Bill Roach recently asked a good question in a comment on my article on learning styles. He wondered what I look for to indicate what style of learning might be best for an individual student.
I generally don’t attempt to classify a person’s learning style when I meet them. I use both visual and verbal tools in parallel. Based on statistics and my experience, this method addresses the needs of the majority.
Thanks, Bill. I had a kinaesthetic experience as an instructor yesterday. Someone fairly new to my classes was having trouble keeping form in her upper body. I knew approximately what was going on but when I stood in front of her bike (a Keiser) I absent-mindedly took hold of the bars that extend past the computer. Through them I could feel vibrations and energy transfer that gave me information about what was going on in her body. I could then describe what I was feeling and why. I gave her a ten minute “assignment” and she began to feel an improvement. It will take her a long time to address this but the solution started with my ability to physically experience what she was doing on the bike.
Thanks for this excellent and very helpful answer.
I find some success with kinesthetic learning particularly when teaching pedal stroke technique. After giving some auditory and visual instruction, I ask them to spend some time focusing on the “feel” of the motion. I might even suggest they close their eyes. This often works for me.
But every now and then I see that I’m not reaching someone. Your answer is really helpful – especially giving myself permission to just ask them. And to understand that they might just be distracted and not in a great place to learn that day.
Finally, I love that I can access this kind of expertise through ICA. Thank you again.