Approximately 40 percent of students prefer to learn through visual stimulation. Teaching strategies for visual learners include worksheets, books, pictures, bulletin boards and information you write on the board. As a student matures, much of what he learns in the classroom comes through visual stimulation. The student reads the material in a book, writes answers on a worksheet or writes an assignment, and may illustrate an assignment in science or math.
Research indicates that 20 to 30 percent of students learn through auditory stimulation such as lectures, discussion and oral recitation. Students who prefer auditory learning improve their retention rate if they repeat the information. These students may benefit from reading aloud with a partner. Another strategy that works for early readers and English as a Second Language learners is having a student look at the letter or letters that make up the sound and say them aloud with the teacher. The students may repeat all new words so they learn how the word should sound, as well as recognizing it in print.
Hands-on activities help students learn by doing. Elementary teachers use many hands-on activities in art, writing practice and development of fine and gross motor skills. Additionally, math manipulatives help students understand number concepts and computing, and experiments teach students about scientific principles and concepts. Tactile activities decrease as students move out of elementary school except in classes such as science, homemaking, typing, shop and other vocational classes.
Combining multiple sensory input reinforces the skills and material a student learns in class. For example, students may write a new spelling word on the board, in the air, in a pan of sand or a sheet of paper as they spell it aloud and repeat the word. This incorporates visual stimulus, auditory input and tactile reinforcement. Add movement to these activities through bouncing or rocking on a stability ball, dancing in place or crawling on the floor. Students who incorporate movement with other sensory input retain the information longer and have less difficulty with concentration.