[01] Student Learning Style
The importance of knowing student learning styles
It is very important for teachers to know the learning styles of their students because knowing students' learning styles become a very powerful key for teachers in developing their performance.
When the teachers have been knows the learning styles of their students, the teacher can concoct an essay learning process. Thus the teacher can prepare, carry out learning and evaluate the learning process and outcomes precisely and accurately. In addition, the learning process can accommodate student learning needs in accordance with the learning styles of students.
By fulfilling the learning needs in accordance with the learning styles of students, the absorption, processing, and application of learning outcomes are well received.
In addition, when the teacher knows the student's learning style, learning communication and interaction can be achieved optimally. Students who are diverse in a class certainly have their differences (uniqueness), each of which is influenced by genetic factors as well as environmental factors and other factors. These differences will shape their respective learning styles. The teacher's tasks are to accommodate the learning needs of each student's learning style.
The theory of student learning styles can be learnt to develop and improve educational services to students as follows:
Visual Learning Style
Visual learning style is a learning style of students who prioritizes the power of vision (eyes). Students are better able to learn through seeing things. Students with visual learning styles prefer the delivery of learning with media images, diagrams, shows, demonstrations, film screenings or videos.
Characteristics of students with visual learning styles are like reading, watching video shows (television / film), guessing or filling in crosswords, and they prefer to read on their own rather than read by the others. In addition, they prefer to pay attention to facial expressions when talking to others, better able to remember things through vision.
Most of them have creative activities such as writing, drawing, painting, designing, painting in the air and tend to talk fast, but may be quite quiet in the classroom.
Auditory Learning Style
Auditory learning styles are student learning styles that prioritize the power of hearing (ears). Students with auditory learning styles prefer learning delivered with media that can be accessed with hearing such as audio tapes, lectures, discussions, debates and instructions in the teaching and learning process.
Students with an average auditory learning style have the characteristics of listening to various media sources such as radio, music, plays, drama, and debate. They get knowledge from stories that are read to them with various expressions, have creative activities such as singing, storytelling, chatting, playing music, making funny stories, debating, philosophizing, talking at medium speed, talkative (chatty) even in class.
Kinesthetic Learning Style
The kinesthetic learning style prefers direct involvement of physical activity. Learning for them is through physical activity. The preferred learning media include role playing, tourist visit, prefer practical lessons rather than theory.
The characteristics of students with kinesthetic learning styles is to prefer activities both social and sports, such as dancing and cross-country. They prefer creative activities such as crafts, gardening, speaking rather slowly, in a state of silence, always feeling restless, unable to sit quietly, and like to do business while doing something.
In practice, a student may have some characteristics of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners at the same time. That is, he could be a visual learner, as well as an auditory learner, or a kinesthetic learner who is also capable of learning visually.
Students can use one learning style to absorb the lesson, or use a combination of the three learning styles. But, of course there is a tendency in students, which learning style suits them better.
In this case, the teacher is expected to be able to accommodate the needs of educational services (learning) by focusing on activities that lead to and serve the needs of students with student learning styles.
Have we understood and served the education of our students according to their learning styles?
