Is There a Way to Discover Someone’s Learning Style?

Bill Roach recently asked a good question in a comment on my article on learning styles. He wondered what I look for to indicate what style of learning might be best for an individual student.

I generally don’t attempt to classify a person’s learning style when I meet them. I use both visual and verbal tools in parallel. Based on statistics and my experience, this method addresses the needs of the majority.

2 Comments

  1. Thanks, Bill. I had a kinaesthetic experience as an instructor yesterday. Someone fairly new to my classes was having trouble keeping form in her upper body. I knew approximately what was going on but when I stood in front of her bike (a Keiser) I absent-mindedly took hold of the bars that extend past the computer. Through them I could feel vibrations and energy transfer that gave me information about what was going on in her body. I could then describe what I was feeling and why. I gave her a ten minute “assignment” and she began to feel an improvement. It will take her a long time to address this but the solution started with my ability to physically experience what she was doing on the bike.

  2. Thanks for this excellent and very helpful answer.

    I find some success with kinesthetic learning particularly when teaching pedal stroke technique. After giving some auditory and visual instruction, I ask them to spend some time focusing on the “feel” of the motion. I might even suggest they close their eyes. This often works for me.

    But every now and then I see that I’m not reaching someone. Your answer is really helpful – especially giving myself permission to just ask them. And to understand that they might just be distracted and not in a great place to learn that day.

    Finally, I love that I can access this kind of expertise through ICA. Thank you again.

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