The Auditory Learner
An auditory learns best through listening. They are the ones in class that enjoy listening to the daycare teacher during storytime. They derive knowledge and meaning by listening to the daycare teacher talk about the topic or participate in discussions, with a small or large group, about the topic. To help them learn better, music without words can be played in the background.
The Visual Learner
A visual learning learns best through seeing. They are the ones who examine the pictures in the storybook during a story session. They derive knowledge and meaning by seeing the content, either in word or graphical format or watching a demonstration. To help them to learn better, the daycare teacher can present the content in a graph, picture, diagram or video.
The Kinesthetic Learner
The last type of learner is the kinesthetic learner. A kinesthetic learner learns best through a hands-on approach. They are the one who are easily distracted and find it hard to sit still for long periods of time, especially during storytelling. They need to be constantly on the move. They derive knowledge and meaning by moving, doing or touching the object. To help them to learn better, they need to be able to explore the content, either via field trips or physically touch or manipulate an object related to the content.
Role of a Daycare Teacher
So what does that mean for a daycare teacher? Should the daycare teacher involve all three elements of learning styles in their teaching? That is, enable the children to be able to touch, see and “feel” the content at every juncture. The answer is no. Whilst it is important for the daycare teacher to know and understand the different learning styles a child possesses, it is more important for the daycare teacher to be able to appreciate the different learning styles. The daycare teacher should focus on the content’s best mode of delivery rather than the child’s. That means that the daycare teacher think carefully which mode of presentation, be it auditory, visual or kinesthetic, will help the child to understand the content best. Some content or knowledge are better understood when a child listens to it, some content are better understood via pictures whilst some content are best understood when a child adopts a hands on approach.
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