Learning is Multi-Sensory, You Too
Effective learning engages all five major senses. Just like young babies, we use all of our senses all of the time as we are learning.
While there may be different sensory learning preferences in your group, effective training will mean catering for all preferences in a variety of sensory ways simultaneously. Learning needs to be built in mentally, visually, auditorily, emotionally and physically.
Just like in the recording studio. It’s all in the mix! Everything that needs to be there needs to be there. Sometimes though, you might want to have a little bit more of this, a little bit less of the other. It’s then you get the dance mix, the instrumental mix, the radio edit, the mash-up mix, the trance mix, etc.
Is it a good idea to label your learners as visual learners or kinaesthetic learners?
I would strongly suggest not. When you are driving a car, you might be left-footed but you use both legs, your two hands, your eyes, your ears etc.
To say that someone is a visual learner is like saying just because they have a hand or because they use their right hand, they are their hand or they are their right hand.
You’re not your hand, you’re much more than that!
Séamus