You
may know that people learn in different ways but did you know that they also
“experience” reading a story in different ways based on their preferred
learning style? These different styles guide the way we internally represent
experiences and influence not only how we read, but how we write.
In
general, there are three main learning styles: visual, aural, and kinesthetic. A
visual person learns best by reading then mentally translating words into
pictures. An aural (auditory) learner understands new ideas and concepts by
hearing information. Aural learners pick up the true meaning of someone’s words
by listening for changes in tone. A kinesthetic (physical) learner is best with
hands on learning and doing it herself. Of course, most of us use a combination
of the three or have one dominant style with the others secondary. (Some researchers
believe there are actually five styles--verbal, visual, physical, logical and
aural--or more.)
What
does this mean when we read? Well, three people can read the same scene in a
book and experience it in different ways. Let’s say the scene is a man running
from a murderer during a snow storm. A visual person “sees” it as a movie, visualizing
the falling snow and a chase on foot past trees and boarded up houses. The
aural reader “hears” the scene read in her mind, perhaps focusing on the
staccato rhythm of the words that sound like the pounding of running feet. The
kinesthetic reader “feels” the cold of the snow and the rapid heartbeat of the
man running for his life. Some of these more physical readers become so
immersed in their feelings while reading a scary book they may jump up and
knock something over.
Since
each writer has her own learning and corresponding reading style, it makes sense
that it’s more comfortable to write in that style. For example, a visual
learner may write mostly descriptive phrases and not take into account the
rhythm of words. Conversely, an aural learner might write beautiful sentences
that sound good to the ear but lose the story line with slower moving prose.
During
the writing process, a visual learner may doodle, clip magazine pictures to
represent characters, or use color coding to organize thoughts and ideas. An
aural learner might talk out ideas, read dialogue in different voices and edit
by reading the story, including punctuations marks, out loud. And a kinesthetic
learner may prefer to get out of the chair and act out what she is writing or
make a three dimensional object to represent an idea. In order to understand and
include other styles, perhaps we could experiment with different methods that
take us out of our comfort zone.
The
implication is that all readers don’t experience a story in the same way. If we
want to appeal to everyone, we need to write visually evocative descriptions, listen
to our word choice and rhythm, and make sure to include phrases that produce
physical sensation.
What’s
your learning style? Is it the same as your preferred writing style?
