The Learning Style Nobody Talks About, But Every Parent Should Know

Ever watch a brilliant teen solve complex problems, then freeze at the words “analyze the text”? We unpack the quiet mismatch between how English is often taught and how many logical, literal, and concrete thinkers actually process information. 

Rather than blaming motivation or “trying harder,” we focus on the real fix: turning abstract expectations into clear, repeatable steps that make analysis tangible and writing less intimidating.

We start by naming the bias toward abstract thinkers—students who leap from symbol to theme and thrive on ambiguity—and contrast that with teens who excel through structure, sequence, and clarity. 

You’ll hear practical ways to translate “go deeper” into concrete moves: identify a device, explain its effect, and link it to a central idea. 

We share how annotated exemplars, sentence stems, color-coded annotations, and predictable frameworks reduce cognitive load, build precision, and help teens see what teachers are actually asking for.

As confidence grows, something powerful shifts. The “I’m bad at English” story gives way to “I get it now,” and participation rises alongside performance. 

We talk through scaffolding that fades over time, feedback that targets thinking steps instead of vague outcomes, and small routines that prepare students for tests and real-world writing. Along the way, we highlight resources created specifically for concrete minds, designed to spark those light bulb moments and make literary analysis feel learnable, not mystical.

If your teen lights up in science or design but dreads essays, this conversation offers a map. 

Press play, try the three-step analysis routine with your student, and tell us what changed. 

If the approach helps, subscribe, share with a fellow parent, and leave a review so more families can find tools that match their teens’ brains.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Read and Respond Literary Analysis Toolkit

The Write Anything Toolkit (especially great for teens with dyslexia)

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For more free resources, check out my guide to the 5 secret habits of teens who succeed. Jam packed with advice, tips and strategies. Yours free!

 
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Transcript

Classrooms Built For Abstract Thinkers

The Unnamed Learning Style

What Literal Thinkers Need To Thrive

Confidence Shifts And Light Bulb Moments

Toolkits Built For Concrete Minds

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Hello my friend and welcome back to the podcast. Today's episode is for all the parents out there who look at their teen and think, they're so bright, they're so thoughtful, they're so capable, they're so curious. And yet, school feels so hard. Your teenager understands when you explain something and they can talk about ideas out loud to you, no problems. They have great thoughts, amazing thoughts on topics and subjects, and they're really interested in a range of things. But when it comes to reading questions, analysing texts, or writing answers, everything seems to fall apart. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you, my friend. Because today we're talking about the learning style schools really named that many teens have. So without further ado, let's get into the show. Now, before I tell you the learning style, I want to give you a little bit of a background around the learning style that most classrooms are built for. And this might sound really familiar for your teens or your children and your family. I'll tell you what the most common learning style is first. So most classrooms are designed for one type of learner, and that learner is called the abstract thinker. So that's the kind of brain, the kind of thinking brain that can read between the lines, infer meaning, interpret symbolism, for example, if we're talking about English, make conceptual links between texts or between poems or whatever it is that they're studying, and to be able to write analytically. Now, these learners, the Rye, absolutely thrive in traditional English classrooms. No problem whatsoever. They enjoy open-ended questions, they love discussion, they think in themes and ideas, but not all brains work this way. And take it from me, as a veteran English teacher, I have seen a range of thinking styles completely different to this abstract thinker. And when a teenager has a different learning style, school starts to feel confusing. And I was noticing this a lot in my classrooms when I was starting out teaching. And this is what set me on the path to looking into what are some different ways that we can teach English, because not everyone is an abstract thinker, and English can be really hard to literal thinkers, for example. So let's talk about the learning style that nobody talks about. Teachers won't talk about it, education won't talk about it, but it's a very important learning style, and it's a learning style that schools almost never name. But I see it every single day. And tell me if this sounds like your child or your teenager. These are teens who are highly logical, they are detail-focused, they are literal thinkers, they are practical problem solvers, they're strong in maths and science, that's not a problem. They're excellent at building, at coding, at designing, at fixing. But English, on the other hand, feels like another language. Your teen might read a text in English class and understand what happens. But when they're asked, what does this represent? Or what is the deeper meaning, or how does the author create tension, the brain goes blank. Not because they don't understand, but because they think concretely. And there is nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong whatsoever. It's just a different way of thinking. Because these thinkers need clear examples, they need models, they need step-by-step frameworks, they need visible thinking. Abstract language without structure feels impossible for these kinds of thinkers. And these teens often lose confidence, especially in a course subject like English. Because when teens who think like this, who think literally, um, when they are told to go deeper or to analyze more or to think harder in the feedback that they get from their teacher, written in red pen all over their essay, they don't actually know what that means. So they start believing, oh, I'm bad at English, or I'm not creative, or I don't get it, or I'm not smart. And over time, that belief becomes their identity. And I talk about this a lot about identity shifts that come from confidence and motivation. But the truth is, your teen is not bad at thinking if they are a literal thinker. They think differently. And once learning matches their brain, everything else changes. It all falls into place for them. So what these brains need to thrive, and we'll call them the literal thinking brains. So these learners need clear models of strong answers, for example. And these are all things that you could ask your teacher, your child's teacher at school to support them with or to help with. Or you can use one of our toolkits at home. So these learners need clear models of strong answers. They need explicit explanation of the thinking steps involved to write that essay or to write that paragraph or to come to that answer. They need to see some concrete examples of what is required of them. They need to see a visible structure. We can't talk in abstract terms when it comes to main ideas and secondary ideas with literal learners. They need to see it visibly as a structure. They need predictable frameworks. So lots and lots and lots of scaffolding for them. Because when we show them this is what analysis looks like and this is how to build an answer, and can you see how this is how ideas connect? Their brain clicks. And suddenly English becomes or makes a lot more sense for them. Not because they became better thinkers, but because the teaching finally matched their brain. So when these teens experience that click moment, something beautiful happens and they stop saying, I'm dumb. And they start saying, Oh, I get it now. Love that light bulb moment in class. I love it. And they stop avoiding English and they actually start engaging, they put their hand up in class to offer answers. They stop fearing assignments and rolling their eyes. Then they start trusting themselves, not because school changed, but because their learning finally did. And their way of learning was embraced. Or we embrace it as parents and as educators. We embrace that different, that literal style of learning. And this is exactly why I created Read and Respond and Write the other thing. There are my two toolkits, which are hugely popular for English class, because they were built for these brains. I have taken all of my experience in the classroom over 10 years, and I have used what has worked and when those light bulb moments happen, and I have created these toolkits for logical thinkers, for literal learners, and the concrete processes. Those three styles of brain thinking: the logical thinkers, the literal learners, and the concrete processes. So Read and Respond is my literary analysis for these types of brains. And then Write Aniting Toolkit, it is really good for teens with dyslexia as well, but it will help your teenager get some ideas out onto the paper because they show teens how to see what teachers are looking for, but it's done in a way that actually makes sense to their brain. So if English has never clicked for your team, you'll find that those resources incredibly supportive, and I'll link them in the show notes for you. So let's circle back to what we were talking about at the start, about how English and the way we teach English in high schools is catered to one specific type of learning brain, but that one size does not fit all. So if your teen struggles with English, please know this. They are not behind, they are not broken, and they are not failing. They simply have a different learning style. And once that style is understood, that literal thinking brain, everything changes. You are doing a beautiful job advocating for your child. You're taking time out of your day to spend it with me listening to this podcast. So I know you are doing an outstanding job at home. And your teenager is capable of far more than they believe. But with putting in some scaffolding and support for them, then they are gonna go so far. I will see you next week, my friend. Thank you for joining me. Bye for now.