Learning Styles

Sometimes, we all just get it wrong. We try and teach something, and what we are doing actually stands in the way of understanding.

Current psychological theory states that there are different types of learners, and that to reach each a different method is often necessary. The labels given to these learning variations are Visual, Auditory, and Tactile/Kinesthetic.

Let's say that you are teaching a class of 15 martial arts students who are divided equally between the different learning types. Although most people are actually an internal mix of the different styles, let's assume that this class is made up of extreme examples.

You silently demonstrate a technique. The five Visual-learning students pretty much understand right away, but the other, non-Visual ten do not. If instead, you'd talked your way through the demonstration you would have addressed the needs of the five who are Auditory learners as well as those who are Visual. The final five Tactile/Kinesthetic might require that you physically move their arms and legs into the desired positions. There, you've reached all 15 of them. Good job.

This is just to illustrate the point. The three types of learning are not actually equally disbursed amongst a body of students, and most people are a mix of all of them.

I myself am a very auditory Learner, with Visual overtones, and a bit of Kinesthetic thrown in. The different styles seem to manifest themselves differently for different types of learning. This seems to be the case for many people. For people with multiple learning styles, it is still a good idea to stimulate as many as possible within any given lesson, assuming that such a thing is appropriate. It's like opening more pathways for the knowledge to flow in through.

Sometimes, a person's teaching style is quite invisible to a learner, or to one aspect of a student. Let's say you have a student who is trying hard to learn the next move you are trying to teach. That student is very smart, and a fast learner, but does not learn in an Auditory manner at all. You are demonstrating carefully, with lots of detailed explanation while the students stand and watch. Nothing Kinesthetic is being communicated at all, so this student is trying to absorb everything possible from what is visible in the demonstration. The problem is, you keep talking, a lot. What the student hears is very similar to the sound adults make in a Charlie Brown cartoon. Wah wah wah..wah wah....wah wah wah....

This is not only unhelpful for this particular student, it is distracting them horribly. He probably is used to this, and he tries to block the noise out as he burrows into the demonstration with his laser-focused eyes. Let's say he manages to understand, after watching you do the movements several times. You finish the final demo, and he is ready to drill, which will address his Kinesthetic aspects. He should start immediately, while it's fresh, but you keep talking. He hears bla bla bla, bla bla. As this continues, the image in his brain is fading. While this is happening, his brain may be screaming, “SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!”

An extreme example, but I think you see what I mean.

Why did I make my example regarding over-use of verbal communication? That's because almost everybody that teaches gets caught in the trap of thinking that the more that they talk, the better they're doing their job. They also believe that if they're not talking, it means they are not teaching, and that therefore students are not learning.

Nobody seems to get stuck using only Visual or Kinesthetic teaching.

An example of somebody over-addressing the Visual avenue would be a teacher who, instead of doing 3 repetitions of a technique with explanation, does 20 demos, but without saying a thing. This just doesn't happen.

Kinesthetic would have no demo per se, but with the instructor moving the student's body around to simulate the move. The teacher doesn't demonstrate at all, or say anything. This can't really be done in a class setting.

Let's design something for teaching of a specific technique that addresses the different types of learning.

Let's have the instructor plan on doing one full-speed example of the technique, and then three slow-speed detailed demos.

As the full-speed example is only there to show what things look like when the technique is really applied, talking should be kept to a minimum. Why not lots of talking? This time through, you are trying to stimulate everybody's Visual learning, even for those people for whom it isn't a strength. You are also hoping for this to slop over into an empathic stimulation of their Kinesthetic aspects. A lot of talk would delay things, as well as distract people, and making it just another exercise in Verbal learning. Probably enough words will be used in any case for Verbal learners.

Next, the teacher goes through two more slow, deliberate demonstrations, explaining all the necessary details. Please note, I said necessary detail. What is unnecessary should be left unspoken. Even strongly Verbal students learn better without extraneous information.

If somebody can teach you how to do something with 250 words, isn't that better than if they'd used 500, or 1000.

Anyhow, if the teacher wants to ask the class if there are questions, this happens next, and they are addressed. This is time when all of the speaking is wrapped up.

It is now time for the final demonstration. This one is designed for the Visual folks, and to stimulate that aspect in all of the rest. The demo is again done slowly, but with no actual stops. The instructor calls attention to the critical movements by snapping fingers, waving hands, wiggling feet, and over-emphasizing movements. THIS DEMO IS KEPT TOTALLY SILENT.

If the teacher remembers some important detail he's missed, tough beans. He should not share it.

After the silent demo, the instructor remains silent, and gives a signal that sets the students to work practising. He does not explain how to practice, or how to get a partner, or anything more. At most he would say, “Grab a partner,” but, “Go,” would be better, and a hand clap better still.

He then circulates to as many students as he can, handing out encouragement, and correcting people having trouble. This can be a critical period for highly Kinesthetic students. They will be trying to perform with what they were able to garner from the demos and explanations, but they won't be really absorbing it until they can do it.

With an unknown student, the teacher can explain, and demonstrate. That will usually work. If it doesn't, limbs need to be physically moved about; into place, and through the required movements. With a student known to learn this way, this can be the go-to strategy. With a student known to require this kind of thing to get things right, they can always be observed and helped first during practice time.

Not only does something like this address people with what we should call strongly focused learning styles, but also for somebody who is generally strong in every area.

I am such a person.

I like lots of Verbal, and Visual, and Tactile/Kinesthetic info when I'm learning martial arts. In most of my life, I am more strictly Verbal and Visual. With movement activities, I don't learn them until I do them (Kinesthetic), many times over. Interestingly, I require the Visual and Verbal in order to be able to perform them in the first place.

For me, about three demonstrations are about the ideal number. Less, and I will have missed too much, and with more, I to not gain anything additional. I like the explanations, but if overly-wordy they over-power the Visual effect of the demonstration, ad I start hearing, wah wah bla bla.

I absolutely love a silent demo. I shut off my word-brain, and try and absorb the demonstration into my brain through my eyes.

I should then start drilling IMMEDIATELY. The technique is burned into my retina like the effect of a bright, camera flash, and it fades just as quickly. Any delay at this point, even if it's important information, will allow my image to evaporate, never to return.

If that happens, it's like only having a complicated set of driving directions (Verbal information), when I was also expecting to have a map (Visual). Delay means I don't get the map. I'd rather have both, and by then driving the route I learn it (Kinesthetic).

Tricky? You bet.

And I've simplified it greatly.