Discovering Your Learning Style

� 2005 By Anna Forsyth
All Rights Reserved. Printed with Permission

Close your eyes for a moment and picture yourself during the last class you took. What were you doing? Were you fiddling with a pencil? Were you drawing diagrams and illustrations in your notebook? Perhaps you didn't take any notes at all, but you were listening intently to the teacher, hanging on their every word. Maybe you were so busy watching the teacher's body language that most of the words drifted over your head.

Doing this exercise should give you a glimpse into your learning style, of which there are 3 main types, auditory, kinesthetic or tactile and visual. Most people are a combination of styles, with one being their most favored or dominant. There are not many people who learn in one way entirely.

Auditory Learners
People who fall into this group learn mainly through listening. The content that they remember from lectures tends to be anything that was spoken or heard. Surprisingly, the way in which most lectures or classes are structured is for this type of learner, but studies have shown that this is not a common learning style. If you feel that this is a strong learning style for you, the following tips will help you to maximize your learning and how much content you remember from a lesson:

• If your school will allow it, use a Dictaphone to tape lectures and listen to them again at a later date.
• Sit in a place with fewer noise distractions during lectures (avoid air-conditioning vents, open windows and people who snore).
• Sit closer to the front of the classroom so that you can hear clearly.
• Avoid sitting with people who will want to talk to you during class. I know that it is nice to sit with your friends, but a little sacrifice could go a long way in this case.
• Ask your teacher or lecturers questions so that you can clarify your knowledge through listening.
• This one is best done in your dorm room when you are alone - read your notes out loud.

Kinesthetic/Tactile Learners
Always fiddling with a pencil or clicking your ballpoint in class? Chances are that you are a tactile or kinesthetic learner. This means that you learn best through interacting with materials and a hands-on approach.

If you are extremely fidgety to the point of distracting your classmates, you may have a problem such as over-doing it on the caffeine and sugar, or it may be an indication of an attention problem. If you fidget but can still recall content without losing concentration, it is probably more likely that you are a tactile learner. Tactile learners benefit most from learning when they can move, touch, use their bodies and do practical activities such as drawing diagrams, making or creating things or carrying out physical tasks.

People who learn in this style tend to find it hard to listen for long periods of time without doing anything physically. The following are some practical tips that tactile learners can use to get the most out of their learning, regardless of the teaching style from the front:

• Keep a soft ball or other small object on hand to squeeze during a long lecture. If you squeeze this same object during your personal study, your body will hopefully make the connection with what you learned.
• Create diagrams, flow charts or mind maps of class content to keep that pen moving.
• When you do your personal study, make models, dramatize or actively use the content of what you have learned to help boost your memory.
• Write copious notes to keep your hand moving.

Visual Learners
Do you ever find that words drift over your head? You may have been told off for not listening or been reprimanded for the elaborate drawings in your notebook

This is very common among people who learn visually. If a lesson is demonstrated in a visual way or elaborated with diagrams, illustrations or charts it would make life so much easier for you. Unfortunately, this is not the case with a lot of college classes, apart from labs or tutorials, which can be more hands on (depending on the subject).

If you are predominantly a visual learner, the advantage is that once you are aware of this, you can maximize your ability to learn material. The following are some ways to make the most out of any class or study break:

• Illustrate your notes. Be as elaborate as you want to. Remember, they are your notes!
• Use visual organizers such as different types of mind maps, brainstorming pictures and flow charts to organize your study material.
• Write with different colored pens and highlighters to emphasize important sections of the material.
• If animation is your thing, draw characters or stick figures to link to different points.

Remember, nobody ever learns in purely one style. Find the style that you use the most, and use some of the tips above to get that extra mileage out of your learning. Incorporate your own strategies and tools that work best for you and don't be afraid to try new strategies.

*****

Anna-Kaye Forsyth is a freelance writer for education, and a content developer for interactive whiteboard company Smart Board in New Zealand. She holds a Batchelor of Music Education from the University of Auckland. Anna is the author of 3 compilations of thinking hats lesson plans for teachers, which are due for release soon through Curriculum Concepts. Currently, Anna is working freelance to support herself as she pursues a career as a singer/songwriter.

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