Are you looking to learn more about auditory learning for you or your child? Are you struggling to understand techniques that will help you in the future? If either of those describes your needs, you have come to the right place.
There are four main types of learning styles. In addition to auditory, these include visual, kinesthetic and reading/writing. Each learning style has different key factors and techniques. These learning styles make up the VARK model.
If you are looking to learn more information specifically about the auditory learning style, you have come to the right place. All you have to do to understand better what it is and how to apply it is to keep reading. Knowing more about the auditory learning style will certainly be worth it.
What is Auditory Learning?
What is Auditory Learning?Before we can provide you with techniques for applying it, it is important to understand what it is. Much like the name suggests, auditory refers to hearing. Auditory learners learn best when information is given to them vocally. This can be provided via sounds, speech or even music in several ways.
It is important to recognize if you are an auditory learner. If you are not aware, you may be experiencing several difficulties in your day-to-day life. For example, you may prefer audiobooks to reading on your own. You may easily pick up the words to a song by listening rather than reading them. Children who are auditory learners will generally dislike things like silent reading time and background noise.
Common Characteristics of Auditory Learners
There are several common characteristics that many individuals with an auditory learning style possess. The list below is a sample of some of those characteristics.
- Talkative
- Finds it hard to process written instructions
- Prefers audiobooks and someone else to read to them
- Talks to self while reading
- Distracted by background noise
- Thoroughly enjoys music
- Excellent listening ability
- Can easily recall information they heard
- Will often carry a recorder
How Effective is Auditory Learning Style?
There are several different ways that students can benefit from auditory learning, and it can be highly effective when your learning style is determined early on in life. There are several long-term benefits to the auditory learning style and utilizing the tips for this style. These benefits would include the following:
- Enhanced listening skills
- Enhanced memory
- Increased ability to multi-task
- Ease of Learning
Auditory learners will excel and easily recall information presented to them via sound or song. They usually articulate themselves well and have a strong speaking ability. However, due to their learning style, these students will often struggle with subjects like science as it may be hard to speak through this information.
9 Auditory Learning Activities and Techniques to Enhance Your Learning
Create Recordings
One auditory training technique is to create recordings. Students traditionally have been taught to take written notes, but these are not as beneficial for auditory learners. Instead, recording the lecture or recording your dictated notes is a great way to create something useful that you will be able to listen back to later. Cataloguing a system of these recordings is a great way to stay on top of coursework.
Enhance Your Social Skills
Enhancing your listening is not only done through auditory exercises but authentic conversation as well. Enhancing your social skills and participating in a number of different activities that require human interaction is a great way for adults and children to enhance their listening skills, speech, and social skills. You or your child will then have better social awareness and auditory skills.
Read Aloud
Another highly recommended auditory learning activity is reading aloud. For students who are auditory learners, reading silently can be hard to do because they need to hear in order to comprehend the material. Though it may not always be possible, reading textbooks, assignments, or even just general information aloud will help auditory learners better understand it. If you sense that your child is an auditory learner, encourage them to speak and read aloud more. If you stifle these actions, it may be detrimental to them later.
Request Verbal Direction
Another way of enhancing learning through auditory techniques is hearing direction. This is a great technique for teachers who have noticed that some of their students are more auditory than the other learning styles. For example, in the classroom, when students are given an assignment, having a teacher reiterate the directions that a student just read will push home the action and deliverables of the assignment.
Utilize Songs and Sounds
If you are finding it hard to comprehend a specific subject or topic, one majorly helpful thing you can do is create a song. Songs can also be used as note-taking methods. Some great examples of more popular songs used for learning include Schoolhouse Rock. Schoolhouse Rock was a television series that used music to teach harder-to-grasp topics like the U.S. government, money management and even grammar.
Study In Groups
Group discussions are another excellent avenue for facilitating learning. These allow you to talk through any doubts you may have and solidify your understanding of a particular topic. If your educational institution does not support group discussions, create them with your peers. Having a study group that meets to talk through assignments and prepare for exams is a great way to validate and even challenge what you have learned.
Utilize Mnemonic Devices
If you are not familiar with it, a mnemonic device is a method used to help you retain information and recall it as needed. One very popular mnemonic device is “Never eat sour watermelons”. By taking the first letter of each word, individuals should be able to recall the cardinal directions: North, East, South or West. This also helps students label the directions if each one is placed clockwise on a circle. These are like short songs or jingles that will help students retain information. Rhyming is also a great way to aid in memorizing words or specific topics.
Play Background Music
Auditory learners may also find it easy to become distracted as there is noise all around them. For many auditory learners, focus may be hard as they will have difficulty not listening to the voices and sounds they hear in the background. Utilize wordless music in a quiet environment to remain focused and committed to the work.
Utilize Podcasts & Audio Books
Though they do not get the best wrap on social media, podcasts are still a great way to stay ahead of the game and creatively share news, share your opinion, or talk about several different topics. This informal method of sharing will allow you to learn an abundance of different things, as there are podcasts for more topics than you could have ever imagined.
These nine techniques are great ways for you, your kids or even students to enhance the way that they study and lean more into their auditory learning style.
Wrapping Things Up: Enhancing Learning Through Auditory Techniques
Auditory learning is the ability to learn via vocals or sounds. Auditory learners are often talkers who work best when verbal information is given to them. They are great at recalling information they heard and can be great listeners.
There are several auditory learning activities that students may use to retain information. Unlike their peers, more auditory students will find it easier to focus when there is a quiet environment with background music that does not contain vocals. This will allow them to focus on the task they are performing rather than the voices around them. Creating short jingles and even reading their notes into a recorder are two other ways to ensure they retain the information they hear. If you are an auditory learner, use the above mentioned techniques to make your life easier.
