Different Ways of Learning: 12 Ways We Process Information

Have you ever wondered why one person remembers every detail of a conversation while another needs to see the information, talk it through, move while learning, or connect it to a real experience before it truly clicks? We all take in, process, and remember information in different ways, and understanding those differences can transform the way we connect, communicate, and learn.

When I understand how someone naturally processes information, I can begin to communicate and teach in ways that make sense to them from the very start. In a sense, I can “speak their learning language.” Rather than expecting them to adapt to a single way of teaching or communicating, I can connect with their strengths, present information in ways that feel more natural and accessible, and gradually help them expand the ways they learn.

What Are Different Ways of Processing Information?

Although we can process information in many ways, we do not use each one with equal ease or efficiency. Each person has innate processing patterns and unique preferences, or established neural pathways, that influence how they understand information and make sense of the world around them. Some people naturally think in images, while others rely more heavily on words or an inner voice. Some process best through movement, interaction, or direct experience. We may also prefer to work alone or with others, and approach information sequentially or all at once.

These patterns are not fixed learning styles or labels that determine how someone can learn. Instead, they offer insight into how a person naturally connects with, organizes, and makes sense of information. Understanding them can reveal strengths, explain why some approaches feel more natural than others, and identify less-preferred ways of processing that may benefit from practice.

How Do Our Own Processing Preferences Affect the Way We Teach?

We naturally tend to teach, explain, and communicate in ways that make sense to us. This is not because teachers, parents, or professionals are trying to be controlling. We rely on these approaches because they work for us, often so automatically that it can be difficult to imagine why someone else might need something entirely different.

Stepping outside our own processing preferences can be challenging, but when we do, the results can be remarkable. I once watched a student zip through his calculus homework while blaring heavy metal music. I could never have worked that way, but for him, the music was not a distraction; it was essential. It helped create the conditions his brain needed to focus and work efficiently.

Moments like this can completely change the way we think about learning. Instead of asking, “Why can’t this person learn the way I do?” we can begin asking, “What conditions help this person’s brain work at its best?” When we understand another person’s processing profile, we can step outside our own preferences, connect more effectively, and create learning experiences that might otherwise seem almost impossible.

Over the years, I have organized these innate patterns and preferences into 12 distinct ways of processing information. Together, they create a processing profile that offers a more complete picture of how someone naturally takes in, organizes, understands, and responds to information.

No single way of processing is better than another, and most people use all 12 to some degree. However, we often have clear preferences and areas of strength, as well as less preferred ways of processing that may require more effort.

Visual Processing

Visual processing involves thinking and learning through pictures, drawings, diagrams, and mental imagery. People with this preference often benefit from seeing information and creating visual representations or personal visualizations.

Auditory Processing 

Auditory processing involves taking in and making sense of information through listening. People with this preference may learn well through discussions, lectures, audiobooks, and other spoken information.

Tactile Processing

Tactile processing involves learning through touch and hands-on interaction. It can also include encoding information through writing, taking notes, drawing, or physically manipulating materials.

Kinesthetic Processing

Kinesthetic processing involves learning through movement and physical activity. For some people, moving the body can increase engagement, support attention, and strengthen memory.

Sequential Processing

Sequential processing involves organizing information in a step-by-step or linear order. This preference supports the following procedures: creating outlines and timelines, completing long-term projects, and organizing information by time, number, or sequence.

Simultaneous Processing

Simultaneous processing involves understanding how ideas fit together as a whole. People with this preference often think in patterns, categories, relationships, and big-picture concepts and may benefit from webs, diagrams, flowcharts, and other visual representations of connected ideas.

Verbal Processing

Verbal processing involves thinking through words and expressing ideas aloud. People with this preference may clarify their thinking through discussion, explanation, questioning, or talking themselves through a problem.

Interactive Processing

Interactive processing involves learning and thinking with others. Collaboration, conversation, shared problem-solving, and group activities can help interactive processors develop and deepen their understanding.

Logical/Reflective Processing

Logical/reflective processing involves thinking deeply and internally about information. People with this preference often benefit from time to reflect, analyze, make connections, and develop ideas independently before responding.

Indirect Experience Processing

Indirect experience processing involves learning by observing others. Demonstrations, modeling, examples, videos, and watching someone perform a task can provide a powerful foundation for understanding.

Direct Experience Processing

Direct experience processing involves learning by doing and engaging with the world firsthand. Real-life experiences, experiments, field trips, museums, historic sites, nature, and everyday environments can all become powerful learning opportunities.

Rhythmic/Melodic Processing

Rhythmic/melodic processing involves using rhythm, melody, beat, and sound patterns to understand or remember information. Songs, chants, rhymes, and rhythmic patterns can make new information more engaging and memorable.

Should We Build on Strengths and Develop New Ways of Processing?

The answer is both. A person’s preferred ways of processing provide a natural starting point for connection, learning, and success. When we begin with approaches that feel accessible and intuitive, we can build confidence, engagement, and trust.

However, relying only on preferred ways of processing can be limiting. With supportive practice, people can strengthen less-preferred approaches and become more flexible in the way they learn, work, and solve problems. The goal is not to force someone to abandon what works, but to build from existing strengths while gradually expanding their options.

A strong processing profile is not one in which every preference is equal. It is one in which a person understands how their mind works, knows how to use their strengths intentionally, and has a growing range of strategies to draw upon when different situations and tasks require something new.

Continue Your Journey

Understanding processing preferences can transform the way we teach, communicate, and learn. When we recognize how someone naturally approaches information, we can connect more effectively, build on strengths, and support greater flexibility and self-awareness.

If you would like to better understand your own processing profile or that of a learner, explore these Good Sensory Learning resources:

• Student Processing Inventories (SPI-1 and SPI-2) – Discover how learners prefer to process information across the 12 areas, identify strengths and less-preferred approaches, and receive practical recommendations for learning and support. SPI-1 is designed for students in grades 3–5, while SPI-2 is for learners in grade 6 and beyond.
• Your Professional Processing Inventory (YPPI) – Explore processing preferences in older learners and adults to better understand how they approach learning, work, communication, and everyday life.
• Cognitive Remedial Resources – Explore games, activities, and targeted exercises designed to strengthen underlying cognitive and processing skills while helping learners develop greater flexibility and efficiency.
• Multisensory Lessons – Discover lessons and activities that engage multiple ways of processing information, helping educators connect with learners’ strengths while also encouraging greater flexibility.

There is no single best way to process information. The more we understand our own minds and appreciate the differences in others, the better equipped we are to create environments that foster connection, confidence, flexibility, and growth.