Interpersonal Learning Style

What Are the Social Learner’s Characteristics?

In order to maximize the learning potential of the interpersonal learning style, here are some characteristics of social learners:

• They like to hang out with large groups of people
• They do well with study groups or any sort of collaborative activities
• They struggle working alone, especially on projects
• They are vocal and are not afraid to ask questions
• They prefer social activities
• They are good at understanding others, interpreting tone, gestures and faces
• They are natural leaders
• They usually don’t have trouble making new friends

Study Tips for Interpersonal Learners

It is important to note that being a social learner is a secondary learning style; the primary learning styles are visual, verbal, kinesthetic, auditory, and logical. Make sure to check these other learning styles out to help determine what your student’s primary learning style is! Social learners typically socialize with those who share their same primary learning style.

The best way to get your social learner engaged is to allow them to work with other people. In a homeschool scenario, parents work just as well as another student does! Do not be afraid to defy age barriers when allowing your social learner to have conversations with others. It doesn’t matter if a social learner is talking to an adult or a student their age; learning is still happening and your child will still be engaged.

• It may be wise to join a homeschool support group or a play group that allows your child the opportunity to see others and have discussions, whether for fun or educational.
• An excellent option to engage interpersonal learners is to join or hold a book club! This allows your student to discuss with others what he or she has learned, and get those creative juices flowing.
• Enroll your child in physical fitness classes, or find a toddlers/kids/tweens/teens group at your local library. There are plenty of group activities that are available to children outside of school.
• Don’t be afraid to enroll in parent-child classes as well; remember, social learners know no age.
• You can also find online communities and forums for your child to take part in social discussion and engagement, but just make sure your child is safely navigating the web.
• Be sure to offer plenty of feedback as these learners love to hear both praise and concerns from a peer or instructor.
• You can also have your child review someone else’s work, and practice effective communication. This would work excellently if siblings are working on assignments as well.
• One of the best things to do for your interpersonal learner is to just be there as a peer or an ear to listen.
• Social learners thrive even teaching what they know to other people, whether one or multiple. By providing your presence, you are helping engage your student.
• Field trips would work well for social learners; field trips often have a social element, whether students are going on a trip with others, or if your chosen trip is led by a tour guide.
• Allow your child to interview professionals to learn about career opportunities, and talk to them about their own experiences in the working world.
• Role playing is perfect for interpersonal learners as it requires acting out real life situations (or that of a story) that put their people skills to the test!
• Panel discussions or debates are also a great study tip for interpersonal learners.

Although interpersonal learners prefer to learn with others around them, it is important to get your students comfortable with occasionally working alone sometimes. A great way to introduce this idea is to come up with a project with your child. Brainstorm an idea, and come up with different parts of a project.

Assign your child one part of that project to work on independently, and then work on the other part yourself, or assign it to a friend or sibling. Once you have both finished your parts of the project, try to work together to make the project one cohesive unit. This teaches your child both using his or her learning style, but also teaches the importance of independence.

How Time4Learning Works for Social Learners

Because of the type of stimulation the social or interpersonal learning style requires, make sure you choose a curriculum that helps you tap into these students’ potential.

Time4Learning’s homeschool program offers plenty of interactive lessons and opportunities for interpersonal learners to explore, learn and practice. Below are some of the reasons why many parents of interpersonal learners choose the Time4Learning curriculum:

• Our curriculum works with your schedule. This allows students to study in between social activities, or whenever is most convenient for your family.
• Younger students in grades 2-5 love our Time4MathFacts program. Students can create personalized avatars and participate in fast-paced games. A perfect tool for interpersonal learners to build math fact fluency.
• Our virtual instructors and cartoon characters create a social connection with every interaction with your child.
• We offer field trips to our company headquarters, which often brings together homeschooling families for a day of fun!
• Our website provides tons of information on homeschool groups in each state so that your child can take part in socialization opportunities with other homeschoolers.  We also offer listings of field trip opportunities for each state that can be tied back to lessons in our curriculum to enhance your social learner’s educational experience.
• We have an online forum available, Time4Learning.net, where parents can set up in-person meetings with other homeschooling families in their area.
• Learning is balanced with fun!

Sign up for Time4Learning and gain access to a variety of educational materials, which will engage and challenge your child to succeed. Make Time4Learning a part of your educational resource toolbox for teaching your unique social-interpersonal learner.

Additional Information on Learning Styles

• Types of Learning Styles
• Auditory Learning
• Kinesthetic Learning
• Logical Learning
• Solitary Learning
• Verbal Learning
• Visual Learning