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Parent Workshop Addresses Different Learning Styles

Educational Intervention Specialist Lori Benson Adams shares tips and tools with parents and faculty to help students thrive in their study skills.
Approximately 60 Ranney parents came to listen to Educational Intervention Specialist Lori Benson Adams on January 6, 2016 as part of the school’s ongoing workshop series for parents. With more than 35 years of experience in the field of educating children with unique learning needs, Lori spoke to parents about the three different learning styles children may have—auditory, visual or kinesthetic—and how these styles factor into learning, testing, memorization, study habits and more. Lori also spent time with Ranney faculty and administrators in separate workshop discussions.
 
“Lori Adams is a dynamic speaker who facilitated thoughtful conversations among the Ranney community about how to understand and engage with different types of learners,” says Ranney’s Upper School Learning Specialist Mora Sorial. “Her expertise, empathy and humor made for an enjoyable and productive day of school-wide professional development and community work-shopping.”
 
Lori pointed out that children may not have the same learning style as his/her parents or his/her teachers. One way to find out what type of learning style your child has is to ask them to participate in a cooking or baking exercise. For example, does your child prefer to listen to or read the cookbook instructions and then follow them (auditory), watch you demonstrate how to pour/mix the ingredients and then do it himself/herself (visual), or carry out the instructions on their own from the start (kinesthetic)?
 
“Engage your child in the study process conversation,” she said. “Talk about what works and how to troubleshoot.” For example, some children may find that outlining their notes work best to prepare for an exam, while another child may need a verbal review and another child may need to listen to song about the skills being studied in order for the information to sink in. In fact, Lori noted that music can do wonders for many children when they are studying—not background music, but rather, music about the topics they are studying. “There are songs for everything—the solar system, the civil war, language work, the times tables and more,” she added.

Lori also spent a lot of time discussing the importance of executive functioning skills in not only an academic setting, but as a necessity to move through life. Executive functioning includes skills tied to time management, task prioritizing, emotional control, self-awareness and problem-solving on the fly. She stressed that executive functioning skills can be just as if not more important than academic and study skills, especially as children enter high school, college and the workforce.
 
When thinking about executive function, Lori noted that anxiety—which children are facing at higher rates in today’s high-pressure, fast-paced society—can factor into the equation. For a child’s brain to be physically ready to learn and take in information, the student must first have sensory and emotional control, and then be able to pay attention. This ability to ready oneself for a learning environment can be affected by everyday changes, such as transitions between classes, as well as large changes such as transitions between grade levels or divisions.
 
Allowing children to take control over their homework schedules in an age-appropriate way is one option for parents looking to help grow their children’s executive function skills. Encouraging children to find answers to their own questions and problems, with parental guidance, can also assist with executive function.
 
View Lori’s full PowerPoint presentation here for more specifics, including tips for meeting children’s individual learning styles. For more information or to contact Lori, her website is www.breakthroughlearningsolutions.com.
 
 
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We envision Ranney School as a nurturing learning community, in which families, faculty, alumni, and all of Ranney’s constituents collaborate to know and value every child, foster individual talents, sustain powerful connections between children and adults, and graduate resilient, globally-minded citizens.