Blog posting #1 - learning styles
I’m intrigued by the fact that different people learn in different ways, and that we learn differently at different stages of our lives.
I have a 3 and half year old son who is very tactile. He touches everything! He wants to know how things feel (and taste). He loves to see how things work, how they are put together, taking things apart and trying to rebuild. He loves to help me in the kitchen and likes to crack eggs, and pour liquids into solids when we make batter for muffins, cake and cookies. There is no doubt that he is tapping into kinesthetic learning style (or preference).
I also learn through experiencing things. I wasn’t a big fan of history during my school years, it was just a bunch of dates and events that I knew were connected, and the events were interesting but I had trouble piecing it together as I read my history books. Yet when I finished university, I became a tour guide and travelled around Europe for four years. At first, I painstakingly memorized the history of various European countries, but as I visited historical sites, churches, cathedrals, famous monuments, war sites, and great city plazas, history came alive for me, and I was able to connect the (historical) dots! I started reading novels about historical events, wars, uprisings, and festivals. I took city tours whenever I could and heard other people’s perspectives, and often their personal stories connecting them to these places. It just started to make sense!
Now, I look forward to showing my family some of the incredible places that I explored when I was younger and travelling solo. I will endeavor to tap into our various learning styles. My husband is a visual learner and loves books. He always has various novels on the go, and loves history, specifically war stories. I look forward to having him connect the historical sites. I have started reading to my son about some of these places and showing him pictures of famous historical characters and monuments. We also have European homestay students that tell us stories of their home lands adding their unique perspectives.
I have a 3 and half year old son who is very tactile. He touches everything! He wants to know how things feel (and taste). He loves to see how things work, how they are put together, taking things apart and trying to rebuild. He loves to help me in the kitchen and likes to crack eggs, and pour liquids into solids when we make batter for muffins, cake and cookies. There is no doubt that he is tapping into kinesthetic learning style (or preference).
I also learn through experiencing things. I wasn’t a big fan of history during my school years, it was just a bunch of dates and events that I knew were connected, and the events were interesting but I had trouble piecing it together as I read my history books. Yet when I finished university, I became a tour guide and travelled around Europe for four years. At first, I painstakingly memorized the history of various European countries, but as I visited historical sites, churches, cathedrals, famous monuments, war sites, and great city plazas, history came alive for me, and I was able to connect the (historical) dots! I started reading novels about historical events, wars, uprisings, and festivals. I took city tours whenever I could and heard other people’s perspectives, and often their personal stories connecting them to these places. It just started to make sense!
Now, I look forward to showing my family some of the incredible places that I explored when I was younger and travelling solo. I will endeavor to tap into our various learning styles. My husband is a visual learner and loves books. He always has various novels on the go, and loves history, specifically war stories. I look forward to having him connect the historical sites. I have started reading to my son about some of these places and showing him pictures of famous historical characters and monuments. We also have European homestay students that tell us stories of their home lands adding their unique perspectives.