Smart Teaching:  How Instructors Can Improve Their Teaching Effectiveness

By Ron Craig, Instructor
Ryerson University Theatre School

We have all heard someone say, “I must have told him (or her) at least 10 times how to do it, and they still do it wrong.”  But if you are an instructor, this comment is more than an observation about human nature: it is a valuable clue that tells you how that person learns.

Students who make mistakes after receiving verbal instructions are actually sending you a signal – they don’t learn effectively by being told how to do a task.  If an instructor is able to read this signal, and use a different teaching technique, the student will respond by learning more effectively.

This is smart teaching: by understanding how students learn and applying specific techniques that work best with these different kinds of learners, your teaching effectiveness will improve.  Best of all, you don’t have to change your curriculum or make major changes to the way you teach. 

Here is how it works:

Every class is made up of unique individuals, who have different attitudes, skill sets, abilities and potential.  However, every student can be categorized into one of three learning groups.  Some students will learn better by looking at visual aids; others learn more effectively by listening to an explanation; and some learn by using a hands on approach.

Educational specialists use labels to describe these categories of learners – visual, auditory or kinesthetic.  Despite the fancy names, they simply describe learners who learn best by using visual aids (visual), listening/talking (auditory), and by touching, or using a “hands on” approach (kinesthetic).

So, how do you identify these different types of learners in your class?  Sometimes students will tell you!  I have been approached by students after a class who say, “I learn better by actually doing it, not reading about it.”  Other students will say, “Just tell me how to do it, and I will figure it out.”  In these cases the students are letting you know that they are a kinesthetic learner, or in the last example, an auditory learner.

But every student sends out signals that help you identify their learning style. Lets see how this works.

Visual Learners

Visual learners learn best when they are able to look at diagrams, overheads, and other visual aids. They are easy to identify because they display a number of specific learning traits. For example, visual learners:

• Process information best by seeing pictures/graphs or illustrations

• Prefer learning situations where they can clearly see you teaching; these students are the first to say, “Can you move so I can see you?” or  “Please move the TV and VCR, so I can see clearly.” 

• Prefer to read material, rather than have the material read to them.

• Have trouble remembering verbal instructions.

• Do not learn well when you use complicated verbal explanations.

• Tend to become impatient, or lose interest, if they are required to listen to extended explanations in the classroom.

• Learn well when multi-media is used in the classroom as a teaching aid.

Visual learners process information by forming “pictures “ in their mind.  These images are like a movie, and are typically very detailed.  When you ask them a question, visual learners will look up, and to the left with their eyes, as they mentally recall this visual information. 

Visual learners also display unique learning traits.  For example, they tend to write extensive notes, which are very neat and well organized.  If you illustrate a concept with a graph or chart, they will meticulously draw it in their notes.  In a classroom setting, you can identify the visual learners because they divide their attention between looking at the visual aids, watching you teach and writing detailed notes.  If a visual learner is asked to give directions, they will write them out instead of verbally communicating the information.   

Finally, they use specific speech patterns that help you identify them as visual learners.  They will say: “I can see that.” or “It looks like we are on the right track.” or “I am in the dark.” or “Here is how I see the problem.”  In addition, visual learners usually speak fast and respond well if the teacher uses a fast paced delivery.               

Visual learners have problems concentrating and tend to be distracted when they are in a lecture only class.  Many instructors use lectures almost exclusively in their classroom teaching and this is not an effective way to teach a visual learner!

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners learn best by listening and talking about a subject.  Like visual learners, they display behavior patterns and learning traits that are easy to recognize.  Auditory learners:

• Prefer a lecture format.
• Watch the instructor as he/she talks.
• Listen to the instructor, rather than look at diagrams or visual aids.
• Have problems writing description or instructions.
• Are distracted by noise; auditory learners are the first to get up and close the classroom door if there is noise in the hall that is disturbing them.
• Have difficulty reading: auditory learners prefer to have material read to them.
• Like to discuss the lesson material and ask questions.
• Have difficulty understanding written instructions.

Auditory learners have an excellent auditory memory and can accurately remember details of complicated information they heard in class.  In fact, auditory learners will often not take notes at all, or will write notes from memory when they have finished the class.

Typically, they are excellent speakers.  They have strong verbal skills and usually have a good vocabulary.  If an auditory learner is asked to give directions, they will provide a verbal description.  When answering questions, auditory learners tend to look straight ahead and typically use level eye movements.

Auditory learners use expressions that can also help you identify them as auditory learners.  They often use phrases like “I hear what you are saying.” or “That’s what I like to hear.” or “Does that sound okay to you?”  In addition, some auditory learners talk to themselves as they work.  Some will move their lips as they read, and pronounce words out loud.

Auditory learners do not learn well when an instructor uses visual aids--overheads, diagrams or illustrations. If a student doesn’t look at your charts or diagrams, but listens to you instead, they are an auditory learner.

Kinesthetic/Tactile Learners

Kinesthetic learners are the most challenging type of student to teach.  Since kinesthetic learners do not learn effectively from lectures or visual aids, instructors have to use different strategies to teach this type of learner. 

Kinesthetic learners share the following traits:

• Learn best by touching or manipulating objects, and actually practicing procedures.  Hands-on projects work well for this type of learner.

• Have difficulty sitting still in a classroom lecture: they will tap their   foot as they are sitting in a class, or shift in their chair frequently.  Often they will move their legs as they are sitting at their desk and appear to be disinterested.

• Become easily distracted when they are sitting in a lecture.

• When they are explaining how to do a procedure, they will move their hands to illustrate how it is done.

• Touch a person when they are trying to get attention.

• Start a task, by just “jumping in”.

• Will often take things apart to see how they work: they are able to reassemble these objects.

• May not be orderly or neat.

• Are the first to volunteer for activities

Kinesthetic learners are likely to be good athletes since they are very well coordinated.  They are very good at repairing things: when someone says a person is a “natural born mechanic who can fix anything,” they are referring to someone who is likely a kinesthetic learner.

They use specific speech mannerisms that will help you identify them as kinesthetic learners; for example: “It just doesn’t feel right.” or “I am having a difficult time handling this.” or “Can you use a more concrete example?”  Similarly, when they are telling you how to do a procedure, they will often act it out, using hand gestures and physical body language.

Kinesthetic learners learn best when you let them touch or manipulate objects in class. In a typical classroom, up to 90% of the teaching is verbal, usually in the form of a lecture.  The remaining 10% of the instruction consists of visual aids or written material in a handout type format.  It is no wonder that kinesthetic learners have difficulty learning new material in a classroom setting.   

How To Use Smart Teaching In Your Classes

So how do you apply this information and improve your teaching effectiveness?  Here are some practical suggestions to help you integrate this information into your curriculum.

Try to apply these four general guidelines whenever you teach: tell them, show them, demonstrate it and when possible, let them touch it.  Of course, it may not be practical to use all these techniques in every class.  But always ask yourself if you are applying these principles when you teach.  By using this simple methodology, you will provide effective instruction to every student in your class.

In addition, when you lecture to your class, frequently review the key points by questioning your students.  These questions should be prepared in advance.  This is a diagnostic tool that helps you determine if the auditory learners are mastering the material.  However, it is also an effective teaching tool, since it provides an opportunity to verbally repeat information for the auditory learners in your class.

Make sure your visual aids reinforce the main teaching points of your lecture.  Since visual learners depend on this information, you should use the best visual aids you can find.

Many instructors simply draw diagrams on the blackboard.  But, this is not the most effective use of visuals, since these will lack detail, color and scale.  Instead, select drawings/diagrams/charts that exactly illustrate the information you are explaining in your lecture.  When you are using overheads or projecting images on a screen, it is sometimes helpful to use a laser pointer.  This lets you emphasize key learning points and show how pieces of visual information are related.

If you are considering upgrading your course materials, you should examine the Hobart Institute Welding Training Materials.  Training programs are available from the Hobart Institute for all the major processes -- from SMAW, GMAW, and GTAW to non-destructive testing, safety and blueprint reading.  These training programs include a student workbook, videotapes and an instructor’s guide.

The Hobart Welding Training Materials provide excellent visuals, which of course, are ideal for visual learners.  The videotapes also use male and female voiceovers to explain the concepts covered in the videotapes.  This makes then equally useful for auditory learners.  These training materials provide the highest quality instructional material available, in a modular package.

Another excellent instructional resource is Weld_IT©, a CD-ROM for instructors and welding professionals.  Instructor’s can use Weld_IT© to create custom handouts, generate video clips, or produce animated graphics.  In addition, Weld_IT© will generate up to 200 multiple-choice or true/false questions, which simplifies the tiresome job of creating tests.

Since none of these training aids or strategies work well for kinesthetic learners, how can you make sure you are connecting with this type of student?

The key to teaching kinesthetic learners is to provide an opportunity for them to touch, feel, interact, or learn by doing.  Consider bringing props into the classroom-that are specific to the lecture so the students can handle and touch them.  Further, instead of demonstrating a procedure for the class, use one of the kinesthetic learners to actually demonstrate the procedure for you.

As a general rule, kinesthetic students learn best in smaller groups, and prefer hands on exercises.  When you are teaching practical skills, break your students up into small groups, and select kinesthetic learners to be the team leaders.  Teach the team leaders how to do the task then let them coach the other students.  This challenges the kinesthetic learners, and provides you with an additional benefit: you are able to watch the students as they are learning and apply corrective action when you see them making errors. These strategies ensure that kinesthetic learners are able to learn better and more effectively.

Further, if a kinesthetic student is having difficulty learning how to master a task -- for example, they can’t master the correct hand position to carry out a procedure -- take their hand and actually position it at the correct angle.  This type of intervention helps them learn very effectively. 

It is safe to say that kinesthetic learners rarely receive the type of instruction they require in the school system.  In many cases, kinesthetic learners have been labeled as underachievers or slow learners because they do not respond well to lectures or visual aids.  However, by using the right techniques, you are able to help kinesthetic learners achieve a very high level of subject mastery.  In fact, they are able to learn very rapidly when the right teaching strategy is used.

Smart Teaching Creates Smart Learners

A student’s ability to learn is dependent on a number of factors including intelligence, aptitude, and motivation.  However, it is important to make sure that your teaching style is compatible with the students learning style.

Students who are doing poorly, failing tests, or just seem discouraged, are sometimes just frustrated because your teaching method and the way they learn are not in harmony. When a student appears bored, or shows an inability to learn, ask yourself: “Am I using the best strategy to teach this student?”  Often, using a different teaching technique will result in a dramatic improvement. 

Recently, one of my students was having difficulty mastering a new skill.  When I approached her to see how she was doing, she looked at me and said, “I don’t get this, show me what I am doing wrong.”  In class, I noticed she was a visual learner; she wrote meticulous notes and always looked at the visuals.  I said, “Watch how I do it,” and proceeded to show her, step by step.  “Now you try it,” I told her.  After two attempts, she looked at me and said, “Thanks for showing me.  I get it now.”

That is the power of smart teaching.  By selecting the right technique, you are able to help students learn faster and better.