How smart are you? That has been a question that most of us have dreaded throughout our education. The fear of not being able to do something in the classroom, whilst on-lookers smirk and sneer at you; has been the worry at the back of every child’s mind at some time or another. Fear itself is not the issue. A little fear can be a good thing, as it can keep us humble and spur us on to ‘feel the fear, and do it anyway.’ However, when that fear becomes crippling and prevents our children from excelling, we need to change that question to: How are you smart?
All children have talents and they should be celebrated in whatever way we can provide. It is said that there are 7 learning styles or **‘Multiple Intelligences’:
Verbal |
Mathematical |
Visual |
Kinaesthetic |
Aural |
Social |
Solitary |
Word smart |
Number smart |
Picture smart |
Body smart |
Music smart |
People smart |
Myself smart |
If your child is a whiz with Lego and enjoys sports and making things with their hands, than they are Body Smart. Perhaps your child is the one who wants to know why certain things are the way they are, reasoning on matters and working things out, then you have a Number Smart child.
Here is a quick chart to help with the identification of your child’s learning style:
Word Smart (Verbal) |
This child enjoys words, involving reading, writing, and speaking. |
|
Number Smart (Mathematical) | This child likes numbers, logic and reasoning. | |
Picture Smart ( Visual) |
This child works visually, enjoying images, pictures, colour and can be very imaginative. | |
Body Smart (Kinaesthetic) |
This child enjoys sports and using their hands to make things and be creative. | |
Music Smart (Aural) |
This child enjoys music, sound, rhythm and rhyme. | |
People Smart (Social) |
This is a very sociable child who enjoys being with others, volunteering for things and working together. | |
Myself Smart (Solitary) |
This child enjoys their own company. |
As with most things, there are no absolutes. It is likely that you will see a crossover of the various ‘multiple intelligences’, and that’s fine because it gives you more than one avenue in which to help your child with their learning.
On knowing what your child’s learning style is, it provides you with an understanding of how your child learns and therefore arms you with the knowledge as to what activities would best suit them.
Look out for my next blog, which will provide tips as to how to make good use of knowing your child’s learning style.
Gail Clark is the Area Advisor for Home-School Tutoring Bedfordshire and she is a qualified teacher and personal tutor with over 15 years of experience. She provides tuition for students of all ages and abilities, covering a range of subjects. Her passion is to support both parents and students in knowing how to improve their knowledge of all things educational.
If you are based in Bedfordshire area and are considering one-to-one tutoring, please do get in touch with Gail as she would be delighted to assist you with your child’s learning needs.
Gail Clark BEd (Hons)
Tel: 01582 591363 or
0783 7070 280
E: gail.clark@homeschooltutoring.co.uk
**Reference to Howard Gardner’s Multiple intelligences theory.