How Online Tutoring can Help Different Styles of Learning? 

Wondering how online tutoring can help different styles of learning? Different people develop different learning styles and preferences. For some students, learning through visual diagrams and graphs might be interesting, while others can comprehend the information better when their auditory senses are involved. 

Also, some students need help understanding and learning their lessons, as they are unaware of their learning styles. If you’re one of them, this guide is for you. 

Online tutoring can benefit different learning styles by providing personalized and tailored instruction that matches the student’s needs and preferences. Different subjects, like calculus and AP calculus, may require specific learning approaches.

For example, students learning regular calculus may rely on interactive visual tools, like graphs and diagrams, while AP calculus students may benefit from a more theoretical approach, involving problem-solving strategies and application-based learning.

Calculus tutors help students build a strong foundation in fundamental concepts, while AP calculus tutors focus on exam-specific content and advanced problem-solving, highlighting the key differences between the two subjects.

Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ) published a study stating that online tutoring can benefit students with different learning styles by tailoring study plans according to their learning preferences. Additionally, in 2018, The Atlantis Press published a research guide for tutors to understand the impact of different learning styles, taking economics education as their subject. The research states that there are various learning styles, and students prefer to process information according to their specific learning styles.

When struggling with different learning styles, online tutoring can offer considerable benefits. Some significant benefits of online tutoring for different styles of learning are:

• Personalized learning: Online tutoring enables tutors to deliver customized sessions tailored to your learning styles and preferences. 
• Access to the best tutors worldwide: You can learn from the best tutors across the world on your digital devices.
• Flexible schedule: You can decide your study time and place with online tutoring.
• Cost-effective: Online tutoring classes usually start at $20 per hour. This is cost-effective compared to in-person tutoring, which typically charges $60 to $100 per hour.

Before we learn the benefits of online tutoring for different styles of learning, let’s understand what the different learning styles are.

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Understanding different learning styles

Different learning styles tell how distinct people prefer to learn and process information. They can help educators design and deliver instruction that suits learners’ diverse needs and preferences. Three popular learning style models are the VARK, Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles, and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences.

Let’s have a quick understanding of these learning models.

1. Neil Fleming was the first person to recognize the VARK structure of learning style in 1978, called the VARK model. After that, various educators around the globe have been assisting students to identify a learning style most suitable for them. The learning styles under the VARK model are:

• Visual: Learning by watching.
• Auditory: Learning by listening to information.
• Read/Write: Learning by reading and writing.
• Kinesthetic: Learning by doing. 

2. Coined in 2006, Honey and Mumford’s learning styles are based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, which describes four stages of learning. Based on the learning styles, Honey and Mumford identified four types of learners who prefer one or two stages: Activists, Reflectors, Theorists, and Pragmatists.

3. Gardner’s multiple intelligences are based on the idea that intelligence is not a single ability but a set of eight distinct capabilities that can be developed independently. 

Gardner proposed that each person has a unique profile of strengths and weaknesses in these eight areas: Linguistic Intelligence, Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Spatial Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence, Intrapersonal Intelligence, Naturalistic Intelligence, Existential Intelligence.

Now, let’s understand the importance of recognizing individual learners’ learning preferences and traits and how to do it.

Recognizing individual learner preferences and traits

The International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) stresses the importance of delivering lectures according to students’ learning preferences.

Recognizing your learning style is essential for inclusive education because it can help educators to:

1. Respect the diversity of learners and their backgrounds.
2. Provide differentiated instruction that meets the needs of all learners.
3. Enhance learner motivation, engagement, and achievement.
4. Foster learner autonomy, creativity, and collaboration.
5. Develop learner self-awareness, self-regulation, and metacognition.

Educators can gain valuable insights by observing how learners engage with tasks and materials and having discussions to understand their interests and learning styles. Gathering information from their learning profiles and histories is a must. 

Besides, encouraging self-assessment, using learning style assessments, and conducting surveys and questionnaires can help learners understand their strengths and preferences. 

Here’s a detailed breakdown of VARK learning styles and how online tutoring can help.

Visual Learners

Visual or spatial learners are the ones who can understand things better through visual resources like videos, diagrams, illustrations, and graphs. The National Library of Medicine posts studies stating that 65% of learners are visual learners. If you are a visual learner, the most effective way to comprehend things must be through visual presentations.

What should you do if you’re a visual learner?

The video by Dr. Mike will unfold some great tips for visual learners.

Besides, follow these tips if you’re a visual learner: 

●  Make more use visually stimulating items, like highlighters or colored pens, for underlining important points and illustrations.

●  To avoid visual distractions, your learning space should be well-ordered and neat.

●  Always have blank pages or a notebook handy to memorize your lessons by doodling diagrams and tables. This helps your visual memory to retain the information for a longer time.

●  It is essential that the notes or lessons presented to you are neatly written or typed out in an organized way.

How can online tutoring help visual learners?

Online tutoring can benefit visual learners by offering various tools and resources catering to their preferred learning styles. A study from Young Haand Long Beach Hyunjoo stated, “Consistent with previous research (Cheng, 2013a), the result of Study 1 supported that students exposed to the interactive visual learning tools perceived the online activity more useful (utilitarian value) and enjoyable (hedonic value) than those exposed to noninteractive visual learning tools.”

With that, here’s how online tutoring can help visual learners:

• Visual aids and presentations: Tutors can use visual aids such as slideshows, infographics, charts, and diagrams to present information. These visuals help visual learners better grasp and retain concepts.

• Whiteboard and annotation tools: Online tutoring platforms often include interactive whiteboards and annotation tools. Tutors can use these to draw, highlight, and annotate information, making it more visually engaging and memorable for visual learners.

• Video demonstrations: Tutors can provide demonstrations for complex processes, experiments, or problem-solving techniques. Seeing these demonstrations in action enhances their understanding.

• Screen sharing: Tutors can share their screens to display study materials, videos, or educational websites. Visual learners can absorb information by visually following along with the content.

• Virtual flashcards and mind maps: Online tutoring platforms can incorporate virtual flashcards and mind mapping tools that allow visual learners to organize and visualize information in a structured manner.

• Color-coded notes and highlighting: Tutors can use color-coded notes and highlighting techniques to emphasize key points, relationships, and patterns, aiding visual learners in better organization and comprehension.

• Graphs and visual representations of data: When explaining statistical or numerical information, tutors can use graphs, charts, and visual representations to make the data more accessible and understandable for visual learners.

• Recorded video lessons: Tutors can record videos that visual learners can watch and revisit at their own pace. This repetition helps reinforce understanding and retention.

Auditory Learners

You might be an auditory learner if you absorb and process information effectively when heard. Auditory learners make the best use of their aural senses. Understanding things through auditory channels like spoken words and group interactions is easier for them. So, a verbal lecture proves to be quite effective for auditory learners.

What should you do if you are an auditory learner? 

In this video, Janice shares common characteristics and tips for auditory learners.

Do you prefer listening to podcasts and audiobooks over reading? Well, then, here are some tips for you to enhance your learning capability:

●  The learning environment plays a very crucial role for students who are auditory learners, so make sure that you study in a quiet place.

●  If accessing a noise-free environment is challenging, use earphones or headphones to listen to the recorded lectures or audio study materials.

●  Make use of specific techniques like mnemonics, jingles, and rhymes to memorize your lessons.

How can online tutoring help auditory learners?

Through verbal interactions, group discussions, audiobooks, and recorded lessons, online tutoring can benefit auditory learners. Here’s how:

• Live verbal interaction: Online tutoring often involves live video or audio sessions with the tutor. Auditory learners can benefit from hearing the tutor’s explanations, voice tone, and inflections, which can enhance their understanding and retention of information.
• Audiobooks and recordings: Online tutoring platforms can utilize audiobooks or audio recordings of lessons and explanations. It will allow auditory learners to review the material multiple times and reinforce their understanding through listening.

• Discussions and debates: Tutors can engage auditory learners in discussions, debates, and question-and-answer sessions, as these interactions stimulate their thinking and verbal skills. Listening to other speakers’ points will help them retain the topic.

• Podcast-style lessons: Tutors can create podcast-style lessons or audio lectures that auditory learners can listen to at their convenience, providing them opportunities to learn while on the move or during non-traditional study times.

• Mnemonic devices and rhymes: Tutors can use mnemonic devices, acronyms, and rhymes to help auditory learners remember complex information or formulas, as these techniques often rely on sound patterns.

• Active listening exercises: Tutors can provide audio clips or recordings for auditory learners to practice active listening, focusing on comprehension and extracting necessary information.

Read/Write Learners

Read/write learners are the ones who read to understand and rewrite notes to memorize the lessons. So, do you also rely on reading and writing to comprehend the information? If yes, you are a read/write or theoretical learner. Such learners mostly love words, and their vocabulary is excellent. 

What to do if you’re a read or write learner? 

You can watch this video for helpful learning tips if you’re a read-and-write learner. 

Besides, go through these tips to understand your lessons effectively: 

●  You must love reading already; just make sure to hear what you read. This will improve your auditory learning skills, and you’ll remember the lesson for longer. 

●  Write as much as you can, make your own notes, and you can rewrite them for memorization.

●  Be a part of debates and declamations to enhance your verbal ability.

How online tutoring can help read/write learners?

For read/write learners, the online tutors provide them with the appropriate study material. They can assist such students in memorizing their lessons with note-taking tools. 

In addition, group discussions and interactive sessions should be held for an all-around learning experience. Here are more ways in which online tutoring can benefit read and write or theoretical learners: 

• Written materials and resources: Online tutoring platforms can provide access to a wide range of written materials, including textbooks, articles, research papers, and e-books, catering to the reading and research-oriented nature of theoretical learners.

• Document sharing and collaboration: Online tutoring allows tutors to share documents, lecture notes, and study guides with read-and-write learners, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

• Access to academic databases: Online tutoring platforms may grant access to academic databases and digital libraries, enabling read or write learners to delve into scholarly research and gather extensive information to support their studies.

• Note-taking practice: Online tutors can provide guidance and feedback on note-taking, helping learners develop their skills in articulating complex ideas and theories. The notes support the learners during their test preparation times.

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners believe more in practical learning than theoretical lessons. They love to learn through physical activities instead of listening to boring lectures or reading lessons. If you, too, get bored of regular classroom learning, you might be a kinesthetic learner. 

What should you do if you’re a Kinesthetic learner?

If you’re a Kinesthetic learner, this video by Janice can significantly help. Additionally, here are some suggestions for you to be more productive in your studies:

●  Find ways to apply your lesson to the real world.

●  Try performing skits and plays based on your lessons.

●  Take proper breaks between your study sessions.

●  Engage yourself in physical exercise, stretching, or yoga to improve your mental and physical health.

●  Be a more active participant in various educational events.

●  Enroll yourself for maximum academic trips and tours. 

How can online tutoring help kinesthetic learners?

Online tutors might need to make an extra effort for kinesthetic learners because they learn by doing stuff rather than listening or reading. Nevertheless, here are some ways online tutoring turns out to be helpful for Kinesthetic learners:

• Physical demonstrations: Tutors can use video demonstrations or live sessions to showcase physical activities, experiments, or practical applications of theoretical concepts, which resonate well with kinesthetic learners.

• Real-life examples and case studies: Tutors can present real-life examples and case studies that involve physical actions or scenarios, allowing kinesthetic learners to relate theoretical concepts to practical applications.

• Role-playing and simulations: Online tutoring can incorporate role-playing exercises and simulations, enabling kinesthetic learners to actively participate and experience different scenarios related to the subject matter.

• Hands-on projects: Tutors can assign hands-on projects that require kinesthetic learners to create models, conduct experiments, or build something tangible.

• Whiteboard and annotation tools: Online tutoring platforms with whiteboard and annotation features allow kinesthetic learners to interact physically with digital content, draw, and take notes, enhancing their engagement.

• Virtual group activities: Online tutoring can facilitate virtual group activities that involve collaborative problem-solving or physical movement, promoting social interaction and active learning for kinesthetic learners.

It’s finally time to get help with your preferred learning style.

How to get help for your preferred learning style? 

Awareness of every learning style and correctly addressing it becomes essential in the online learning system.

Getting help for your preferred learning style involves understanding your preferences and seeking resources and support that cater to them. Here are steps to help you get started:

1. Self-assessment: Reflect on how you best process and retain information. Determine if you are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or prefer other learning styles. Students can observe and attempt assessments and questionnaires to understand their learning styles.

2. Seek guidance from educators: If you need clarification on your learning style or need advice on how to adapt your learning methods, consult with educators, mentors, or academic counselors.

3. Research learning styles: Learn more about your preferred learning style and how it influences your learning process. Understand the strategies and techniques that align with your style.

4. Inform your teachers or instructors: If you’re in a formal educational setting, communicate your learning style to your teachers or instructors. They can provide additional resources or adapt their teaching methods to suit your preferences better.

5. Seek appropriate resources: Look for learning materials and resources that cater to your learning style. For example, if you are a visual learner, find educational videos, diagrams, and infographics that complement your learning.

Remember that understanding your preferred learning style is valuable for improving your learning process. Still, it’s also essential to be adaptable and willing to explore new approaches when necessary.

Wiingy helps tutors create personalized and engaging learning experiences for their students based on their learning styles and preferences. You can find private tutors for online tutoring, homework help, test prep, assignment help, language learning, and homeschool tutoring on the Wiingy platform. Wiingy also allows students to find the best one-on-one tutors for their learning goals, interests, and budgets. Join Wiingy today and discover the joy of personalized learning!

Looking for private tutors? Book a Free Trial Lesson and match with top tutors for concepts, homework help and grade improvement on Wiingy today!

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Online Tutoring for College and University Students

Overcoming Challenges in Online Tutoring and How to Solve Them

Tips for Engaging and Motivating Students in Online Tutoring Sessions

How to Find a Tutor for Your Child

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