by Carol Natoli

Created on: January 29, 2011

“The Importance of Audio Visual Materials in Teaching and Learning”

 Are you an auditory learner?  If you listen to foreign language tapes or CD’s under your pillow at night before an exam, chances are, if you are an auditory learner, you will do quite well on the test! Do you even know what kind of learner you are? Perhaps, you are a combination of an auditory and visual learner.  Do you learn quicker if a kinesthetic approach is used?  In other words, are you a “hands-on” person?  You probably learn by “doing”, rather than passively listening. Children that are these types of learners, do very well in Learning Centers that were prevalent in the 1960’s and have come full-circle! Some educators think that they are a waste of time, where they like whole group instruction better than breaking children into groups; regardless, whether these centers are visible in the classroom or not, they might very well be tactile/kinesthetic learners, even outside the classroom.

Do you have to be shown something repeatedly before you “catch on”?  Can you learn by merely reading directions?  Reading does not make you a visual learner; visually, you need to be shown.  If students are given audio visual materials in combination with visual stimulation, such as a video, they may or may not learn better than if given just audio. Chances are that when they are just listening, they will focus and use their imagination more, such as the task of their listening to a story on tape, or an E-book, but the combination of the two learning tools, audio and visual will enhance their learning, most of the time. 

Students will not only hear but also see and make a connection.   They will remember what they have seen and recall is so important. Collectively, the audio visual learner will recall the words of songs?  What implication is this for life?  That learner will remember phone numbers, formulas, and recall names, with the latter being important in social and business situations. Since auditory learners are good listeners, they generally work well in groups, because they have the skill of explaining well to others.  If that learning style is combined with visual characteristics, then one style is used in conjunction with the other.  Mere visual learners often find it difficult to study; they may not understand what concepts are and have difficulty in processing

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