According to Dr. Ellen Fiedler of Northeastern Illinois University, the commonly accepted learning styles include linguistic, logical, visual/spatial, rhythmic, kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. Linguistic learners understand the world in relation to written and spoken words. Logical learners excel at math, puzzles and abstract patterns. Visual and spatial learners rely on sight and three-dimensional space, while rhythmic learners rely on auditory information in the form of tonal patterns. Kinesthetic learners thrive with hands-on activities. Lastly, interpersonal learners work best within groups, but intrapersonal learners work best alone.
Biological and environmental factors influence the manner in which students learn. While students may have the same classroom instruction, each student has his own classroom experience, largely due to individual differences in the way each child's brain processes information. Genetics and environmental factors outside the classroom may affect how effectively an individual processes information visually versus kinesthetically, interpersonally versus intrapersonally. Including a range of learning activities that involves as many learning styles as possible involves as many individual students as possible.
As the Highland Council explains, gender is one of the biological factors that influence a student's learning style. As a result, altering the learning styles used in the classroom ensures that both boys and girls feel engaged in the material. In most cases, girls have an easier time processing information that deals with language and the relationships between seemingly unrelated information, while boys have an easier time processing information through hands-on activities and patterns.
While some part of a student's inclination toward certain learning styles relies on nature, another portion relies on the nurturing of his mind. A student who receives extensive classroom experience with activities geared toward multiple learning styles essentially receives a more thoroughly well-rounded education. As a result, the otherwise underdeveloped parts of a student's brain strengthen, making that student a stronger learner in many learning styles rather than merely the one or two that come most natural.
Some educators, such as Cedar Riener and Daniel Willingham with Change Magazine, challenge the validity of claims concerning learning styles. While they acknowledge that learners vary and have different abilities and interests, they also hold that little tangible proof exists illustrating that teaching students according to their own personal preferences allows them to understand difficult material any easier or sooner. As of 2010, no research definitively proved that teaching children according to their naturally inclined preferences increased their performance in the classroom. Teaching students by learning style remains a theory, and educators disagree on its significance.