How do you learn?
January 31, 2010 in Study
Teachers can help you get results by tailoring their lessons so you learn but you’re the one who can really tailor your own study program so that you maximise your learning. Just knowing how you learn can make a major difference when you’re trying to improve your grades.
Everyone learns in different ways but knowing how you learn can make a massive difference to how you progress. There are basically 3 different types of learning styles:
Visual Learners
People who learn by seeing things and remembering how they look. These are identified by the following characteristics, someone that is good at spelling, likes using colours, likes learning by drawing diagrams.
photo credit: Photo Maiden
If you like uses images to remember things we suggest you try some of the following: Highlight your notes, draw mind maps to remember stuff, copy notes in class in a style that suits you (maybe use arrow and circles at the side of the page for additional notes to boost your learning.
Auditory Learners
You’re a good listener and love talking. You can stay quiet for too long and has no problems speaking out in front of groups of people. You’ll also probably prefer talking than texting and you’ll enjoy learning languages and listening to music.
photo credit: Divine Harvester
We suggest taking your notes in class then creating audio tapes and listen to them over and over again to learn facts and equations of by heart. This may sound like a bit of work but you can download a free recording tool such as Audacity and when you create your tapes you can save them as mp3 and listen to them on your ipod on the way to school or ever at lunch time, you nerd!
Kinesthectic Learners
People who like getting stuck in to tasks and learning by doing. You’re probably pretty active and find it hard to sit still so that you can study. You probably like practical subjects much more than anything else and hate waiting for explanations and just want to get on with it.
We suggest you get together with others and study as a group. Also reduce your study time into short burst and take plenty breaks. Try to break things into practical tasks for yourself. You could also try to create your own learning resources such as memory games.
Search google to find out what type of learning you are and we bet you can boost your grades. You might not have known before now but just reading this article will probably give you a good idea and it may open your eyes up to a whole new way of study that you can create for yourself. If you sound like you may be all 3 learning styles you’re probably a smarty pants! Maybe you knew all this already. Lucky you 
