Meenakshi, mother to two curious twin girls, Ira and Isha, wanted to teach them about the animal kingdom. She brought a colourful picture book and sat with her daughters. As they went page by page, the girls discovered things about wild animals. While Ira continued exploring wildlife, Isha wandered off disinterestedly.
Meenakshi noticed her disinterest, but continued engaging Ira with the book.
A few minutes later, she played The Lion King on TV. Hearing the roar of the lion, Isha came back running to the room. And then followed the long list of questions — where does a lion live, what does it eat, how does it sound? Meenakshi then learnt that each of her daughters learn differently.
Each child is different and has a learning style that is unique to his or her personality. Observing a child’s behaviour at an early age can indicate a likely learning style. Like in Meenakshi’s case, she realised that while Ira was attracted to the colourful picture book, Isha could relate to the interactive nature of the programme on TV. The comfort levels of children, their interaction with the environment and the interest exhibited are all indicative of what holds the child’s attention and what doesn’t. This ultimately helps in comprehending how a child learns.
To each her own
When children are unable to follow or cope with the conventional chalk and blackboard teaching methods, parents often classify them as ‘incapable’ or ‘not bright in studies’. However, it is critical to understand that each child learns differently.
Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences recognises the different intelligences that children respond to. These intelligences relate to a person’s unique aptitude and ways they may prefer to demonstrate their intellectual abilities. These are adopted in schools as different styles of learning, focusing on different aspects of a child’s personality. Whether it is through games, music or dance, a connection can be seen between what is understood and how it manifests:
It is important to understand that, often, these intelligences overlap. It is also
important to expose children to different styles of learning, even though it may be challenging for them. This will help them explore other ways of learning the same lesson. They must be empowered to learn differently when their suitable learning method is not available. Therefore, it is always advised to integrate multiple modalities to teach children. Another way to enhance learning is to focus on children’s area of interest.
Expose them to opportunities to become an expert in the area that they feel passionate about. Acknowledging their interests and talents tells you a lot about their learning style. There are several patterns of learning and the best that a caregiver can do is step observe what seems to be working for their child and help them build their strengths.
(The author is vice-president, Sesame Schoolhouse)