PERCEPTUAL LEARNING PREFERENCES

Read the following descriptions to find your learning preference. Once you discover your
preference, try the suggested strategies to improve your studying and learning.

TYPES
Ø Visual/Verbal Learners
Ø Visual/Nonverbal Learners
Ø Auditory Learners
Ø Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners

VISUAL/VERBAL LEARNERS

CHARACTERISTICS
· Relate to such words as: see, look, observe, read.
· Like to read books and magazines for both information and pleasure.
· Enjoy watching television documentaries and films hi which both visual and verbal
information are presented simultaneously.
· Read a newspaper or magazine regularly as a source of news.
· Prefer to read what an expert has written on a subject than to listen to lecture or
discussion.
· Prefer to look over written directions and diagrams to assemble or use something rather
than to hear someone explain how to do it.
· Feel frustrated when teachers simply give oral instructions for assignments and tests
instead of also writing the instructions on the board or on a handout.
· Take extensive notes during class lectures and discussions to review later.
· Make lists regularly of daily goals and activities.

TEACHING STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU LEARN:

· Written instructions for all assignments and tests.
· Visual/verbal aids: handouts, outlines or summary notes of lectures, written definitions of
new terms, written and oral explanations for charts, graphs, and diagrams.
· Follow-up reading for any class lectures and discussions.

STUDY STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU REMEMBER:

· Take careful notes during class lectures and discussions, then study them several times
for a visual review before a test.
· Write summaries or notes in your own words of material you have read or discussed in
class.
· Ask your teacher or tutor for written explanations of new words, concepts, and
assignments.
· Write down any oral instructions for assignments to have a visual aid to refer to later.
· Read your textbooks and other assigned material silently instead of aloud to gain
 maximum meaning.
· Highlight important ideas in your assigned reading with colored markers and make
summary comments in the margins in your own words.
· Write down any oral explanations your teacher provides for charts, diagrams, and graphs.
· Make flashcards with definitions, dictionary examples, and your own example sentences
of new vocabulary.
· Make lists and other written reminders of anything you need to remember to do.

VISUAL/NONVERBAL LEARNERS

CHARACTERISTICS
· Relate to such words as: see, look, picture, observe, show, imagine.
· Understand and retain information well by looking at pictures, diagrams, charts, maps,
films.
· Like to browse through books and magazines refocusing primarily on the pictures.
· Learn how to do things through observation and modeling rather than verbal
explanations.
· Prefer demonstrated tasks and visual models to oral and written instructions.
· Would rather see a film on a subject rather than listen to a lecture or panel discussion.
· Prefer the television as a source of news rather than a newspaper or radio.
· Have a strong visual memory: remember faces, locations, directions, where they put
things.
· Often doodle or draw while taking notes during a class lecture or discussion.

TEACHING STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU LEARN

· Demonstrations and modeling of assigned tasks.
· Models of successfully completed assignments that they can emulate.
· Visual aids: lists, diagrams, charts, pictures, films, concept maps, real objects.
· Opportunities to draw pictures, diagrams, or other graphic representations of problems,
ideas, or concepts.
· Guided visualization exercises which help you imagine a situation.
· To have new concepts and vocabulary introduced first through examples you can relate
to such as imagery, metaphor, and fantasy.

STUDY STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU REMEMBER

· Draw pictures, diagrams, charts, graphs, or concept maps of vocabulary, concepts, or
problems.
· Use a variety of bright colors to highlight important information in your lecture notes and
assigned readings.
· Try to get a mental picture of what you are reading or listening about in a lecture to keep
mentally alert and to better retain this verbal information.
· Summarize the main points of what you have read in the form of a chart or concept map.
· Ask your teacher or tutor to provide examples and anecdotes to help you imagine and
understand difficult new terms.
· Ask your teacher or tutor to provide models of successfully completed problems, exam
responses, and written work to better understand procedures and grading expectations.
· Translate written explanations and concepts into symbols: e.g., in math, "cost per square
foot" becomes $ - 0.
· Try a solution to a problem verbally before doing it on paper.
· Ask your teachers or tutor to give you verbal explanations for diagrams, charts, graphs.
· Ask your teachers to go over any written assignment or test instructions orally.
· Find a "study buddy" with whom you can discuss class material and prepare for tests.

AUDITORY LEARNERS

CHARACTERISTICS
· Relate to such words as: hear, listen, sound, ring, tune.
· Master new information by listening, then repeating or discussing with others.
· Like to socialize, talk, discuss, share ideas.
· Enjoy working collaboratively with a partner or a small group. Prefer to have someone
explain how to assemble or use something rather than look over written instructions or
diagrams.
· Feel frustrated when teachers write assignment and test instructions on the board or on a
handout but do not go over them orally.
· Volunteer answers in class, relate relevant anecdotes and examples, and process what
they are learning orally.
· Would rather listen to an expert lecture on a subject than read an article or textbook.
· May not read assigned chapters, articles, or stories thoroughly, in hopes of having the
main ideas clarified by a class lecture or discussion.
· Remember names and lyrics to popular songs after hearing them once or only a few
times.

TEACHING STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU LEARN

· Information presented through lectures, class discussions, small-group activities, films,
tapes.
· Oral instructions for all classroom tasks, tests, and homework assignments.
· Oral explanations for all charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, pictures.
· Brainstorming ideas aloud with classmates before beginning a reading or writing
assignment.
· Small-group discussions and problem-solving activities.
· Opportunities to ask questions and share ideas during class lectures.
· Oral summaries by the teacher of the main points in lectures or assigned readings.
· Opportunities to give oral reports on subjects and to listen to oral reports by classmates.
 STUDY STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU REMEMBER
· Make tape recordings of any information you want to learn. Play them in your car, while
doing household chores, and before going to sleep.
· Teach someone else what you have learned.
· Summarize the content you want to master aloud or to someone else.
· Make your own "flashcards" to study new vocabulary, including definitions, dictionary
examples, and your own original sentences; quiz yourself out loud or ask someone else.

TACTILE-KINESTHET1C LEARNERS

CHARACTERISTICS
· Relate to such words as: feel, touch, grasp, do, move.
· Enjoy working with their hands; want to feel and touch everything.
· Tend to be skilled at repairing and assembling things, even without instructions.
· Tend to be coordinated at sports.
· Like to explore their environment.
· Focus well during hands on" projects and activities.
· Are frequently in motion: may fidget, get up regularly, doodle or tap pencil.
· May get restless and distracted during lengthy class lectures, reports or discussions.
· Like variety in classroom activities.
· Enjoy opportunities to work collaboratively with a partner or a small group on a task.

TEACHING STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU LEARN

· Activities that encourage learning by doing and interacting with others.
· Participating in role plays and simulations.
· Manipulating and assembling objects, materials, models.
· Taking notes during class lectures and discussions, as the act of writing aids
concentration.
· Drawing, underlining, and highlighting class notes as well as assigned readings.
· Going on field trips.
· Completing classroom assignments with a partner or a small group.

STUDY STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU REMEMBER

· Do your "thinking" on paper: make lists, outlines, graphs, concept maps.
· Take good notes during lengthy class lectures and discussions, even if you think you
understand the material, as the act of writing and highlighting important points aids a
great deal in learning.
· Make your own graphs, charts, time lines, diagrams, and concept maps to better
understand new concepts and important material.
· Highlight ideas in your assigned chapters and other reading selections after you have
 already done an initial reading, then copy the most important information in words in a
notebook in whatever form seems helpful to you: a chart, graph, diagram, summary.
· Make and use your own "flash cards" to quiz yourself on new vocabulary and material.
· Write your brainstorming for papers and projects or problem-solving for math first on a
large piece of paper, then copy this onto a smaller piece of paper.
· Schedule your study sessions so that you can take breaks to stretch and move around.
· Break up your homework into manageable time blocks; vary the activities you work on to
better rather than spend a large amount of time on one activity,
· Try not to register for classes that meet only once or twice a week which will require you
to sit and listen to a lecture/discussion for a long period of time.