KINESTHETIC LEARNING: CHARACTERISTICS, TECHNIQUES, ADVANTAGES, EXAMPLES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2024

The kinesthetic learning is a learning style that is characterized by a greater ability to store knowledge and skills that are related to physical activity and manipulation of objects. It is one of the three styles proposed in the VAK model, developed by researcher Neil D. Fleming.

The kinesthetic learning style contrasts with the visual and auditory, which are the most common in most modern societies. According to all the research in this regard, people who present this style represent a very small percentage of the population, and they tend to have problems in traditional educational environments since these are not adapted for them.

In order to learn properly, kinesthetic people need to move and perform activities that involve their entire body. Thus, they tend to stand out in fields such as sports, dance, construction and everything that involves some type of manual labor. Curiously, in addition, they tend to be more emotional than usual and are more in touch with their feelings.

Among the characteristics of kinesthetic learners are the need to be in a multisensory environment in order to acquire new knowledge in a simple and lasting way. They typically use a trial and error approach to learning, which has both advantages and disadvantages depending on the moment.

Characteristics of kinesthetic learning

The kinesthetic learning style is the least known among the general population, and therefore most people cannot even imagine what an individual who uses it as a priority is like.

To help you get a clearer idea of ​​how this way of acquiring knowledge works, below you will find a list of its most relevant characteristics.

Need to move

Kinesthetic people are much more in contact with their body than usual, and therefore need to move in order to learn properly. Thus, even when they are sitting in a chair listening to a teacher they carry out small actions, such as tapping their fingers or moving their legs.

They have good muscle memory

Individuals in this category have a knack for acquiring movement-related skills, and they tend to remember them for a very long period of time. For example, they are able to learn to play the piano based on the movement of their fingers, or to master a sport with ease.

They have good coordination

Generally, kinesthetic people have the facility to move their body in space and to maintain coordination even in difficult situations. In addition, they react faster than usual and have good hand-eye coordination.

They learn best through action

Individuals with a kinesthetic learning style have difficulty retaining information that has been presented to them visually or auditory while they are passively receiving it. On the contrary, they are very good at remembering something they have learned while participating in an activity.

They prefer to work on projects

A peculiar characteristic of kinesthetic learners is that they tend to quickly lose interest in what they are doing. Therefore, the best way to work with them is through projects, especially in those sectors that lend themselves to activities in which some motor skills intervene.

Are easily distracted

The attention of kinesthetic people is usually much more dispersed than that of other individuals, especially in traditional teaching environments such as school. This is because their focus is on action, and when they have to sit still for a long time they get bored and need to do something.

They can have a strong visual component

Interestingly, some research shows that learning styles present some combinations more likely than others. Thus, kinesthetic people may have a certain tendency to learn also visually, but on the contrary it is much rarer that they can easily acquire new information through the auditory route.

Kinesthetic learning techniques

If you think you can be a kinesthetic learner, you probably have quite a bit of trouble learning the traditional way. Luckily there are many actions you can take to improve your results. Of course, these activities can also be applied to children, if you are a teacher or a parent. Here we will see some of the most important.

Study standing

We all know that sitting for long periods of time is bad for your health. However, as a kinesthetic learner it can also cause you trouble understanding and retaining new information. On the contrary, while you are standing your body is more active and connected with the learning process.

Luckily, today there are options like standing tables or bookstands that can help you focus for longer periods of time and remember more of what you read.

Intersperse your study sessions with exercise

The biggest problem with kinesthetic learners is that they need to move constantly in order to stay focused. Therefore, a good learning strategy is to intersperse study with physical exercise, in such a way that you can make the most of your abilities.

In this sense, a very common strategy is to work or study for half an hour, and then spend five or ten minutes doing explosive exercises: push-ups, jumping rope, burpees… You can also opt for other calmer sports such as yoga. help focus attention on your body.

Make small movements

Sometimes it is not possible to stop every thirty minutes to exercise when you are studying or working. If this is your case, try to carry out small movements in a constant way, which will partially calm your need to act.

A good option in this regard is to get a "fidget toy", a type of toy designed precisely to help active people concentrate.

Try the tension and relaxation technique

If you find yourself in a study or work situation where your ability to move is really limited, you can still try one last strategy: the tension and relaxation technique.

Every five to ten seconds, tense a specific muscle, and leave it that way for a few moments. Repeat the process as many times as you need until you regain some of your concentration.

This technique is based on a well-known relaxation method, so among other things it will help you to discharge unwanted tension. This is something that kinesthetic learners often struggle with, especially in traditional learning contexts.

Advantage

Using the kinesthetic style as your primary method of learning can have many advantages, especially if you know how to get the most out of it. For example, people who fall into this category tend to have many facilities to practice almost any type of sport, so they tend to excel in this area.

In addition to this, kinesthetic individuals also have a facility for any activity in which motor ability is involved, be it fine (related to small movements) or gross (with larger actions). Thus, they are usually good carpenters, sculptors or painters.

Finally, kinesthetic people generally have a greater facility to get in touch with their feelings, since they are able to notice them physically in their body. This implies that their emotional intelligence is usually much higher than normal, which has all sorts of advantages in many different contexts.

Disadvantages

On the other hand, kinesthetic people also have to face a series of difficulties in learning and work contexts. Most of them are related to the fact that this learning style is the least common among the general population, so almost no field is correctly adapted to them.

Thus, for example, kinesthetic children generally have quite a few problems during their school age, since they are usually very restless and easily distracted. This can lead to problems such as hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder being diagnosed, even when they don't really have them.

On the other hand, the difficulty to retain information presented in a visual and auditory way also causes all kinds of problems for kinesthetic people. Typically, these individuals feel very unmotivated in education, so they may even avoid pursuing a higher degree.

Examples of kinesthetic learning

What traits do kinesthetic people usually present, both in childhood and during adulthood? In this section we will see several examples of typical behaviors of individuals who display this learning style:

- They better understand what is being said about a topic when they can take direct action.

- They get bored easily in traditional work or study settings.

- They learn through movement.

- They like sports and physical activity of all kinds.

- They tend to be very participatory during learning, and they hate to just stay listening or looking at a blackboard.

- They like to take advantage of all the opportunities to change their environment and to get out of the routine.

- They are often interested in building things and working with their own hands.

- They are usually restless when they have to sit and do nothing for a long time.

- They are usually very expressive and accompany their verbal communication with body movements, especially gesturing with their hands and with their face.

References

1. "Kinesthetic learning" at: Thought Co. Retrieved on: February 12, 2020 from Thought Co: thoughtco.com.
2. "16 Characteristics of Kinesthetic and Tactile Learners" in: Child 1st. Retrieved on: February 12, 2020 from Child 1st: child1st.com.
3. "Kinesthetic learning style" at: Houghton College. Retrieved on: February 12, 2020 from Houghton College: houghton.edu.
4. "Kinesthetic learner characteristics: what are they?" in: Engage Education. Retrieved on: February 12, 2020 from Engage Education: engage-education.com.
5. "Kinesthetic learning" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: February 12, 2020 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.