Learning styles impact a student's performance

Until recent years, textbooks used to be one of the only tools available to teach your children with... and they’ve done a good job. But “doing a good job” doesn’t necessarily mean that your children are learning at their full capacity.

Years of research prove that students have learning styles as unique as their personalities. Some are visual learners; others are auditory learners. Many need repetition, interaction or a combination of techniques. And even though your technique “works”, it’s okay to ask yourself if there’s something better around the corner. It’s a natural concern. This is the education of your children, after all.

So, how do you really know that your children are working up to their full potential? Well, you could start by identifying their primary learning style and compare them to your current method.

Here are a few of the most common:

1. Visual learners prefer to see what they’re learning. They often need to write down directions and may have trouble following lectures.

2. Auditory learners prefer to have things explained orally. They often read written instructions or material out loud or talk to themselves when they’re learning something new

3. Kinesthetic (or tactile) learners prefer activities that let them do what they’re learning about. They like to touch, build, and interact. They often move around when talking or listening.

An online learning program is a great solution to catering to all of these learning styles. Time4Learning's visual, hands-on and auditory program helps harness learning styles to make the learning experience as positive as it is productive. The online learning system evokes the different learning modalities and works for a broad set of learning styles. This lets parents hone in on the technique that works best, making it easier for kids to absorb and retain their lessons.

So, the question becomes this. If you found a learning tool that awakened new potential in your kids, would “doing the job” be good enough, anymore? Take some time to find out if there is something better out there… or (at the very least) confirm that your current teaching style really is the best approach for your kids. And who knows? You could tap into potential you didn’t even know was there.