Counseling Education

How To Determine Your Learning Style

Your education and how you learn depends on how you process information. People typically rely primarily on hearing, seeing, and the kinesthetic senses of touch and movement. Most people tend to use one sense more than others, and that will determine the type of learning style that they use. You probably have a main learning style, with another as backup. These individual approaches are the reason why different people respond so differently to the same information.

Identify Your Learning Style

Knowing which approach works best for you can help improve your memory and your learning skills. Students will be on track to getting better grades if they can change the way they study to match the learning style they tend to use. For example, students who are visually oriented might have trouble with questions about information that was provided in classroom lectures. They would learn and retain written information such as lecture notes better than auditory information presented through a professor speaking.

Basically, some people do best at remembering what they have heard, others at remembering what they have seen, and still others at remembering what they have experienced. Recognizing your preferred learning approach will allow you to build on your strengths and create coping strategies to deal with your learning weaknesses. While there are many online tests available that will help you determine your preferred learning style, you will easily recognize your own approach by reviewing the characteristics of each style.

Learning Style Characteristics and Suggested Study Practices

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners learn best through listening. They tend to learn best by attending lectures, discussing issues, and listening to others. These learners respond to voice tones, speed, and pitch to interpret what they hear, and may have difficulty with written information until it is heard. An auditory learner is one who likes to read out loud, is good at remembering names, is able to follow oral directions, has trouble keeping quiet, and is good at explaining or acting. These learners can improve their learning skills by:

- taking part in group discussions

- recording lectures instead of taking notes

- repeating facts out loud

- using word associations to remember details

Visual Learners

Students who are visual learners are those who use a person's body language and expressions to completely understand a discussion. These learners tend to think in pictures and are at home with visual displays like videos, printed handouts, and illustrated texts. They are good at spelling, but forget names. They are attracted to color and fashion style. These students prefer time to think about information to fully understand it.

If you are a visual learner, you might implement the following ideas to improve your learning ability:

- try to make outlines of what you have to learn

- make lists and be sure to take notes

- use highlighters, or underline words that are important

- review videos of information you are learning

- draw diagrams or outlines of history or processes being studied

Kinesthetic Sense Learners

Students who rely on kinesthetic senses as a main way of learning prefer a hands-on approach, and like to explore their environment. If this is your learning style, you probably learn by actually doing and experiencing things physically. You might have trouble staying still for long periods of time and quickly become distracted by other stimuli in the environment. You might find yourself fidgeting, taking frequent breaks from studying, and having difficulty with spelling and handwriting.

Preferences include physical experiences like sports, lab work, building models, and physical activities like dance or martial arts. You might want to try the following suggestions for learning:

- use flash cards or memory games to help study

- try studying with others or through role play

- field trips and visits to museums can be helpful

- lab classes offer hands-on approaches

If you understand your personal learning style, you are in a better position to make each learning situation more effective. This will allow you to have confidence that you are experiencing the education process to your best advantage.

Author Bio

Ryan Ayers is a writer and blogger who focuses on the area of education. This article notes the different learning styles and encourages further study with a Masters in Special Education .

Image credit: on Flickr