Chances are you’ve heard about different learning styles. You may have heard that some people are visual learners, but what does that mean? There are actually three major learning styles and knowing your style can make a big difference in your grades. Let’s take a closer look at how to determine your unique learning style.
Why It’s Important to Know Your Learning Style
Once you know your learning style, you’re able to change your study habits so that you’re better able to take in the material. For example, if you’re an auditory learner, you might record lectures and replay them a few times to help memorize the data.
Types of Learning Styles
There are three main learning styles. The first, and most talked about learning style, is visual. A visual learner learns by seeing things. The second type of learner is the auditory learner who learns by hearing things. Last, but not least, is the kinesthetic learner, otherwise knows as the hands-on learner, learns by doing.
Which Characteristics to Look For
You can help determine your learning style by looking for different characteristics. The visual learner will need quiet, dreams in color, does better with charts, and is good at spelling. Auditory learners like to read out loud, aren’t afraid of public speaking, enjoy music, read slowly, and do good with group study. Lastly, kinesthetic learners have problems sitting still and listening to long lectures, they take breaks while studying, and aren’t good with spelling. These are just a few of the characteristics of each learning type.
How to Become a Better Student
Thankfully, once you hone in your learning style, you can start doing things to improve your studying skills. Visual learners can see improvement by making outlines, copying down what’s on the board, using flashcards, and watching videos. Auditory learners can use word association, have group discussions about the material, and record notes to listen to. Lastly, kinesthetic learners can take short study bursts, visit museums, study with others, and use memory games to better their studying techniques.
What to Look Out For
While there are things you can do to improve your studying skills, each learning type will have tests that trip them up. Visual learners will have problems with listen and respond type tests. Auditory learners will have trouble with tests that require reading and responding to a passage within a given time frame. Lastly, kinesthetic learners will have trouble with long tests and essay-style tests.
While only a student counselor can truly identify your learning style, knowing the characteristics can give you a better idea of how to improve your study methods and which tests to study the hardest for.
About the Author: Armand Marcinkiewicz learns by hearing but finds it helpful to write things down to commit them to memory later on. He works as a tutor and often spends time learning about the learning styles of his students to better aide them in grasping information.
