LEARNERS AND THEIR PECULIARITIES

Objectives:

By the end of this training, trainee should be able to;

1. Mention the categories of learners

2. Describe how to engage them in the classroom

 

Introduction:

The average Nigerian adult of today might recall times in school (at primary, secondary and sometimes even tertiary levels) when certain students were labelled “olodo” quite openly in their classrooms or homes in front of their peers or siblings. In some cases, it was even the parents of those children who did that labelling.

​

The old school method or mindset towards education, in its perceived simplicity would easily allow people to identify the slow learners in a rigid system of teaching and learning as dumb or stupid. With this in mind, I also wonder how many people now realize that some of these students who were labelled “slow”, “dumb”, “stupid” or “olodo” now excel in their careers and lives in general. What is even interesting is that some of these students are now doing very well in areas that we would view today as different or unconventional…different from the generic career paths (or expectations) of Medicine, Law and Engineering; or perhaps their academic performance began to improve when they moved to a different, more attentive, flexible or unconventional education system.

​

Remember when you were in school and you had to cram hundreds of pages of textbook material into your head before every big test? If you were like most students, you and your friends probably developed all kinds of tactics to make the grade. You may have argued with your classmates about which method was best—but the truth is that, when it comes to learning, one size does not fit all.

​

THREE MAJOR CATEGORIES OF LEARNERS:

Learning styles and preferences take on a variety of forms—and not all people fit neatly into one category as there is plenty of overlap between styles. There are up to seven categories of learners that can be found in every class, however, there are three main categories with the acronym VAK. They are discussed below:

​

• Visual Learners

• Auditory Learners

• Kinaesthetic Learners

​

1. Visual Learners:

Someone with a preference for visual learning is partial to seeing and observing things, including pictures, diagrams, written directions and more. This is also referred to as the “spatial” learning style. Students who learn through sight understand information better when it’s presented in a visual way. These are your doodling students, your list makers and your students who take notes.

The whiteboard is your best friend when teaching visual learners! Teachers should create opportunities to draw pictures and diagrams on the board, or ask students to doodle examples based on the topic they’re learning. Teachers catering to visual learners should regularly make handouts and use presentations. Visual learners may also need more time to process material, as they observe the visual cues before them. So be sure to give students a little time and space to work through the information.

​

2. Auditory Learners:

Auditory learners tend to learn better when the subject matter is reinforced by sound. These students would much rather listen to a lecture than read written notes, and they often use their own voices to reinforce new concepts and ideas. These are the students who like to read out loud to themselves, aren’t afraid to speak up in class and are great at verbally explaining things. Additionally, they may be slower at reading and may repeat things a teacher tells them.

Since these students can sometimes find it hard to keep quiet for long periods of time, get your auditory learners involved in the lecture by asking them to repeat back new concepts to you. Ask questions and let them answer. Invoke group discussions so your auditory and verbal processors can properly take in and understand the information they’re being presented with. Watching videos and using music or audiotapes are also helpful ways to engage with auditory learners.

​

3. Kinaesthetic Learners:

Kinaesthetic learners or “tactile” learners learn through experiencing or doing things. They like to get right in the thick of things by acting out events or using their hands to touch and handle in order to understand concepts. These are the students who might struggle to sit still, might be good at sports or like to dance, need to take breaks when studying and might not have great handwriting.

The best way teachers can help these students learn is by getting them moving. Teachers should instruct students to act out a certain scene from a history lesson they are teaching. Additionally they should encourage these students by incorporating movement into lessons: pacing to help memorize, learning games that involve moving around the classroom or having students write on the whiteboard as part of an activity.

Other Categories Of Learners Are:

• Verbal Learners

• Logical Learners

• Social Learners

• Solitary Learners

​

HOW TO ENGAGE LEARNERS IN THE CLASSROOM:

1. Auditory Learners:

• Recording lessons for later listening and reference

• Encouraging auditory listeners to ‘teach others’ verbally

• Seating them away from distractions

 

2. Visual/Spatial Learner:

• Maps, diagrams, charts and imagery

• If you have a projector, try to include relevant images to go along with the course content.

• Sitting visual learners near the front

• Using colour codes and cues

• Encouraging note taking and recopying notes during study

 

3. Verbal Learner:

• Verbal learners will want to write down notes,

• Talk about concepts and potentially present them as well.

• They are outgoing or more introspective verbal learner

• Some may lean more to talking, while others to reading and writing.

 

4. Logical/Mathematical Learner:

• Mathematical learners will greatly appreciate any type of learning that logically explains the subject at hand.

• Try to include statistics and classification taxonomy in your lesson plans.

• Literature: Ask your students “What category of book is this?” Or in poetry,

• Have them learn the meters and explain them to other students.

• Music: Teach both musical instrument classification (woodwind etc) and the mathematical relationships between notes.

• Art: A good starting point is the colour wheel and the effects of combining different colours.

​

5. Physical/Kinaesthetic Learner:

• Taking breaks so they can move around can help, but so can encourage role-play and movement within the lesson itself.

• Physical interaction is also important.

• The use of props and models will greatly benefit a kinaesthetic learner.

• Give them something to grab onto and they’ll process information much better than from a book or whiteboard.

• Other strategies to engage physical learners include:

• Encouraging movement during study (don’t punish them for fidgeting)

• Decluttering desks and surfaces so they can focus on learning

​

6. Social/Interpersonal Learner:

• Encourage both group collaboration and presentation

• Roleplaying historical events or works of literature

• Collaborating on maths problems

• Working as a class on comprehension questions

​

7. Solitary/Intrapersonal Learner:

• In a classroom environment it can sometimes be difficult to engage a solitary learner. They might sit silently in the back of the classroom, only to ace the exam at the end of semester. For the educator, it’s important to engage them during class.

• Provide visual materials, books and learning aids.

• Designate quiet areas, and collaborate with defined sharing time so the solitary learner can feel adequately prepared.

 

Conclusion:

With large classrooms, it’s not always easy to personalize lessons, but using a mixed learning approach throughout coursework can help you cater to each type of learning style. You may decide to focus on a particular learning type each lesson, or incorporate multiple strategies within each lesson. The most important element is first recognizing the differences in student learning – the rest will flow from there.

​

​

​

Onibokun Samson O.

HR Head

EduBulb Consulting, (2020)