If you love to hear the sound of your voice and would rather talk about a topic than write about it, then you’re in the right place. As an auditory learner, you prefer learning things through discussion and listening rather than reading or writing.
Typically, auditory learners grasp the concept behind a piece of information by hearing it presented (usually by an authoritative figure), then repeating or simply reciting it back to themselves.
In this article, you will learn the benefits and study tips for an auditory learner. Teachers can also learn about the implementation strategies.
What is an Auditory Learner?
Auditory learners are people who learn best when they hear and listen to lectures, stories, music, etc.
As a result, auditory learners can process information differently and learn faster when they listen to the lesson rather than reading it.
Students who prefer learning through listening need auditory attention skills to help them become successful in class discussions.
Research shows that about 30% of the population are auditory learners.
What are the Benefits of the Auditory Learning Style?
1. Auditory learners make the best listeners
Auditory learners are often very good at listening. This is because listening is easier for them than reading or writing.
Listening is a perfect fit for the auditory learning style. Furthermore, auditory learners often have the gift of gab and can talk logically and passionately.
2. More likely to retain information compared to other types of learning styles
Auditory learners retain information differently from other styles. This is why many of them are good at spelling, but poor at reading.
Students who have the auditory learning style are better able to learn material when it’s spoken aloud. This way, the material is heard and reflected upon all at once.
3. Increased ability to multitask
Auditory learners typically have a greater ability to multitask than visual or kinesthetic learners. This is because out of the three senses that listen best, hearing is the only one that can focus on more than just one thing at a time.
Auditory learners are often able to focus on several things at once because they can filter out irrelevant sounds. They’re also good at following verbal directions because they’re good listeners and can process verbal information quickly.
4. Better communication skills as a result of preferring to talk about topics and issues
Auditory learners prefer to learn by listening to lectures and audio presentations. They enjoy listening to podcasts and other auditory presentations, especially if they can do so while doing something else.
Auditory learners often have stronger communication skills because this is their preferred way of learning. They can make an argument for a point, or explain a situation in great detail because they spent more time listening than reading.
5. Auditory learners are independent learners
Auditory learners are independent learners as they can learn without needing pictures, videos, or speaking with people.
The auditory learning style is a great way to learn new things. If you are interested in speaking a language or learning new songs and instruments, your learning style is probably auditory.
What are the Characteristics of an Auditory Learner?
Auditory learners are known for their ability to hear and remember a lot.
These are the types of individuals that can listen to a song, hear it on the radio or from someone else, and then be able to sing it back word for word. They are great at learning languages, especially when they are just listening.
An auditory learner will learn by hearing a language spoken, repeated, and by doing activities where they repeat what they heard back. The following are the characteristics of auditory learners. They;
- have the potential to learn faster
- are usually good at public speaking
- may listen carefully before responding
- like to read out loud
- often prefer group discussions over individual assignments
- are organized and logical in their writing style
- are concerned with following proper rules and procedures when it comes to writing and keeping records
- usually can understand the points being made by others, even if the speaker is talking quickly or not making sense
- works well with games and drama elements in a lesson plan
- can understand and process changes in tone
The auditory learner thrives on interaction, spontaneity, and the use of real-life examples. They enjoy humor and are usually good storytellers. People with this learning style tend to acquire information by listening.
Strategies to Properly Teach an Auditory Learner
1. Involve auditory learners in answering questions
As an auditory learner, your primary strategy is to have teachers ask you questions. After asking the question and gaining the attention of everyone in the room, teachers should give a brief explanation of the answer they are expecting.
Make it clear to the class that even the quietest student has a voice.
Encourage your auditory learners to be heard by asking them questions and allowing them to participate in class discussions. This approach allows auditory learners time to process and respond appropriately.
2. Use sound, music, or speech technology like computers, CDs, or videos
Auditory learning often occurs when a learner is interested in an activity in which the person can participate. When you feel comfortable with the topic, explain your ideas to the auditory learner.
In addition, show the importance of the topic by using music or speech technology such as computers, CDs, and videos.
3. Repetition
When teaching auditory learners, it is important to talk through each step and let your student repeat what you’ve said. This will help them organize the information and reinforce it in their minds.
You can also encourage auditory learners by giving them easy-to-remember acronyms or mnemonic devices to help them remember key points or formulas they need to learn.
4. Encourage oral presentations
Auditory learners are those students who learn best if their information is presented verbally. This type of learner usually thinks and organizes information through talking and writing.
Auditory learners need to “hear” their information. Teachers should encourage students to give oral presentations. If an auditory learner is uncomfortable with the idea of public speaking, teachers should ask them to practice in a safe environment.
Teachers can expose auditory learners to active learning by allowing them to present their findings orally, which is also beneficial to those around them.
5. Record your lectures so that auditory learners can listen to them more than once
Many students tend to be auditory learners. That’s why in most classes students listen to their teacher’s lecture while they’re in class. But, sometimes it’s easier for auditory learners to pay attention if they’re listening to the lecture more than once.
So, try recording your lectures so that you can send them to them. That way, auditory learners can listen to your lectures more than once and focus on them rather than taking notes in class which is much easier for visual learners.
6. Allow any struggling auditory learner to take an oral exam instead of a written one
Auditory learners use more of their brains to take in information. Auditory learners love to listen. They are motivated by sound and need clear instructions.
A testing environment that allows for a verbal prompt will be less threatening for the auditory learner than one that requires paper and pencil.
If an auditory learner is struggling, let them take an oral exam. It will be better for them this way and will help them succeed if they put the effort into it.
Furthermore, this will allow them to show what they know their way and meet their individual needs.
7. Teachers should give auditory learners lots of individual attention and instruction
Students who are auditory learners are those who learn best by listening, seeing, and doing. They learn about everything by reading or listening to it.
So you must be careful to try and engage the auditory learner in your classroom as well as give them a lot of individual attention.
Helpful strategies for teaching an auditory learner include speaking slowly, saying everything twice, and providing extra time during tests or quizzes.
Teaching auditory learners can be fun and easy; you just have to find out what works best and how they learn best.
Study Tips for Auditory Learners
You’re an auditory learner, which means you learn best by listening. Here are some tips for you to remember the most important rules for studying and not having to retake that test ever again.
1. Read aloud
Auditory learners should read aloud. Reading aloud helps them remember what they have read. It also reinforces their reading knowledge more quickly because when they say something out loud, they are more likely to pay attention to it and understand it better.
2. Explain information to other people
Auditory learners prefer to learn by listening. Luckily, there are many ways that you can become better at auditory learning. The best way to do this is to explain information that you have learned to others.
In doing so, you will be able to test the things that you have learned and organize them in an orderly manner. This skill does not come naturally, so it takes a conscious effort on your part.
3. Study in groups so you can discuss
If you’re an auditory learner, you probably take in information best through listening and reading. If this is true for you, consider studying in groups so you can discuss what you’re learning. They will help jog your memory when the assignment is due.
4. Self-recording
Try making a self-recording in which you make notes on the chapter you have just read. As you listen, write down what key ideas you have taken away from the chapter.
You will be able to understand the author’s main points this time if you read the text again. Try using at least one note in your language to help you remember any vocabulary or difficult words.
5. Makeup songs or jingles
An easy way to commit any kind of information to memory is through the use of a song or jingle.
A lot of people know this already and have used music as a tool for studying since high school. Because music bypasses our short-term memory, this system works so well for auditory learners.
This song forms a direct pathway between your hearing memory and long-term memory, so you don’t have to repeat it hundreds of times as you would without a song.
How Can Teachers Easily Recognize Auditory Learners?
The first step in helping auditory learners in the classroom is to identify whether or not the student is an auditory learner. You can determine if a child is an auditory learner by observing how he or she initially processes information.
These types of learners demonstrate their comprehension through verbalization. You can spot them in the classroom by their tendency to share or talk about their learning with others. They are drama mamas and world-class question askers.
They may select subjects like history, speech, music, and English as a first language. Sometimes they long for more opportunities to read aloud or tell stories—activities that allow them to go farther into their imagination and creativity.
FAQs
What kind of activities work best for auditory learners?
Activities such as lectures, discussions, reading, and case studies are ideal itineraries for them. They are generally active in class discussions, but also tend to be good listeners in a less stressful environment or when not dealing with heavy workloads.
How should a teacher cater to the different learning styles?
With auditory learners, teachers should use a lot of verbal instruction to help them learn. Visual learners require visual aids to learn better, such as flashcards, poster boards, and presentation slides.
Kinesthetic learners tend to have trouble sitting still and need tactile instruction. These students benefit from learning that takes place while they’re moving around.
Final Thoughts
I hope that this article has helped you along your journey to learn about auditory learners, the possibilities for teaching such learners, and ways that an auditory learner may study on his/her own.
I’ve also tried to provide some methods and tips from a teacher’s perspective on how to teach these types of learners.
Auditory learners are not “special” or “different” learners. They are just normal people who like to learn in a particular way. Textual learning will help develop pathways along with auditory learning if classrooms respect that and make necessary changes.
Hopefully, by now you have a better understanding of what auditory learning is. There are also kinesthetic and visual learning styles. The visual learning style is quite the opposite of auditory learning.
These types of learners prefer visual forms of instruction. Learn more about kinesthetic learning by reading the article.
Thanks for reading.
