Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, and Tactile

People not only learn at different rates, but also in different ways. Some people want everything written down, others prefer to listen. Some prefer small group settings rather than large group discussions; others like to listen to a lecture and translate it into pictorial doodles in a notebook. Each person has to find his or her own style and use it to learn new things.

Thinking about what you do when to have to learn something new, how do you learn? You probably approach the task in a similar manner each time. You build a pattern to use for new learning. That is a learning style. There are 3 basic learning styles: visual learning, auditory learning, and tactual learning. Each has it own distinct characteristics. It is important to remember that each individual has his or her own unique learning style.

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Visual learning involves seeing something in writing before it is understood and believed. Visual learners tend to have difficulty interpreting verbal directions, often-misinterpreted words and their meanings. Yet they are more artistic than most others are. The visual learner is more likely to picture or memorize the written directions or instructions in their mind and follow those directions rather than listen to someone telling them what to do. They must see something to comprehend the topic.

Auditory learners listen to verbal instruction and remembering. They prefer information that is given to them as spoken words rather than in writing or in a pictorial presentation. They tend to have difficulty following written direction and may have trouble reading and writing. They may use a tape recording of a lecture or speech to reference later.

The last learning style is one with which I am very familiar with, tactual learning. Learning from doing and touching something rather than reading or listening to instructions. They just jump into something and figure it out be trying it. It is a little more difficult for most people who have a structured and routine learning style. It is more of a trial and error type of learning. But in the end you should reach the same result. Tactual learners also tend to be more active physically and unable to sit still for long periods of time. They need more hands-on experiences rather than sitting and listening to someone lecture or reading a book or manual. The lectures and reading tend to bore them.

In my case, I enjoy trying an activity without instruction to see if I can accomplish the end result without following the precise instruction. It becomes a challenge to figure out the answers without the answer key. It may take a little longer to comprehend a subject than other learning styles but for me it is more rewarding to know that I can do it.

“Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the population remembers what is heard; 40 percent recalls well visually the things that are seen or read; many must write or use their fingers in some manipulative way to help them remember the basic facts; other people cannot internalize information or skills unless they use them in real-life activities such as actually writing a letter to learn the correct format.” (Teaching Students to Read Through Their Individual Learning Styles, Marie Carbo, Rita Dunn, and Kenneth Dunn; Prentice-Hall,
1986, pg. 13.)

Of the 3 learning styles, not one is more important or better than the other. All of them are equally important to learning and have a significant impact on what you actually learn in the end. Everyone uses a combination of all the learning styles. You may have written instruction about a subject, but the verbal communications and hands-on experiences will give you a fuller understanding. Using just one style will leave out important details, and the whole meaning will be lost.

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