Professors identify these learning styles with the purpose of aiding in students’ learning and performance. A professor must continue to teach an entire class as a whole; however, that professor can tailor variations on assignments and projects to cater to different learning styles within the class.
Sensory learners like their academic plans to be predictable. They do not generally cope well with surprises, such as surprise quizzes or unexpected material on exams. They are generally uncomfortable with abstract thoughts and ideas and prefer to apply principles learned in class to real-world situations. Sensory learners like to memorize information and may sometimes rely too much on facts and numbers without understanding deeper nuances.
Intuitive learners are the opposite of sensory learners. Intuitive learners prefer not to rely on routine to learn information; they do not cope well with rote memorization. These learners do well with abstract concepts and mathematical ideas.
These learners like to learn by creating something. In a business setting, hands-on learning often occurs in group sessions, with discussions and group problem-solving efforts. Active learners cope less effectively when required to sit and take notes in a lecture setting.
Reflective learners are the opposite of active learners. Whereas active learners learn by jumping into a problem and working with others to solve it, reflective learners prefer to take time to mull over information and examine all angles of a concept before engaging in hands-on exercises or sessions.
Sequential learners break problems down into segments; the first piece leads to the second and the second leads to the third, which eventually leads to a conclusion. Instructors who teach in more abstract ways – jumping from topic to topic or skipping pieces – often throw off sequential learners. A sequential learner best absorbs new information when that information comes on the heels of something already learned.
Visual learners learn by seeing. These learners often highlight information in different colors and rely on photographs, charts or graphs to absorb information. These kinds of learners absorb information by seeing it on the page: this can take the form of visualizing text or remembering material by recalling a visual.
Auditory learners, on the other hand, learn by hearing. In the same way that a visual learner can learn by recalling imagery, auditory learners can recall information by remembering the voice which spoke that information.