Year: 2019

Learning Styles for Memory

Learning Styles are important for people to understand how to put information into memory in a way that retrieval is easy. People use a combination of learning styles. The best known ones are: auditory, visual-spatial and kinesthetic.

Auditory learners are ones who can listen to an explanation and remember it. These learners do well taking class notes or following a lecture. It is helpful for this learner to “talk” their way through reviewing their notes, vocabulary and concepts in preparing for a test. This learner should find someone to talk to and teach the other person what he/she has learned.

Visual-Spatial learners are ones who can see a diagram, chart, graph or picture and remember it. These learners do well taking class notes in picture formats and labeling the parts of the picture. This learner does well with geometry concepts in math because he/she can “see” the relationships in remembering the information.

Kinesthetic learners are ones who can touch, trace or write words. Taking lecture notes for this learner is difficult because the auditory part of the brain does not work as well as the kinesthetic. It is best for this learner to get notes ahead of a lecture. Then ideas can be added to notes. It is also possible for this learner to get notes from another student or from the teacher or professor. Tracing words for spelling is a good technique for this person.

For additional information contact Beth Silver at bethcarolsilver@gmail.com or visit her website -educationsage.net.

Focus in Class

Sometimes students have trouble staying focused in class. They may tend to wander away from the activity that is happening and then lose the sequence of the topic being taught. One of the easiest ways to help stay in focus is for the student to have a “job” to do during the class session.

The “job” can be to take notes. Notes can be taken in word format, picture format or diagrams and charts formats. Whether the instructor says to take notes or not makes no difference to someone who has a hard time with focus. Notes- in some format- should always be taken in every class. This requires the person taking the notes to listen carefully and create the notes for information given. This is the best way to help a person stay focused.

Homework Anxiety

Homework anxiety is the most difficult issue for many families. Not only do the kids have anxiety about doing the homework but the parents and other adults have anxiety about having the kids get it done. What a mess! There are some things that can be done to make this issue easier.

Make sure the student really knows what the assignments are. Sometimes, students write assignments in their planners and then forget what the instructions were on how to do the work. Check to see if the teacher has left a posting on a school website or other one. If the student cannot really get started on an assignment, email or text the teacher and explain the difficulty. Tell the teacher that this assignment cannot be completed for lack of information and ask for the due date to be extended.

It helps for students to have “study buddies”. The student should have two friends in a class that can be contacted for additional information on an assignment. Encourage the student to make these contacts. The parents should connect with each other so they understand the mutual help being done. This is also extremely helpful for absences.

If the tension in the homework situation is very high, consider the option of limiting what homework and study work gets done or taking a “mental health” pass and not doing the homework at all. This is a bold step, but sometimes there is just no way the work is going to get done.

For more suggestions and information about learning look at Beth Silver’s website or contact her. Website: educationsage.net Email: bethcarolsilver@gmail.com. Phone: 310-720-0390.