What Kind of Learner Are You?
If you’re struggling in one of your classes, or even many of them, that’s no reflection on your intelligence level. It doesn’t even mean that you’re not working hard and trying to study for your classes. It might just mean that you’re learning style is different from how the instructor teaches.
Every person is different. We all have our different tastes, opinions, and viewpoints. Likewise, every person learns in slightly different ways from others. As a result, study techniques that work great for your friend Joe might not work for your other friend, Annie. And neither of their study methods might work for you.
So how do you solve this dilemma? It’s essential that you learn what your own individual learning style is. This is the only sure way of maximizing your understanding of the course material. Otherwise, no matter how bright you are, you’ll probably get discouraged and you might even lose the motivation to succeed in your classes.
Educators have determined that there are four distinct learning styles. A few students will fit neatly into just one of these categories. Most, however, overlap between two or more of these styles. However, everyone is primarily in one of the four categories.
1) The Visual – Verbal Style. If you fall into this learning style, then you learn when the material is presented in a visual way as well as in a written-language form. You do pretty well with instructors who use an overhead projector, blackboard, or other visual presentation to outline and emphasize their lessons. You probably also greatly benefit with class notes and textbooks. If this sounds like you, then the best way for you to study will be in a quiet room, alone, so that you can visualize the course material and information in your “mind’s eye.”
2) The Visual – Nonverbal Style. If this is your learning style, you learn well when information is presented in a visual format, using design and pictures.
3) The Tactile – Kinesthetic Style. If this is your learning style, then you find that you learn best when you must participate actively in the lesson. On material that you just can’t grasp, when you take part in “hands on” learning, it suddenly becomes clear to you. Student learning experiences, field work, workshop activities, and more are helpful for you. If this sounds like you, then you should try to find some “hands-on” activity that will help you grasp the material. For instance, making flash cards will be as helpful to you as studying them. Saying vocabulary words out loud, along with their definitions is another tactic that you’ll find beneficial.
4) The Auditory – Verbal Style. If this is your learning style, then you learn best when you hear the information. Oral lectures, tapes, and group discussions help you to truly grasp the information. If this sounds like you, then try listening to listen to audio tapes of the material as a key part of your study time (You can even record your own tapes with class notes on them). Also, group study sessions, where you listen to other students recite the information, will be helpful to you.
Not sure which learning style (or combination of styles) best fits you? Then do a Google search on “learning style assessment.” You should be able to find an assessment that will help you figure it out. Or try a learning style quiz here.
About the Author
Brian is a writer and web developer living in Victoria BC. He has a BA in Economics and an MA in Psychology. Brian has written and published widely on education, testing, psychology and popular culture. 
great article, when working with cleints we notice a large improvement (intake of information) when we get clients to use there prefered learning style
I’m a little surprised at how interesting your content is. I think you should make an ebook out of this information. Thank you for sharing.
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