Auditory Learning Style

Often times when I am giving advice on curriculum hunting, I recommend learning and knowing your child's learning style. This helps in finding the right curriculum that works for your child and it also helps your direction of teaching. The next few posts will concentrate on learning styles to help you distinguish what style of learner you have.



Auditory Learning Style

• Does your child read instructions aloud to them self?
• Does your child prefer audio books or lessons over reading them on their own?

What is the auditory learning style?  Auditory relates to the sense of hearing. The auditory learning style means the ability to learn through listening.
Auditory learners depend on speaking and listening as their main way of learning and they must be able to hear what is said in order to understand the directions given. The auditory learner will use their listening and repeating skills to sort through information that is given to them. 

For example, the auditory learner may use a rhythm or musical tune while reciting a phrase or number back. They are good at giving speeches and writing reports on lectures they may have recently heard. Auditory learners are good at storytelling and problem solving. They will often move their lips or talk to them self to help accomplish something they are working on.   

DID YOU KNOW? Auditory learners make up 30% of the population.

Some characteristics the auditory learner may show:

• They understand verbal instructions over written instructions
• Generally they like the smaller groups when they are working
• They like talking
• They repeat instructions
• They struggle with concentration in noisy environments 
• They do well with repetition of directions

• They do well with talking out their decisions
• They remember the details when they hear them
• They hum or talk to them self while working
• They can identify the differences in a pitch or tone
• They learn best when they are listening
• They generally do well learning from videos
• They are good at reciting songs, poems, and phrases

Here are few ideas that are recommended to help your auditory learner:

• Read all instructions out loud
• Use lecture based programs
• Work in quiet places
• Sing a tune when memorizing work
• Listen to audio books 
• Read out loud often
• Turn off distractions
• Incorporate memorization and reciting often
• Rhyme facts
• Spell words out loud using different pitches/tones
• Use noise eliminating headphones in the classroom or during tests
• Use narrations and oral reports for writing projects
• Use and read aloud flashcards
• Speak in syllables

When searching curriculum read up on the product description or the vendor notes to see what learning style the curriculum works best with.