IMPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING

A student's preferred learning channel can profoundly influence which learning strategies will be effective, what tasks will be easy or difficult, and what accommodations might be appropriate for the student. The following guidelines, while not meant to be conclusive, static, or applicable to all students, provide some directions to explore.

VISUAL LEARNERS

• Organize work and living space to avoid distractions.
• Sit in the front of the room to avoid distraction and away from doors or windows where action takes place. Sit away from wall maps or bulletin boards.
• Use neatly organized or typed material.
• Use visual association, visual imagery, written repetition, flash cards, and clustering strategies for improved memory.
• Use note pads, Post-Its, to-do lists, and other forms of reminders.
• Use organizational formats like Cornell method or outlining for recording notes.
• Use imaginative organizational aids like spider maps or matrices.
• Allow sufficient time for planning and recording thoughts when doing problem-solving tasks.
• Use test preparation strategies that emphasize organization of information and visual encoding and recall.
• Participate actively in class or group activities.
• Develop written or pictorial outlines of responses before answering essay questions.

AUDITORY LEARNERS

• Work in quiet areas to reduce distractions, avoiding areas with conversations, music, and television.
• Sit away from doors or windows where noises may enter the classroom.
• Rehearse information orally.
• Use mnemonics, rhymes, jingles, and auditory repetition through tape recording to improve memory.
• Practice verbal interaction to improve motivation and self-monitoring. Subvocalize reading assignments, problems, and solutions.
• Use tape recorders to document lectures and for reading materials.
• Remember to examine illustrations in textbooks and convert them into verbal descriptions.
• Use test preparation strategies that emphasize auditory processing of information.
• Read the directions for tests or assignments aloud, or have someone read them to you, especially if the directions are long and complicated.
• Use a scribe for testing.
• Remind yourself to review details.
• Use time managers and translate written appointment reminders into verbal cues.
• Use verbal brainstorming, tape recording, and subvocalization strategies for writing and proofing.

KINESTHETIC (HAPTIC) LEARNERS

• Keep verbal discourse short and to the point.
• Actively participate in discussions.
• Use direct involvement, physical manipulation, imagery, and "hands on" activities to improve motivation, interest, and memory.
• Organize information into the steps that were used to physically complete a task.
• Allow for physical action in solving problems.
• Read or summarize directions, especially if they are lengthy and complicated, to discourage starting a task without instructions.
• Use taped reading materials.
• Use practice, play acting, and modeling to prepare for tests.
• Allow for physical movement and periodic breaks during tests, while reading, or while composing written assignments.