This article will throw light on the strengths and weaknesses of this learning style. In addition, we will also discuss the strategies that can help a educator to teach these types of learners effectively.
Surveys have shown that there is a strong and positive connection between learning preferences and outcomes. In fact, almost 97% of the surveyed teachers agreed with this fact.
Let’s begin by understanding the strengths of these learners:
What are the Strengths of Auditory Learners?
- They understand best when the instruction is imparted through the auditory form.
- These learners remember information that they had listened.
- They can recall important points or parts of the conversation that they have heard effortlessly.
- Such individuals have very strong listening skills.
- They can elaborate their thoughts well through their advanced spoken skillsets.
- These individuals generally perform very well in oral presentations/tests/assessments/exams, etc.
- An aural learner can hold attention better during a long lecture unlike many other people around.
- They have the ability to jot down points during a lecture despite the educator’s high rate of speech.
How to identify Auditory Learners in a classroom?
In a traditional classroom or an online schooling , these preferences can be identified by observing some dominant characteristics. These types of students can be excellent storytellers, vocal about their thoughts, and tend to express themselves well with great clarity. They follow spoken instructions well and are excellent listeners. Teachers can also find these students highly engaged during discussions. Besides, they also tend to have great inputs during interactive sessions/conversations, etc.
Now that we know much about these students and their preferences, let’s move to the handling part. And discuss the strategies that can help in engaging these students:
Strategies to help Auditory Learners
Teachers deal with a mix of varied learning styles. But specifically for the auditory types, he/she must incorporate more opportunities for the students to interact. Through discussions, debates, audio, podcasts, and oral lectures (like recorded lectures, etc.), these students can express themselves freely. Another great way of handling these students is to give them opportunities to present their work to others. These students are good at explaining their thought processes to others. Hence, a good teacher can always use these qualities to create new opportunities for students to collaborate (peer tutoring opportunities, etc.).
Aural learners also have excellent spoken skills. These can be used to disseminate information that can be used by others as well. Spellings, downloads related to material for activities, and information that needs to be repeated can be presented by these students well. These simple strategies can be highly fruitful to engage students, giving them an opportunity to lead their peer group.
Other than these strategies some carefully planned activities can also be great to support these learners. Let’s explore some of these activities now.
Activities for Auditory Learners
- Group discussions- Students with this preferred style do well in activities that require addressing or discussing in a group. They can express their views, give words to their thoughts, and also learn better by listening to others. Since these students are good at expressing themselves, they can find a great platform to explain their viewpoints through logic. All these opportunities can work wonders for them, helping them to grow better with their dominant auditory traits.
- Recording voice- This style is dominated by the capacities like hearing or listening. Hence, a teacher can also utilize these learners well by asking them to record their findings/learning, etc. These can be used later in the class as revision points or to clarify concepts etc.
- Class Presentations- Oral presentations through these types of students can be another delight for the teachers and classmates. Students with this style should be encouraged to share their views and present their work by reading aloud. These presentations can further be enhanced with colorful visuals to engage another dominant learning style i.e. visual learners simultaneously. Teachers can involve multiple types of students in a single session by mixing and matching these techniques effectively.
Weaknesses of Aural Learners
- More Prone to Distractions- While individuals with dominant traits of being aural learners have good spoken skills and keen observation, distractions too are not at bay for them. Many times, these individuals can get distracted by sound, action, or haphazard participation of other people around (leading to chaos).
- Find it difficult to use varied resources- Individuals with a highly dominant aural style can also fail to make the most of high-quality resources. In a world of digitalization and online schooling, students have access to highly affordable online content (like videos, graphics, etc.). These individuals might miss out on some of these opportunities due to their preferences for following lectures or audio.
- Slow with overall learning- There are chances of being slow in comparison to other students. Such individuals rely on methods like hearing which might also include the need for repetition at times.
Noteworthy Points:
Identifying a specific preference in an individual certainly gives us an idea about the individual’s personality. While different learners have their own preferences, stakeholders must also know that a single style does not dictate or dominate the entire learning process for an individual.
As per the BBC, our brain system does not work in isolation. This means that even while we are listening the visual processing of the mind continues. Learning preferences are the traits that can show us the dominant aspects. This can certainly help us to improve our instructional delivery. However, the art of mixing strategies can always work better to make the best use of all available resources.
Final Thoughts
As stakeholders, our primary aim is to engage our students and support their holistic development at each step during their academic journey. This piece of information was about auditory learners (in a traditional or online school). Please follow this series for more informative write-ups about other learning styles.
