Learning Styles : Children Edition.

Assalamualaikum WBT,

Well, it has been awhile since I wrote about Learning Strategies, but now, I am going to write about its sister, Learning Styles. Hehe.. Both learning Strategies and learning Styles have their similarities and differences, but they actually quite different.

Today, I read about learning styles written by Priscilla Dunstan who is a behavioural researcher and creator of the Dunstan Baby Language and author of Child Sense and Calm The Crying. Dunstan pointed out four (4) types of children in learning styles. 

1. Visual children

2. Auditory children

3. Tactile children

4. Taste/smell children

1. Visual Children

Visual children will love the order of the alphabet. They love learning using visuals such as pictures, words, writing on chalkboards and whatnot. Visual children actually need help from the auditory aspect, why? because no matter how good their styles in learning using visual, but without great auditory support, I mean, those who assist them to pronounce the words correctly, well, it is the defect of learning style.

2. Auditory Children

Auditory children love sounds. They will love musics, why? Music is sound. In terms of creativity, they would recognised the words easily because they listened to it. But, it too has its own defect, one for sure is, these auditory children would have tough time recognising the words, for example, if they were showed with flashcards, they would not straight away know the words, why? Because, flashcards does not have sounds, Unless, they created one now. One good way to escape from this problem, the parents MUST incorporate visual with the sound. That would added up the value to the learning style.

3. Tactile Children

Tactile children is quite special. In learning language, we have a lot of unique identities with children. Some learned very fast, some would have a hard time just to remember the letters. Hard right? But, tactile children sometimes are very clever but they have this feeling of hypersensitive, whereas, they happened to hate or dislikes a lot of things. Sometimes, they need to be treated as much care as possible. Having said that, they need something that really could keep them occupied. Usually, tactile children love games,  arcade, physical games, moulding words using Play-Doh and whatnot. As long as it keep them occupied, they its good. So, tactile children involved almost all of the learning styles. What ever that you could think of. Yes. 

4. Taste/Smell Children

Taste/smell children really need something else. They need to feel safe and nurtured in order to learn. Interest is the key point here. Everything must have the interest, they are special. Let say, books that have example of any skin of animals, let say, a crocodile, and it has the rough skin. By reading together with taste/smell children, it will create this bond and this bond is the key point too. It shows that the parents are also interested in learning and it makes the children feel that they on the right track with learning. Lovely. By making the experience of learning to read sensory, your child will not only gain valuable skill but also build on the pleasure of learning. Hows that for a start? 

These styles were researched by Dunstan, and lovely, she really captured the essence of learning styles in children. In learning language, the best ever to learning language is from birth to two years old. Linguists also came out with this hypotheses, Critical Period. So, that is why, you will determine your children's mother tongue. Why? Everything you speak will be the first language for you child, if you determined to speak English language and wished that English language would be your child's first language, then, you have to expose your child with English language by speaking English language all the time with correct Grammar, otherwise, without proper grammar, your child with 'inherit' the grammatical errors made by the parents. It would hard to correct the mistake then, when the child acquire the language already. 

So, if you reader have children, then it is better to actually look thoroughly what are the preferences of your children. Visual? Auditory? Taste/smell? or Tactile? It is important that you walk with your children through the learning period. Vital. Crucial.

That is all for now.

Assalamualaikum WBT

p/s: reading is too crucial. Mark that Parents!