardner believes “that the brain has evolved over millions of
years to be responsive to different kinds of content in the
world. Language content, musical content, spatial content,
numerical content, etc. And all of us have computers that
respond to those kinds of contents. But the strength or
weakness of one computer doesn't particularly correlate with
the other computer.”
Basic Learning Styles
• Social: Learning in groups • Logical/Mathematical:
and by working Learning through
collaboratively numbers
• Solitary: Learning • Physical/Kinesthetic:
independently and Learning through moving,
introspectively doing, and touching
• Visual/Spatial: Learning • Aural/Musical: Learning
through seeing through music
• Verbal/Linguistic:
Learning through hearing
Social Learners
• Get along well with others, are empathetic, listen
and communicate well
• Learn from bouncing ideas off others
• Like working in groups or on teams
• Like individual attention from a teacher or tutor
Solitary Learners
• Like to work independently
• Tend to be reflective and introspective, especially
about their own thought processes
• Have good concentration and prefer a quiet learning
environment
Learners with Visual/Spatial Style
• Need to create vivid mental images to retain information
• Enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and
movies
Skills: puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts
and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting,
creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through
the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing,
designing practical objects, and interpreting visual images
Learners with Verbal/Linguistic Style
• Have highly developed auditory skills and are generally
elegant speakers
• Think in words rather than pictures
Skills: listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining,
teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and
meaning of words, remembering information, arguing their
point of view, and analyzing language usage
Learners with Logical/Mathematical
Style
• Think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns
• Ask lots of questions and like to do experiments
Skills: problem solving, classifying and categorizing
information, working with abstract concepts to figure out
the relationship of each to the other, handling long chains of
reason to make logical progressions, doing controlled
experiments, questioning and wondering about natural
events, performing complex mathematical calculations, and
working with geometric shapes
Learners with Physical/Kinesthetic
Style
• Express themselves through movement
• Have good sense of balance and eye-hand coordination
• Remember and process information through interacting with
the space around them
Skills: physical coordination, athletic ability, hands on
experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting, miming,
using their hands to create or build, dancing, and expressing
emotions through the body
Learners with Auditory/Musical Style
• Think in sounds, rhythms, and patterns
• Immediately respond to music, either appreciating or
criticizing what they hear
• Are extremely sensitive to environmental sounds
Skills: singing, whistling, playing musical instruments,
recognizing tonal patterns, composing music, remembering
melodies, and understanding the structure and rhythm of music
A learning type may be defined in large part by the answers to
four questions:
1. How does the person perceive information: through the senses or
intuitively?
2. Through which sensory channel is external information most
effectively perceived: visual or auditory?
3. How does the person prefer to process information: actively or
reflectively?
4. How does the person progress toward understanding: sequentially
or globally?
Sensing Learners
• Sensing Learners like learning
facts.
• They usually solve problems
by well-established methods
and dislike complications and
surprises.
• They are patient with details
and good at memorizing facts
and doing hands-on work.
• They are practical and careful.
Intuitive Learners
• Intuitive Learners prefer
discovering possibilities and
relationships.
• They like innovation and
dislike repetition.
• They may be better at
grasping new concepts and
are often comfortable with
abstractions and mathematical
formulations.
Visual Learners
• Visual learners
remember best
what they see.
• They learn more
when information
is presented both
visually and
verbally.
Auditory Learners
• Auditory Learners get
more out of hearing
than reading words.
• They do well with
lectures and may enjoy
giving oral presentations.
• They are attuned to
changes in pitch and
tone.
Active Learners
• Active learners tend to
retain and understand
information best by
doing something active
with it—discussing it,
applying it, or
explaining it to others.
• "Let's try it out and see
how it works" is an
active learner's phrase.
Reflective Learners
• Reflective learners
prefer to think about
information quietly first.
• "Let's think it through
first" is the reflective
learner's response.
Sequential Learners
• Sequential learners
tend to gain
understanding in linear
steps, following logical
paths to find solutions.
Global Learners
• Global learners tend to learn in
large chunks, absorbing
material almost randomly
without seeing connections,
then suddenly “getting it.”
• They may be able to solve
complex problems quickly or
put things together in novel
ways once they have grasped
the big picture, but also may
have difficulty explaining how
they did it.
Encourage Visual/
Spatial Learners to:
• use graphics to reinforce learning
• color code to organize notes
• use color to highlight important
points in text
• use flow charts and diagrams for
note taking
• illustrate ideas as a picture before
writing them down
• ask for written directions
• visualize spelling of words or facts
to be memorized
• study in a quiet place away from
verbal disturbances
Encourage Verbal/Linguistic Learners to:
• read aloud • dictate to someone else and
• recite information they need have that person write down
to learn the thoughts
• use tunes or rhymes as • use verbal analogies and
mnemonic devices storytelling to demonstrate
their point
• read aloud and record test
questions or directions
Encourage Mathematical/ Logical
Learners to:
• classify and group
material
• make lists or outlines
before writing
• make a TO-DO list and
calendar to chart progress
before beginning a project
• use Venn diagrams or
formal logic to figure out a
position
Encourage Physical/Kinesthetic
Learners to:
• trace letters and words with a pen or the
index finger when reading and studying
• skim through reading material before
reading it in detail
• annotate text and write questions while
reading
• translate information into diagrams or
other visual study tools
• recite a list of items by counting on fingers
• memorize or drill while walking or dancing
• listen to music while studying
Encourage Auditory/Musical Learners
to:
• read aloud
• repeat back to you what you said
• play music or sounds associated
with what they are learning while
they study to help them visualize
the material
• use jingles to create aids to
memory
• play music they associate with
positive or confidence boosting
emotions while studying or
writing
Sources
• http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-
public/Learning_Styles.html
• http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm
• http://www.learning-styles-online.com
These sources link you to lectures and tests you can
take to test your own learning style or type.
