d. m. arney, m.a.

There are more than a short post can handle, but I though I’d hit a few. Using a manipulative is not the same as visualizing. Just because you see it, that doesn’t make it visual learning. In fact, all of those “kinesthetic” tricks are not really doing much for a child that isn’t learning through normal channels. Visualizing is best done by looking up, at the ceiling or above the white board. Number lines for math should always be up. Also, just because a child can do something in an auditory style, does not mean they are an auditory learner. There is very little in school that is not auditory based. Even writing is using the same area of the brain as reading and hearing. To really get a sense for your child’s actual learning style, the method that is best for them to take in information, you’ll need something more than a short quiz, or some pop-psych exercise. Be careful when teachers tell you what kind of learner you have. Most ever teacher, and most every psychologist is a great auditory processor, to the point that it is very hard for them to contemplate or understand another modality of learning. Not their fault, but school has set itself up to foster and breed this perpetual exclusion of other models.