Teaching Strategies for

Children
With Different Learning Styles
Facilitator: Liza C. Mambiar

Did you know this?

You should start the class out with EQ not IQ.

If, your child / student isnt learning properly, you
shouldnt change the substance of the lesson, but
change the methodology.
You shouldnt start with a dialogue but eye-logue
You should be child-like, not childish when you teach.
That everyone has genius potential.
(genius is 1% inspiration & 99% perspiration)
That we teach the way we were taught
That many students are successful, but the ones who
dont succeed we label as stupid

That in U.S., every two years, there is a new teaching

style fad. This is essential because there is a lack of
research in the area of learning styles.

That nothing works with everyone.

That learning styles changes with maturation and that

style is actually biological

That husband and wives have different learning styles

and very often, these styles are exact opposites!

Learning Style Theory:

Learning style can be defined as the usual or

characteristic manner in which a learner goes
about the task of learning (More 1987)

It is the way people begin to concentrate,

process, internalize, and retain difficult
information. (Dunn & Dunn Model)

Learning Style Approaches:

Global
vs Analytical
Impulsive vs Reflective
Field of dependence vs Field of
independence
Simultaneous vs sequential
processing

BASIS OF the Dunn & Dunn LEARNING STYLE MODEL:

Learning style is a biological and developmental set of

personal characteristics that makes the identical instructional
environment, methods, and resources effective for some
learners and ineffective for others.

Most people have learning-style preferences, but

individuals learning style preferences differ significantly.

Individual instructional preferences exist, and the impact

accommodating these preferences can be measured
accurately.

The strong the preference, the more important it is to

provide compatible instructional strategies.

Accommodating individual learning style preferences

through complementary educational instruction, teaching,
and counseling intervention results increased academic
achievement and improved student attitudes toward
learning.

Given the responsive environments, resources, and

approaches, people attain statistically higher achievement
and attitude test scores in congruent (matched) rather than
dissonant (mismatched) treatment.

Most teachers can learn to use learning styles as a corner

stone of their instructional program.

Most individuals can learn to capitalize on their learningstyle strengths when concentrating on new or difficult
academic material.

The less academically stressful the individual, the more

important it is to accommodate learning style preferences.

Different Learning Styles:

(by: Bernice McCarthy & Kolb Learners)

INNOVATIVE LEARNER:

Seek personal meaning

Judge things in relationship to value

Function through social interaction;

Want to make the world a better place

Are cooperative and sociable;

Respect authority, when it is earned.

Different Learning Styles:

(by: Bernice McCarthy & Kolb Learners)

ANALYTIC LEARNERS:

Seek intellectual competence;

Judge things by factual verification ;

Function by adopting to experts;

Need to know the important things and want to add to the

worlds knowledge

Are patient and reflective

Prefer chain of command authority

Different Learning Styles:

(by: Bernice McCarthy & Kolb Learners)

COMMON SENSE LEARNERS:

Seek solutions to the problems;

Judge things by their usefulness;

Function through kinesthetic awareness;

Want to make things happen;

Are practical and straightforward;

See authority as necessary but will work around it if forced.

Different Learning Styles:

(by: Bernice McCarthy & Kolb Learners)

DYNAMIC LEARNERS:
Seek hidden possibilities;

Judge things by gut reactions;

Function by synthesizing various parts;

Enjoy challenging complacency;

Are enthusiastic and adventuresome;

Tend to disregard authority

Different Learning Styles:

(by: Dunn & Dunn Learning Styles)

PHYCHOLOGICAL

1.

GLOBAL (80% of the population)

Value meaning of lesson to their lives

Need pictures, color, & illustrations

Look for humor & jokes

Can work with sounds in the background.

Need an informal setting to study & work

Start with burst of energy, but need frequent breaks.

Need softer light

ANALYTIC (20% of the population)

Interested in data / facts

Need words, numbers

Look for step by step information

Cannot work with sound

Need a formal setting to study a work

Can stay concentrated for long periods

Need bright light.

What to focus on as parent-teacher

Focus on

Global

Analytic

How you
introduce the
lesson

Explain how the lesson

will relate to their lives
Tell a joke or a story
Gives them activities to do

LIGHT

Let them have softer

lighting

SOUND

Let them talk out loud or

to themselves while
studying

DESIGN

PERSISTENCE

Give the scope of the lesson and

the facts

Make sure their study area is well

lit
Give them quiet area to study

Let them sit on something Give them a straight chair and a

soft
desk
Give some frequent
breaks

Allow them to work straight if they

want to

ENVIRONMENT

2.
a.

b.

c.
d.

Light - Every 5 years a person needs more light (if

teacher needs more light than the students, they can
stand by a window while teaching or have a lamp on
their desk)
- Global are over stimulated by bright light
- 2nd grades generally need softer lighting.
Sound
- Global use sound to block out other sounds
- Analytics can concentrate more with less sound or
with no sound at all.
Temperature - This is personal preferences
Design - some people cant concentrate as well sitting
behind a desk on a hard chair. They work better sitting
on a pillow, a couch or even lying down.

EMOTIONS

3.

Motivation - This may change from day to day

depending on how well a student is doing, and how
acceptable he or she feels.
Persistence - The capacity of person to stick to a task &
finish it. The capacity of a person to work on tasks one
at a time or simultaneously.
Responsibility

a.

b.

c.

Non-conformist need to have options - Let them write a poem

draw, write a letter, or song
Non-conformist need the teacher to speak to them collegially
rather than talking down to them
Non-conformist need an explanation for why the lesson is
important to them
Non-conformist ages :
2 years (terrible twos)
12 18 (Adolescence)
34 42 ( mid life),
60s (Grandparents, spoiling grandchildren)

d.

Structure :

Working with clearly state objectives, focus, specified time

and guidelines

Option oriented, resenting objectives established by other

& often ask for exemptions ( at least form some of their
tasks)

4.

SOCIOLOGICAL

Alone or Self - 13 % of students learn better alone

Pair - 28% learn best with a teacher or partner
Peers - 28 % learn better with other students /
Remaining % learn better with variations
Authority - Learning directly with an adult
Variety - learning with a parent or routine or learning
with different people at different time

5.
a.

PHYSIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS
Perceptual Strengths

AUDITORY

Can listen to a lecture for 40 45 min. and retain

75% of information
Every decade less & less student are auditory
More women are auditory because of their CORPUS
COLAS sum Bridge nerves more pronounced in
women. Women can take what they hear & get ideas
immediately
Majority of students with speech problems are boys

VISUAL

Need to take notes in class and look at pictures

(More men are visual )
TACTUAL

Need to take notes in class or have hand-held games

(more women are tactual)

Majority of students with writing problems are boys

KINESTHETIC

Need to use floor games where they can move

around

More men are kinesthetic Men learn by active

participation & engagement

5.
b.

c.

d.

PHYSIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS
Intake - some people need this while working and
studying.
Time of Day - 28% of elementary are alert in AM,
Most children are mostly alert between 10:30 am to
1pm or 2pm
30% of High school students are alert in AM, 13%
are dead during the day and alive at night
Some teachers are better at different times of the
day.
Mobility - Sitting still for longer periods of time vs.
mobility, Some kids have to read a book while walking
around the room

e.

Impulsive - These students have an immediate

answer to a teachers question, they will raise their

hands right away or be able to answer a question
immediately during a conversation.
e.

Reflective - These students often need the question

repeated & look for an answer before they respond.
They first process & then respond.

Applying Learning Styles

Teaching Strategies:

Tactual Resources: You make one sample & students make

their own.

Kinesthetic Resources Use floor games

Each students learns new & difficult materials best through
their own learning style. They can reinforce their learning
through any means as long as they first apply their learning
style

Instructional Strategies:

Study Area :
Have a formal & informal seating area
use beanbags, carpeted areas, rugs, doormats etc.

Proximity of other students - some kids will want to be closer

to other people, while some may want to be in a corner, away
from everyone else.

Rules Your learning styles may never distract other

students, & your grades have to be better than ever.

Introduction to Lesson:

GLOBAL LEARNERS: Use a short paragraph with a

joke or two & pictures.
ANALYTICAL LEARNERS: We can start by
presenting the outline & objectives of the lesson

Homework Rx:
Prescribe learning style for retaining information.

Team Learning:
Use team learning when possible with other school
kids

Fun Stuff:

Make floor games using Manila Paper

Make a Drama Window using a refrigerator box with a window

cut into a some fabric hung to resemble curtain.

Etc.
OBSERVE INDICES:

Student must be aware of their own style

Teachers must be aware of their pupils learning style

Students must be familiar with tactual & kinesthetic resources

Students should have made their own tactual & kinesthetic

resources

A chart of students styles should be evident

Learning Style Assessment should be the basis of Teaching

Activities

Students should show improved learning.