Understanding Learning Style Preferences for Effective Tutoring

Learning style preferences, effective tutoring and being a genius are all related to each other.

Every person has his own learning style preferences. A student tends to learn more if the learning style used by their school is their preference. Now, some schools poorly recognize that fact that students may obtain learning better while doing practical activities rather than doing the conventional discussion schema. This is one of the main reasons why some students are left behind. If teachers are able to recognize these preferences in learning, then education will surely become better to every child.

According to Howard Gardner in his Multiple Intelligence Theory, there are seven different learning styles. These are:

1. Linguistic - this means that your students prefer the use of words in their learning process. They love reading and writing which develops their knowledge. Students with this learning style tend to talk and listen a lot. They have the ability to memorize word by word. They have a wide vocabulary and they are attentive to the grammar rules and also the function of language. This kind of students ought to become linguists, grammarians or anything related to the use of language.
2. Logical/Mathematical - this means that your students are prominent in the field of mathematics. They are the questioning type. They always wonder how things work. They tend to do experiments every now and then to find answers to their questions. They learn best by understanding logical patterns and relationships. This kind of students ought to become engineers, scientists or mathematicians.
3. Visual/Spatial - this means that your students are capable of visualizing things. One of the most common behaviors that can be observed from them is day dreaming. They tend to stay away from the real world. They are the artistic type. They are the students who excel when it comes to subjects that involve the use of art such as humanities. They learn best by drawing what they are thinking. This kind of students ought to become designers, architects or anything related to arts.
4. Bodily/Kinesthetic - this means that your students use their body in learning. They prefer physical activities in learning such as playing sports and dancing. They tend to touch everything to gain experiences which they will be using to increase their knowledge on different things. These students are always active. They are incapable of focusing for a long duration. They tend to do many things at the same time. This kind of students ought to become technicians, mechanic or anything that requires you to be physically active.
5. Musical - this means that your students are musical learner. They have the ability to recognize musical notes, rhythms, pitches and patterns. They are the kind who most likely has the perfect pitch or the ability to distinguish a musical note without the use of any device. These students tend to sing a lot. They learn best through the use of music. They memorize their lessons by singing or rapping. This kind of students ought to become musicians, singers, instrumentalists or anything related to music.
6. Interpersonal - this means that your students are sociable. They have a lot of friends. They tend to be empathetic, understanding, reliable and trustworthy. These kind of people learn best when they are interacting with other people. They learn by sharing, relating, comparing experiences with others. An interpersonal person is most likely to become the leader of the group because he is loved by the members due to his ability to understand a person; hence, enabling him to avoid conflicts with others. This kind of students ought to become politicians, psychiatrists, sociologists or anything that requires good communication with others.
7. Intrapersonal - this means that your students prefer to work alone. They know themselves very well. They have a complete awareness of who they are. They know their weaknesses and their strengths. They learn best when they are alone. They prefer learning by studying and observing others. They make decisions without the need of consulting others. They are the students who are often told by teachers or their parents to socialize with others because the teachers and their parents think that socializing with others will help them learn.

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid" -Albert Einstein

We are different from one another. Our learning style preferences enable us to excel on some fields but at the same time be inferior to other fields. If we understand this principle, we can be a very good mentor to others. We should know the learning style preferences of our pupil in order to effectively teach them.