Teacher Development & Awareness of Learning Styles
by Marjorie Rosenberg
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Why this information is important for teachers

As a kinesthetic/visual learner myself, I have always needed practical applications of material in order to understand it as well as demonstrations of the material to be learned. Following the many discussions and demonstrations in the classroom, students had the following comments about the applicability of this model for their future careers.

"I think it is very important that every pupil know which learning type he or she is. If each person knows his or her personal learning style, he or she can use adequate methods to remember the information." (Doris Kappler)

"The good aspect of what we've learned is that we didn't only learn about ourselves, but how to teach children properly who are visual, auditory or kinesthetic. I find it great to have a list with tips about each of the learning styles. These tell us exactly what different learning types need. In addition, there are things I wouldn't have thought about - I mean I know what I need, but I probably would have neglected kinesthetic children. Letting them touch things, having them relate the learning material to something familiar to them, creating personal meaning for them .. all these things are brilliant. 'Learning by doing' took on a new meaning." (Dagmar Esther Gumhold)

"When I am a teacher I will write out the material and give out a lot of handouts. I will work with pictures, mind maps, charts, etc. These techniques are very important for the visual learners. I will also speak rhythmically for the auditory learners in order to help them remember the material. There also should be a lot of discussions in the classroom. For the kinesthetic learners I will look for activities with a lot of movement and emotions. Now I also know that my students will need to have positive feelings about learning." (Petra Suppanz)

"There are many ways in which this information can help me as a teacher. The most important thing to know is that there are different types of learners. When I teach I have to consider every channel, visual, auditory and kinesthetic. It is not enough that children only hear or see something. They should also have the opportunity to feel and do it. I hope that I will always remember that." (Beate Paulitsch)

"Knowing about learning styles is very important for teaching in school because every teacher should teach in a multi-sensory way. Making use of visual, auditory and kinesthetic presentation techniques gives different learners the chance to acquire the information they need." (Irmgard Göritzer)

"As a teacher it is absolutely necessary to know about the different learning styles! I believe that it's not possible to help pupils effectively if you don't know how to help him or her to more easily understand a topic. It could be that a visual teacher keeps showing pictures and handouts and doesn't understand why an auditory pupil or kinesthetic pupil still doesn't get the point of the lesson. Sometimes a teacher might even think that a pupil isn't intelligent or able to concentrate but that isn't true at all! Maybe the pupil just needs to listen to a tape or to touch something in order to understand. As a teacher you have to remember that what helps you to understand isn't necessarily what will help your pupils to understand. You will be a far better teacher if you are aware of the different learner types in your classroom!" (Linda Noe)

"It is interesting for teachers as well as for learners to find out about their learning preferences. If someone has a learning problem, the teacher can look for an approach which matches his or her learning style. This can help the student to learn better. It is also easier to establish and maintain rapport with other people if you understand your own thought processes as well as those of other people." (Elke Koschitz)

"Because there are visual learners, auditory learners and kinesthetic learners, it is necessary for teachers to be aware of the different types of learners in their classroom. When we use multi-sensory techniques we teach in a way to help all of our students. We can't only stand in front of the class and speak to the group all of the time. We need to plan our lessons according to the needs of our students. If they can use their eyes, hands and ears while they are learning, the lesson will be a good one and the students in our classes will learn easier and in a more natural way." (Melanie Schwarz)

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