Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic Learning: Effective Study Tips for Different Learning Styles

March 1, 2021 Nadya Corscadden

Everyone has a way of learning that works best for their brain.

Don't believe me?

Have you ever noticed that some people would rather sit in a lecture hall and have something explained, while others prefer to read everything from the textbook? No, one of them isn't just weird. These two systems can give you the exact same information, but the average student will likely prefer one method over the other. Neither approach is wrong, or worse in general. It's only wrong/worse if it goes against their natural learning tendencies.

Introducing: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic Learning

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There are three fundamental learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. At a basic level, visual means seeing the material, auditory means hearing the material, and kinesthetic means physically doing the material. Each one of these methods has unique quirks and challenges to deal with, but nothing's a recipe for disaster once you know how to use them to your advantage.

Some people have one very dominant preferred method, and others are a more even mix of all three. Some people can also switch back and forth depending on the subject.

You don't need to pick a favourite and decide to go exclusive (though feel free to ignore one entirely if it doesn't give ANYTHING back), but that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile understanding them. Knowing the differences between the various tools available to you will help you figure out your best practices way faster.

Once you know the differences between these learning techniques (and once you know how well they work for you), you'll be able to find and utilize the best thing for yourself at any given time.

At the very least, it's incredibly beneficial to know which strategy will be the best way to kick-start your brain when it's struggling.

Why have I not heard about these until now? If it's so important, why don't they teach us this right away?

While some classroom teachers DO discuss it, it's quite common for these learning processes to go unmentioned. Why? Because they don't really NEED explanation in a well-structured classroom environment. The teacher will have already included them in their lesson plan.

A teacher explains the topic out loud (auditory), they get you to read about the topic yourself (visual), and you take notes and practice hands-on activities (kinesthetic). When you touch on all these processes in the classroom, you don't necessarily need to understand the behind-the-scenes of why they're there. You've already done them without even thinking about it! As long as you can figure out how to study and memorize enough information to pass any tests, you don't need to understand it on a deeper level.

When you're working alone at home, however, a lot of this practice is done independently. In this situation, it's way more important to understand and actively utilize these methods. You'll want to be able to engage your most efficient learning methods whenever you need them most.

Many at-home courses give you the freedom to choose to work in your best learning style.

This simplicity is by design. In doing so, they are often much more bare-bones (/blandly-structured) than a classroom-based course. You don't need that other paraphernalia because they expect you'll know what you need to do on your own.

When you don't understand the fundamentals of why/how these different methods function, this freedom can be incredibly overwhelming. If the whole course is readings and video lectures, it's not easy to know how/where to start. So instead of freaking out and claiming it's all too much, look at your study habits through the lens of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning, and find what works best for you. Once you discover your best learning styles, you'll be able to accomplish anything your academic world throws at you!

Here Are The Key Traits and Tricks For Each of These Styles of Learning

The Visual Learner

Are You a Visual Learner?

The visual learner learns best from visuals: the written word, diagrams and charts, etc. The visual learner needs to see things for them to make sense.

Common Struggles for At-Home Visual Learners

Visual learners may struggle with live lectures in an at-home environment because things might not move with as much clarity as they tend to in person. The visual learner will likely have lots of questions and small confusions, and they may find it hard to keep up.

Tips for Visual Learners

Actively take notes as you go along, and re-design any lecture elements with charts and mind maps as you are able.

Make sure your notes have lots of white space and have a clear organizational scheme.
Use colour-coordination and diagrams within your notes wherever possible.
Create mind maps and timelines to link concepts in your brain.

If you can, ask questions after you've had a moment to process the written notes in front of you (instead of asking a bunch as you go along). Things are more likely to click after you've seen them written in your own hand, so it's worth taking the extra moment and making sure your questions are indeed questions.

Request to see any readings in advance if possible, so you already have a head-start on the material. If the live lesson is a refresher instead of an initial explanation, you'll find it much easier to understand.

Flashcards will be one of your favourite study tools, so keep track of any specific words/phrases/concepts as you go along. If you have a list in progress from day one, the process of compiling the information FOR those flashcards will take way less time. Start the review process early for your most difficult sections, and review things in past chapters often.

Practice active recall while you're reading key passages. What does this mean? When you read something new, close your eyes and visualize those sentences again. Try to recall the picture of the page itself in your head. Don't try to do this with large passages - read a sentence, close the book, and visualize it in your head.

The Auditory Learner

Are You an Auditory Learner?

The auditory learner is better at hearing and interpreting than seeing and interpreting. They love lectures (for them, it's the best possible way of understanding anything), and they don't particularly love reading comprehension. They’re more likely to struggle in text-based courses.

Common Struggles for At-Home Auditory Learners

Auditory learners are more likely to struggle with anything that has a purely written format, such as reading and understanding long textbook passages. They may also have difficulty with taking comprehensive notes from a lecture, even if they understood it at the time. Since auditory learners tend to use their ears as their primary learning instrument, they often also struggle in loud/distracting environments.

Study Tips for Auditory Learners

Whenever there IS anything spoken, record it. That way, you can play it on loop to help you understand it. Organize those recorded notes so that key moments are easy to find.

When you have a long reading, grab a buddy and read it aloud to each other. If you discuss it as you go along, you'll both understand it way better. If you don't have a grab-able classmate, don't worry - it's also useful to talk it through with another friend who's not studying your course, or even to talk it through aloud to yourself. You can also record these readings of yourself (as per above) and play them back until you learn them.

If diagrams are confusing, explain (out loud) what you see as you point to things.

Make sure you have a quiet place to study. If that's not an option at home, it might be worth investing in some noise-cancelling headphones. You may also find it useful to schedule some quiet study time in a library or somewhere where you can get some true peace, even if it's for a limited amount of time.

If you have a live lecture, ask questions right then if it's appropriate. Lectures are likely your strongest learning method, so if you don't get it now, it might be even more difficult later when you're reading independently.

Keep track of any significant words/phrases/concepts as you go along, and record definitions. Flashcards are certainly helpful (especially if you work through them aloud), but it can be just as useful to have a voice memo that plays readings of all of them.

The Kinesthetic/Kinaesthetic/Tactile Learner

Are You a Kinesthetic Learner?

The kinesthetic learner prefers to learn by doing. It's the most often neglected form in many at-home learning models (especially in the more advanced classes); lessons usually revolve around reading and video/audio material. There are many easy at-home remedies to this, though, so don't think you're doomed to failure just because you're a kinesthetic learner, and all you've been given is reading and videos!

Common Struggles for At-Home Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners struggle with sitting and reading. They also struggle with sitting and watching lectures. Did you notice a theme? Sitting is only useful for kinesthetic learners if they're sitting and creating something with their hands. So, many at-home courses need a little embellishment to keep a kinesthetic learner's brain engaged.

Study Tips for Kinesthetic Learners

Incorporate movement in as many ways as possible.

Pace around the room as you're reading.
Draw diagrams (yes, draw them, don't just copy and paste).
Make models.
Chew gum.
Move your hands as you read.

It doesn't necessarily have to be educational movement to be beneficial, either. You don't need to figure out how to make your physics questions into live experiments in your living room (though, as you can probably guess, that WOULD be useful). Incorporating some form of movement into whatever you're doing is often all you need to do to keep your brain engaged.

Incorporate mnemonics with physical actions wherever you need help memorizing things.

Take notes as you're learning. Writing things by hand is generally better than typing because it's slower and more physically involved. Re-write difficult sections multiple times. Going through and highlighting key concepts is also a great exercise.

Make flashcards by hand instead of using an app or other fast-track method. When reviewing them, use big gestures and read them aloud for the best results.

If there isn't an easy way to incorporate movement into the THING you're doing, take lots of mini study-breaks to get up and move around. Commit to a schedule such as the Pomodoro Technique to make sure these breaks are frequent. In every break period, move around for at least 2-3 minutes.

If you're looking for some fun ideas, check out these 25 Simple Ideas to Add Movement/Exercise into your Online School Day. Beneficial movement doesn't have to mean weight training or cardio! All you need is a physical distraction to kick-start your brain back into work-mode.

So, I found my Favourite Learning Method - Is That All I Do?

Even if you think you've found your perfect study method, don't limit yourself to exclusively studying in that way for every single thing. As with anything, your brain can get bored when practice gets repetitive. Mix up the learning methods as much as you're able (though if something's a TOTAL waste of time, don't do it - you will likely discover some things that fall into this category along the way).

Whether or not your brain favours one method over the others, it's beneficial to know and understand how all of these methods function. Once you have a working knowledge of them, you'll be able to choose your best technique for each situation. You'll also be able to identify the next step if the method you've picked isn't working right now. Not every method will work in every situation, and your brain isn't going to be perfectly consistent, either. The more you get used to being flexible within these methods, the better.

Don't worry if things aren't obvious at first. Not everyone has an exclusively dominant way of learning. As you get used to identifying the methods, you'll naturally begin to understand which things work best for you in each situation. Eventually, you'll be able to identify your options with ease.

Studying well isn't about exclusively favouring one method or the other. It's about understanding the techniques well enough to determine which tricks to engage when you're struggling.

Sometimes a course just isn't structured in a way that will set you and your brain up for success. If you understand why things aren't working, you'll be able to dig yourself out of the pit before it becomes too deep to handle.

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Want More Study Tips?

If you’re still looking for tips to get you through homeschooling, check out the A+ Academics at Home book linked below. I was once a new home learner myself, and I TOTALLY get the struggles that come along with it. It was one of the best learning experiences of my life, though, and it completely changed the way I view education. I want to help you on this journey to discover the excitement that comes with learning something on your own!

A+ Academics at Home - Finding Success Through Distance Learning

If you want to keep reading, here are some other articles you might find interesting:

Who is Nadya Corscadden?

Nadya holds an MA in Musical Theatre and is no stranger to the home learning scene. Having spent a good chunk of her younger years in distance education (and opting for some correspondence electives at university), she has accumulated many tricks to help maintain focus and inspiration. She has a passion for independent learning and wants to help anyone and everyone find their stride in this atmosphere whether it’s homeschooling or simply studying for that next big test!

She is also a triple threat singer, dancer and actress….and can’t wait until stages are alive again!