Learning styles

When I began my homeschooling journey, one thing that kept coming up in my readings was the need to inform oneself, read and read and read on homeschooling, learning, and teaching. As I researched about homeschooling in books like The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling by Debra Bell,  and Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting started in Homeschooling,  one topic that kept coming up was the one about learning styles. As I went on trying to homeschool my son who is now almost 6, the need for me to understand this whole thing about learning styles became important. Zach has never done things the usual way. He never liked coloring, he does not like to play games, he like to do things on his own, he learns by hearing and seeing. He does not respond well to direct teaching, yet, if he hears it through a different channel, mainly video, it sticks to his mind. He taught himself to read at 4, and I did not even know. I just happened to see him spell the word stop one day. So, I realized I had to adapt my teaching to the way he learns.



Now, I was going to write 2 posts on this subject, describing the 3 types of learners, visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and one on right/left brain dominance, when I stumbled upon a website called Leaping from the box. There, I found an excellent, balanced, and comprehensive article on the different learning style philosophies out there, as well as on the right/left brain dominance topic. What I like also about her article is her conclusion, that is, that no theory really is clear cut. While some kids will fit a model very well, some just can't be categorized that easily (as is the case with my boys). So, I would really encourage you to hop over and read Karen Gibson's article: Learning Styles and Hemispheric Dominance - Is Your Learning Style at Odds with That of Your Child's?.



Let me know your reactions and what you think.
Have a great day, Joelle