As dead week approaches, you may or may not find it beneficial to figure out your learning style so you can place your efforts to where they are best suited.
The standard for learning styles include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Here are some helpful questions to help determine where you are on the spectrum of learning styles, as well as some tactics.
Would you rather
-
read notes and look at diagrams and illustrations
-
have someone ask you questions/repeat the facts silently to yourself?
-
Write things out on index cards and make models or diagrams
What you see the word “d-o-g”, what do you do first?
-
Think of a picture of a dog
-
Say the word to yourself silently
-
Sense the feeling of being with a dog
What is the most distracting for you when you are trying to concentrate?
-
Visual
-
Noises
-
Other sensations
If you chose mostly 1’s, you may be a visual learner, who are most likely to use the phrases “show me” or “let’s read it.”
If you chose 2’s, you may have an auditory learning style, who are most likely to use the phrase “tell me” or “let’s talk it over.”
If you chose 3’s, you may have a kinesthetic learning style, who are most likely to use the phrase, “let me try.”
Here are some tips for each type of learning style.
A. Visual Learners
-make and look at charts and graphics and show relationships visually
-spend more time reading the material
-highlight and color code notes
-chalkboard important information
B. Auditory Learners
-read the info aloud or to yourself
-teach the info to another person
-tape lectures and record your voice for reviewing material and listen
C. Kinesthetic Learners
-build models
-envision a scene in which material learned is being used