Finding What Learning Style Works for You Learning should be a lifelong pursuit and it is for many. Making that pursuit worthwhile and even enjoyable takes an understanding of your own cognitive ability. You have to be able to look at the way that you learn because no matter how hard you try, your learning experience will always be different from someone else’s. Here are some tips to find the learning style that works for you.
Take a learning style test There are a lot of ways that you can find out what learning style you are but just simply taking a test can help you understand how you should be learning. Many of these tests ask questions that pertain to how you remember things so you can almost just skip these tests by taking a look at what is most effective for you when you are learning.
Keep a learning journal If you don’t keep a record of what you are doing to be successful when you are learning, then you won’t be as progressive. Make sure that you are keeping track of all of the little things that help you internalize concepts and help you move forward with learning.
Try out each learning style There are several major learning styles and you may fall into two or more, so finding the right combination is really about trial and error, but it is very important to actively try each one and notice how much you are able to retain by the end. This means you should try learning by listening to someone else read out loud for audio learning. Try learning something by taking hands on approach for the kinesthetic learning style. Lastly try writing out diagrams in order to visualize things. All of these can help you get ahead but it is important that you pay attention to the ones that work for you the most. Sometimes you can make them work in combinations and that can really enhance your learning experience all-together.
Making things work for you in the classroom You may be going to Fort Collins College and you may just want to apply some of these learning strategies in the classroom. It is important to have an idea before you get started and that means that if you are going to test your audible learning, then you trust your instincts and put down your pencil and just listen. You could even do a recording so you can listen again later. You may have been taught to take notes before but that might not be the strategy that works best for you so just trust your learning
and give it a try. Another thing that you could do is forgo the writing and start drawing models that will help you remember. In the end these simple little tips will help you find, try, and ultimately implement your learning style in the real world. Make sure that you are ready to give up some of the institutionalized habits you have picked up along the way. Photo Credit: Alex, D Sharon Pruitt