Learning Style Indicators

There are times when it occurs to The Equuschick that there must be a different language to each learning style. Certain phrases that may flick a light bulb in the brain of one person do absolutely nothing for another.

The Equuschick knows this to be true because, if the amount of time she's heard it says anything all, the phrase "Do it like I just showed you" must produce enough light-bulb moments in other people's brains to illuminate all of South Africa, whereas for The Equuschick that phrase won't spark a match.


So pretend you're The Equuschick and you're working on a new task or skill and having a bit of trouble, and then someone (a kind and well-meaning person, wholly ignorant of the exasperation they were about to unleash) said "Do it like I just showed you."


"Dude," thinks The Equuschick to herself (when she's being polite)"if I remembered how you just showed me to do it and had at the same time the mental and physical ability to immediately duplicate your performance, than isn't it reasonable to suppose I WOULD NOT STILL BE STRUGGLING? What, you think I do remember exactly how you just showed me to do it but prefer to stand here making a fool of myself so we can both waste our time instead?"

It just seems to The Equuschick, well, a little pointless. Thank-you for trying, but if you're the experienced teacher and The Equuschick knew how to do it the way you'd just demonstrated, that's what she would be doing. If she's not, then clearly you will have to try another way than "showing" her. This makes sense to The Equuschick in her own little head.

And now that she's been sitting down thinking about all of this, she's terribly afraid she'll have a visual learner herself and she might just have to learn the lingo anyway.

But on the upside, this particular train of thoughts has been brought about by poor Shasta's way of saying, ever so gently, "Do it like I just showed you, honey" because that's his learning style language. (He didn't know that's the phrase that used to make her cry in sewing class.) So Shasta can teach the visual learners of the household. Brilliant.



And now you're probably wondering what The Equuschick's learning style is? The Equuschick is not very auditory either. She was unfortunately doomed to the learning style of trial and error and what this means in practice is, tell her what the end result should like and she'll get there eventually by herself. She may have to take a couple detours that you will find bewildering, but don't worry. She will learn. Just not your way.

So just on a proper ending note, if you have a child that gives you a glazed look when you say "Do it like I just showed you" do not despair. The Equushick grew up all right. A little weird, but mostly stable.

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