One of the most important changes in the last half century of teacher education and training is the trend away from teaching by rote and standard lecture styles to include the different modes or styles that students use in learning. These learning styles have become the center of most effective teacher training programs and are very well researched as to how they assist and foster learning within different individuals.

Depending on the research you use, there are several different types of learning styles. The most commonly discussed for the typical learner include auditory, visual, kinesthetic and social. Basically everyone learns using at least some features of each learning style, however most people will have one dominant learning style in most types of learning situations. Some people may have more than one, however there are very few situations where you wouldn't be using at least two and perhaps all the learning styles when you are presented with a new problem or situation.

The auditory learner does best when presented with new information through hearing the material. This is the student that can listen in on the lecture from the instructor and understand exactly what is being discussed and taught. While this is the predominant style of teaching, it is definitely not the predominant style of learning for most people. New trends in education and teacher training have worked to supplement the auditory teaching style with at least one other style to increase student comprehension.

Visual learners do best by watching a demonstration or example. This is the most common pairing with auditory teaching. An example of this pairing would be a teacher completing a math question on the board while discussing the theory or methodology behind the questions. Students watching a science experiment would also be another example of this pairing.

Kinesthetic learners need to include movement in their learning. This can be taking notes while the lecture is occurring or even doing the same actions as the instructor. Most physical activities and games as well as daily learning occurs in this fashion.

Social learners need to discuss and interact with others to fully develop a concept. These learners do best in group projects and discussions and may need to talk to other learners more frequently than the other learning styles. Most teacher education programs and effective teachers in the classroom strongly encourage the use of group interactions and projects to help round out student learning styles.

Knowing your preferred learning style as well as those of the children you work with can help in designing effective study programs. Since teachers are aware of the different learning styles, it can even help parents to talk about their child's learning style in the first parent teacher interview. Kids can also learn to utilize their own preferred style, plus they have fun finding out what kind of a learner they really are.