Study Series: Know Your Best Learning Style

Do you know what kind of learning style is best for you? While most of us will use each learning style to a certain degree, we often learn and retain information best using one or two of the learning styles listed below. If you are unsure about what kind of learning style you work best with, when reading the descriptions, think about which way of studying you often turn to and which one appeals to you the most.

Visual

Visual learners often learn best using visual aids like videos, pictures, graphs, diagrams and charts. If you are a visual learner, you will often remember what you saw rather than what you read or heard and you may have difficulty remembering information passed on verbally. When studying, pay extra attention to graphs and charts, or see if you can turn your study notes into something visual (like a diagram), incorporating lots of colour. When listening to a teacher, make sure to take write down notes as this helps the visual learner retain information.

Auditory

Auditory learners learn best from listening to their teachers lecture. If you are an auditory learner, you may find you often talk to yourself while studying and explaining concepts to yourself out loud. To get the most out of your study, join a study group where you will be able to talk to other people about key concepts and listen to them talk through their study notes. Alternatively, listen to podcasts or record yourself talking through your notes!

Read/Write

Read/write learners learn best from the written word like handouts, books, lists and glossaries. If you are a read/write learner, you will find yourself opting for transcripts of presentations as opposed to audio or video files and will chose to read and re-read study notes as opposed to talking about them with your classmates. When studying, it would be helpful for you to convert charts or diagrams into dot points or write out the meaning of the charts to help you retain the information. You will also benefit from writing out copies of your study notes over and over again.

Kinaesthetic

Kinaesthetic learners learn best by turning their study into an activity. If you are a kinaesthetic learner, you may find you like taking notes and doodling while listening to teachers and will retain information best by participating in demonstrations. Similar to an auditory learner, your most effective way of studying is in a group setting, explaining key concepts to other students. Also similar to a visual learner, you retain information easier through turning your study notes into diagrams and charts.

Now you know what kind of learner you are, this will help your study when it comes to exam time!

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