Everyone is unique. Personalities, appearance, interests, strengths, annoyances – we all have our own traits that make us individuals in this world. As people grow in the world, they see influences and absorb new information in different ways. Multiple learning styles exist, but three general approaches are auditory (hearing the lesson), visual (seeing the lesson) and tactile (doing the lesson via hands on activity). Organizations and individuals read the widest audience when they are able to deliver a lesson via these three different methods.
Observing different congregants on Sunday morning, one can see different learning styles. When a scripture is read, auditory people are listening, visual people are looking up the passage to read and see the picture, and the tactile learner is raising their arms and swaying with the music. The children’s message often involves speaking, showing pictures, and acting out the message – a manner so all children can absorb the lesson in a method best for them.
While I am not an educator, I have had the opportunity to teach youth in a Sunday School environment. One of the best instructional books I used offered three ways to teach every lesson – reading aloud, visual aids, and a game or skit to act out the lesson. As a visual learner, I tended to only focus on pictures, and neglected to focus on reading and acting out the lesson. I quickly learned the need to deliver the lesson via all three methods to keep all students engaged.
One of the benefits of the quick access to information in today’s world is being able to access it in multiple ways. Every person can learn with their own style, and the smartphone delivers multiple methods at the touch of the button. Words can be spoken for the auditory learner, images can be quickly produced for the visual learner, and activities can be created for the tactile learner.
It is important for growing churches to consider all learning types when they are searching for new tech to engage their congregation. A dedicated church engagement app that offers two-way communication can help aid all learning styles in better receiving a pastors message.
-Tom
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