learning modalities

In my certification class tonight we covered the topic "learning modalities" which indicate the modes or means through whch people acquire information and demonstrate what they know. (Think: "what kind of learner am I?") While scrolling through the lists of charactertistics each type of learner possesses I was half-surprised, half-aware of what kind of learner I believe I am. While I can identify with all of the visual learner characteristics, I also found myself identifying with more than half of the auditory/verbal learner characteristics as well as more than half of the kinesthetic/tactile learners. Needless to say it was an encouraging moment to affirm how I learn best and to recall how those particular learning modalities have played out in my educational achievement and other personal growths.

Visual learners:
- are good with detail
- learn by seeing, watching demonstrations
- often remember whatever they have written down
- can recall the placement of words and pictures on a page
- like descriptive reading
- enjoy and learn from visual displays and colors
- recognize words by sight and people by face rather than name
- have a vivid imagination and think in pictures
- are deliberate problem solvers and plan solutions in advance
- facial expressions are a good indication of their emotions

Auditory/Verbal learners:
- enjoy listening but are always ready to talk
- like music, rap, poetry, rhyming words
- enjoy dialogues, skits and debates
- have auditory word attack skills and learn words phonetically
- talk to themselves, especially whem memorizing
- are distracted by sounds
- talk out problems and the pros and cons of a situation
- express emotion through changing in pitch, tone, and volume of voice
- are not detail persons, tend to be global thinkers
- learn through verbal instructions from others or themselves

Kinesthetic/Tactile learners:
- learn by hands-on experiences
- prefer direct involvement rather than being a spectator
- enjoy the performing arts and/or athletics
- like working with materials, machinery, and tools
- prefer actions/adventure stories and videos
- communicate feelings through body language
- experiment with ideas to see how they will work in the real world
- touch, feel, manipulate, and play with objects
- show emotions physically by jumping, hugging, applauding, etc.
- remember what they have done rather than what they have seen or read

So what kind of learner are you?