What Does Your Learning Style Say About You?
When looking at matters of education, one of the best things you can do is know yourself. Whether you are a high school student or heading to college, knowing about your learning tendencies and habits will help you be more successful in the classroom.
One thing that can truly help your learning is figuring out what your learning style is. There are three different core learning styles and each has its own benefits. The three major styles of learning are visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and to find out which style you are, there are numerous free tests on the web that you can take. Finding out your particular learning style is the first step towards capitalizing on your learning capabilities.
The first style of learning to explore is visual. Those who learn best visually learn by seeing things in front of them and absorbing the material. Typically, visual learners really understand things when they see it in picture form or with the aid of charts and graphs. Some of the benefits of being a visual learner are that you might frequently make outlines, you take good notes from what the teacher writes on the board and you make a lot of lists. All of these things can be very helpful to your study habits. Visual learners don’t do well with tests where they have to listen and respond. Anytime you have a test that involves reading a map or diagram, typically you will do well because of your learning style.
For auditory learners, things are a bit different. Auditory learners are able to listen to changes in tone to figure out the true meaning of words. For example, someone who learns through the auditory style might have to say a phone number out loud to recall how it sounded. Many auditory learners like to read out loud, follow spoken directions well and cannot be quiet for long periods of time. One advantage to being an auditory learner is being good at oral exams. Another advantage is that auditory learners are typically good at foreign languages and can be more vocal in the classroom setting.
The third type of learning is kinesthetic. This type of learning is also referred to as tactile or physical. Kinesthetic learners learn through actually doing or experiencing things. They have to physically act out an event to get it to stick in their mind, like writing it down. They can often remember difficult things after they’ve acted them out and usually do well in sports and cannot sit still for very long. Kinesthetic learners can study with loud music on which can be an advantage in a crowded house or dorm room. An advantage to being this type of learner is that you will probably do well on multiple choice tests, as well as fill-in type questions.
Once you figure out what type of style you learn best in, you can be more successful in school by studying, completing assignments and taking tests in the manner that best works for you.