$25 per student
Truly a unique offering, the Learning Styles assessment from Mercy Academy provides a wonderful opportunity for a homeschooling parent to learn how to better teach their child(ren). Understanding the best way in which a child learns, as well as learning how to strengthen their weaker areas, will make each day's lessons more productive and less frustrating. You will not necessarily need to purchase new curriculum in each subject area; instead, you will learn how to use any materials more effectively.
The Learning Styles Test is available year-round. Each of the test questions is short and easy to answer, requiring only a click of the mouse. You may need to read the questions to the very youngest students. Although the test is several online pages long, it can be completed in about thirty minutes. If you are interrupted, you can resume the testing at a later time. Results are immediately available.
These results are the gold nuggets! The student responses to seeminly-simple questions provide a rich, personalized analysis that requires careful attention. In fact, the author recommends that you read it several times and at several different levels. This in-depth document includes an overview of the student's learning style, instructions for understanding and using the test results effectively, and a multi-page, detailed description of this type of learner based on an analysis of five different identifying categories. Following this are "Key Points to Remember", which summarize the description. Next, very specific teaching techniques and teaching materials advice, resulting from extensive research and testing, are included. These recommendations include curricular materials by name with purchasing information, advice as to where and how the student should be studying, as well as specific things to avoid.
I tested several of my children, and I was astounded at the variations amongst them. I had naively assumed that there would be more overlap between them, but the resulting descriptions fit each child very closely. Even after homeschooling for many, many years, I found that I had a great deal to learn! This testing process saved me months of effort and many, many dollars in curricular purchases that would not be best suited for the particular child who was tested. I also appreciated the recommendations for which children especially need to have regular outside-the-home opportunities as well as those for whom distractions are a problem. My older children read and studied their own assessments, finding the descriptions very accurate. I believe that these will be very useful to them as they consider potential careers and college choices. This was a very worthwhile experience for our entire family.
