Intelligence And Different Learning Styles
It is accepted, mainly from the work of Howard Gardner (Frames of Mind 1983), that intelligence is not a single entity but is composed of multiple intelligences. These are as follows:
1. Linguistic Intelligence - the ability to write and speak well.
2. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence - the ability to reason, calculate and handle data in a methodical and logical fashion.
3. Kinaesthetic Intelligence - the ability to use one's hands and body.
4. Visual-Spatial Intelligence - the ability to represent the world around you, paint, make great sculptures etc.
5. Musical Intelligence - the ability to understand and work with music.
6. Interpersonal Intelligence - the ability to relate to other people, have empathy, and build a rapport with others.
7. Intra-personal Intelligence - the ability to access and understand one's inner feelings.
As well as having a variety of intelligences, we also have a mixture of different learning styles. As people, we can only take in information by using our senses, so we can only learn by seeing, touching, hearing, tasting or smelling. Each of us uses a unique mixture or combination of the five senses whilst thinking and learning. This combination or preference is known as the person's learning style. Some people prefer to process information visually if they are learning, prefering to be able to see it written or illustrated. Others may prefer to attend lectures, or listen to tapes or radio to hear the material. Others prefer to actually be involved in some physical activity to learn.
The remaining two senses, smell and taste, are not very widely used by adults to learn in training situations, but this could change. These two are widely used by infants in learning about the world.
For people with dyslexia, the above is important because the very nature of dyslexia affects how intelligences and learning styles are used. Understanding an individual person with dyslexia's combination of intelligences and learning styles provides the key to successful study. This key is a vital one that helps unlock the potential that leads to success.
So how do we use this information? How do we find the code to an individual's combination of intelligences and learning styles? Each one used has his or her own pattern or trait -- by looking for these we can build a personal profile for a person with dyslexia, and find their key.
Learning Styles
This chart helps you determine your learning style; read the word in the left column and then answer the questions in the successive three columns to see how you respond to each situation. Your answers many fall into all three columns, but one column will likely contain the most answers. The dominant column indicates your primary learning style.
Remember dyslexics learn and communicate best through hands-on experience, demonstrations, experimentation, observation, and visual aids.
| When you ... | Visual | Auditory | Kinaesthetic& Tactile |
| Spell |
Do you try to see the word? |
Do you sound out the word or use a phonetic approach? |
Do you write the word down to find if it feels right? |
| Talk |
Do you talk sparingly and dislike listening for too long? Do you favour words such as see, picture, and imagine? |
Do you enjoy listening but are impatient to talk? Do you use words such as hear, tune, and think? |
Do you gesture and use expressive movements? Do you use words such as feel, touch, and hold? |
| Concentrate |
Do you become distracted by untidiness or movement? |
Do you become distracted by sounds or noises? |
Do you become distracted by activity around you? |
| Meet someone again |
Do you forget names but remember faces or remember where you met? |
Do you forget faces but remember names or remember what you talked about? |
Do you remember best what you did together? |
| Contact people on business |
Do you prefer direct, face-to-face, personal meetings? |
Do you prefer the telephone? |
Do you talk with them while walking or participating in an activity? |
| Read |
Do you like descriptive scenes or pause to imagine the actions? |
Do you enjoy dialog and conversation or hear the characters talk? |
Do you prefer action stories or are not a keen reader? |
| Do something new at work |
Do you like to see demonstrations, diagrams, slides, or posters? |
Do you prefer verbal instructions or talking about it with someone else? |
Do you prefer to jump right in and try it? |
| Put something together |
Do you look at the directions and the picture? |
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Do you ignore the directions and figure it out as you go along? |
| Need help with a computer application |
Do you seek out pictures or diagrams? |
Do you call the help desk, ask a neighbour, or growl at the computer? |
Do you keep trying to do it or try it on another computer? |
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