Visual Learning Style

• This style of learner is best served when presented with graphical information such as charts, handouts, visual presentations and pictures. The visual learner is the most common type of learner and many people are at least partly visual learners. Teachers best serve their students when they incorporate a visual element, such as a handout or overhead presentation, as a graphic reminder of the information being presented in the lesson. These types of learners respond best to a written textbook.
  
  

Auditory/Aural Learning Style

• Auditory, or aural, learners retain information best when they hear it. These types of learners respond well to lectures, class-discussions, small-group work, one-on-one interactions, conferences and in-class movies. They also respond well to the option of an audio textbook. Teachers best serve these types of learners when incorporating an auditory element into their lessons, such as a short lecture or movie clip to illustrate an important concept.
  
  

Reading/Writing Learning Style

• This style of learner works best when presented with information in a written, concise and organized format, such as an outline or bulletin-point style list. While this style of learning is closely related to the visual learning style, it is most effective when paired with concise note-taking in an outline-style format. Many learners of this style recall information in a "flash," seeing the outline in their minds when recalling information. Teachers best serve this type of learner by providing short outlines of concepts covered or by writing down short outlines of concepts covered on the board.
  
  

Kinesthetic/Tactile Learning Style

• Tactile learners retain information best when they experience it physically; they often lose interest when hearing about or seeing a concept. Instead of listening to a story about a child running or seeing a movie about it, they need to get out and experience it to completely understand the concept. These types of learners lose interest in many other methods of learning quite quickly. Teachers serve this population best by keeping them active by incorporating a physical or experiential element in their lessons.