Benefit from maps, infographics, and other visual representations
Find color coding useful
Like to develop their own note-taking layouts
Learn better when they associate an image with an idea or fact
PEOPLE WHO LEARN BY HEARING
Enjoy the use of rhythm, rhyme, and music in learning
Benefit from having background music on while studying
Can associate certain sounds with different kinds of information (e.g.,
shaking a bell while reciting the steps in the cell division process)
Improve test performance by listening to music or sounds associated
with a subject before taking a test in that subject
PEOPLE WHO LEARN BY TALKING AND WRITING
Benefit from the “classics” of studying: writing, re-writing, re-phrasing, and saying things repeatedly
Love to read content aloud, improving recall by associating a dramatic inflection with a certain piece of information
Do well with role-playing activities
PEOPLE WHO LEARN BY DOING
Can associate certain movements with information (e.g., “Hop on one foot when spelling this week’s words! Hop on the other foot to repeat the syllable rules that go with those words!”)
Love to build things: making physical representations of concepts helps them learn
Use physical games, such as passing a ball back and forth, to help them improve recall
PEOPLE WHO LEARN BY PUZZLING
Learn best when told the reasons behind what’s taught
Love to ask, and discover answers to, questions
Benefit from study rituals and routines that are the same every time
See the “big picture,” but sometimes have a hard time with details
Inside this Tool
Unit 1: Helping with Instruction in General: The Role of the Paraprofessional