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Senior Seminar Richie Kassabian  When dealing with mathematics, often times it is the case that there is more than one to get to the correct answer .  As such many students learn different methods to solve problems and have different learning styles from one another (WildAboutMath) . To identify what kind of learner your child might primarily be, parents and teachers use aptitude tests and different mini activities .  Two main learning styles for younger children are auditory and visual, each a contradiction of the other but both effective for certain students in their own way .   The first question that must be addressed if we are to compare visual and auditory learning is how to define them .  Visual learning is a style adopted by many people that is most effective when dealing with graphs, diagrams, charts, or even just pictures .  Due to this visual learners tend to have the ability to see the problem in their head and figure it out from there. Visual learners tend to do math in their head and not necessarily on paper .  They are also generally better than auditory learners and subjects like geometry which have many or just descriptive pictures <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> When a visual learner doesn’t understand something it is almost useless to try to explain it to them and hope they understand it <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Visual learners are more apt to sit back and watch someone else do the problem and learn from their actions rather than try to have someone explain it to them (MindTools) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Differing from visual learning in many ways auditory learning is a style used by people in which they are most comfortable learning things if the method is relayed to them through the use of speech <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Auditory learners tend to shy away from pictures and diagrams and are at their best when they are discussing problems in a group <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> While visual learners are more often good at geometry, auditory learners are better at algebra <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Auditory learners are also good at talking out the problem with themselves (MindTools) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> They are generally able to work out the problem by talking it out with themselves <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">However, if an auditory learner doesn’t understand something it would be the most constructive for one of his peers to tell him verbally how to do it rather than showing him <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> On this note, one of the many strategies that auditory learners might use is mnemonics <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Mnemonics involves using words to remember things that don’t necessarily have to do with words <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> For example the phrase, “How I Love A Funky Armadillo In Mexico” is a mnemonic device that can be used to figure out the first 8 digits of pi based on how many letters in each word, (obviously spelling counts) (George Hardy Auditory Learning) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Phrases are also used to facilitate the application of mathematical techniques (George Hardy Auditory Learning). A common example of this strategy might be the phrase, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, a mnemonic device to help one remember the order of operations, (Parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> If an auditory learner doesn’t understand something it would be the most constructive for one of his peers to tell him verbally how to do it rather than showing him <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> In conclusion, in general for math, visual learners do better than auditory learners <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> While auditory learners excel at language arts and history, those who are visual learners are best at math and science, especially geometry, or anything having to do with pictures or diagrams <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Being an auditory learner as opposed to being a visual learner has its advantages, but as far as ability with math goes it is much more beneficial to be a visual learner as opposed to an auditory one. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Works Cited · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Hardy, George. "Auditory Learning." //www.mnsfld.com//. Mansfield University, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.mansfield.com>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%;">"Learning Styles." //http://www.mindtools.com/mnemlsty.html//. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.mindtools.com>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> · <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 115%;">"26 tips for using learning styles to help your kids with math." //http://wildaboutmath.com/2007/11/15/ 26-tips-for-using-learning-styles-to-help-your-kids-with-math///. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://wildaboutmath.com>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Auditory learners o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Thrive when talking/reading about a subject o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Are weak when looking at a picture or a diagram o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Generally not strong in geometry o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Tend to do well in algebra o Also love discussion about topics § This is their primary way of learning and reviewing information o One of their best strategies is Mnemonic devices (ex.) <span style="font-family: 'Lapidary333BT-Roman','serif';">“How I Love a Funky Armadillo in Mexico” (Pi to seven decimal places, obtained by counting the letters in the words. Proficiency with spelling is required) · <span style="font-family: 'Lapidary333BT-Roman','serif';">Visual learners o <span style="font-family: 'Lapidary333BT-Roman','serif';">Tend to be better at math/ science than auditory learners o <span style="font-family: 'Lapidary333BT-Roman','serif';">Best at geometry or any kind of math having to do with pictures o <span style="font-family: 'Lapidary333BT-Roman','serif';">Many times when visual learners don’t understand they would rather watch someone else do it then try and have someone explain it to them o <span style="font-family: 'Lapidary333BT-Roman','serif';">They also tend not to be able to remember a set of directions well · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sensory learners o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Prefer § <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">concrete § <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Practical § <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">procedural information. § <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They look for the facts. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sequential learners prefer o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">to have information presented linearly o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">in an orderly manner o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They put together the details in order to understand the big picture emerges · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Verbal Learners o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Learn from things being explained to them o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Graphs are ineffective o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Discussion is a good tool for these learners