Making up about 30% of the population, auditory learners absorb information best through the sense of hearing. Some of their main characteristics include:
- Being talkative in class
- Relate most effectively to the spoken word
- Learn effectively through lectures, audio books, oral presentations, music
- or verbal instructions
- Unless heard, information has little relevance
- Prefer giving oral reports to written ones
- Remember who said what in the past
- Enjoy discussions and debates
- Benefit from reading aloud.
- Follow oral directions better than written ones
- Tend to memorize well
- Prefer listening to the news
- Remember names
- Notices sound effects in movies
- Doesn’t automatically understand graphs, diagrams or maps
- Enjoys talking to others
- Likes to tell jokes and stories
- Enjoys music
- Often sings, hums or whistles to themselves
- May use finger as pointer when reading
- Talks to self
- Is good at grammar and foreign languages
- Repeat phone numbers in order to repeat them.
- Uses jingles to remember pieces of information
- Benefits from study groups
- Prefers to listen to music rather than view a piece of art
- Reads slowly
- Follows spoken directions well.
- May be articulate speakers
- Can’t keep quiet for long
SUGGESTIONS FOR AUDITORY LEARNERS
- Use audiotapes for learning languages
- Read textbooks aloud
- Repeat facts with eyes closed
- Ask questions
- Describe aloud what is to be remembered
- Use word association to remember facts and lines.
- Watch videos.
- Participate in group discussions.
- Listen to taped notes
- Record lectures & listen to them again
- Use audiotapes
- Avoid auditory distractions.
PREFERRED TEST STYLES FOR AUDITORY LEARNERS
Writing responses to lectures, oral exams
WORST TEST TYPE
Reading comprehension exercises
POSSIBLE CAREER PATHS
Writer, journalist, teacher, lawyer, politician, blogger, translator, poet