Three dimensions of how you learn: 1. Perception of your study and how you approach your learning 2. Process of your study and how you memorise and use information 3. Presentation of your study and how you organise and demonstrate your learning This guide emphasises the perception and process of your study, and therefore will apply to your learning in any learning situation. The other study skills guides in this series will give general advice on how you should present your learning at an academic level. Two main areas that will probably affect your approach to learning:
Your motivation (the reasons why you are engaged in a particular course of study). Think about why you are a student and what you hope to gain from your studies. This may be something very specific (like promotion), or perhaps very personal (like increased self-confidence). Do you have only one reason for why you became a student or are there several reasons? Have your reasons for studying changed since you became a student? These reasons may change over time, being aware of them will affect your attitude to study and how you organise it. Periodically reflecting on them may help you to reorganise your priorities.
Your previous history as a learner, both in a formal setting (such as at school or on another course) and informally, through unstructured or unexpected learning experiences. Think about one good (enjoyable and effective) learning experience and one that was less effective and enjoyable. Then ask yourself why the first was more effective and why the second was not. Maybe the reason your learning did not go too well was nothing to do with the topic or the activity, but simply that you had had a difficult day and found it impossible to concentrate. All learning has an affective component (to do with feelings) as well as a cognitive one (to do with thinking). Recognising this and resolving any tensions in our feelings about learning - is an important part of learning how to learn.
Memorising Information In 1992, Neil Fleming and Colleen Mills developed the VARK system to describe how we memorise information through sensory 'channels': •
Visual - through seeing information
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Auditory - through hearing information
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Reading / writing - through reading information then writing a summary
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Kinaesthetic - through other sensations, including touch, temperature, movement etc.
Most people use a multisensory approach (listening, seeing and doing), but each person usually has one format that they prefer to use. Visual learners learn best from nonverbal formats. They have difficulty retaining information from speeches, books, or anything else that is textheavy.
Auditory learners learn best from lectures and discussion. They prefer listening to facts, and retain information by it’s sound. Advice for auditory learners •
Advice for visual learners • • • • • • • •
Use visual materials such as pictures and charts. Use colour to highlight texts and notes. Take notes or use handouts; look carefully at headings and patterns of topics. Brainstorm using mind maps. Use multi-media where possible. Study in a quiet place away from visual disturbances. Visualise information as a picture. Skim-read to get an overview before reading in detail.
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Participate frequently in discussions and debates. Make speeches and presentations. Use a tape recorder if possible instead of (or as well as) making notes. Read text aloud. Create musical jingles and mnemonics to aid memory. Discuss your ideas verbally. Dictate to someone else while they write your ideas down. Speak onto an audio-tape and listen to your own ideas played back.
Reading / writing learners love words and text. They learn best by reading about something and then writing a summary.
Kinaesthetic learners memorise information by recalling where they were at the time or how it felt to perform a new skill.
Advice for reading / writing learners
Advice for tactile / kinaesthetic learners
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Set aside time to read in a quiet, well lit environment. Make notes as you read. Write summaries of what you have read. Try not to over-read; practice skim-reading. Always carry a notepad and pen, to note down spontaneous ideas.
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Take frequent study breaks. Move around to learn new things (e.g. read while you are using an exercise bike; model in clay to learn a new concept). Stand up to work. Use bright colours to highlight reading. material and turn it into posters or models. Skim-read before reading in detail.
Advice for multisensory learners • •
Use a range of sensory methods (see above) for each learning task. Frequently monitor and adapt your study. Adapted from the University of Southampton, 2007 [online]
Discover your Learning Style Most people have a dominant preferred learning style, although we often employ aspects of more than one style; this is actually a more effective way to learn. Identifying your preferred learning style will help you to find the ways in which you learn best and also to improve on the areas in which you are not so strong. Are you an Activist, Reflector, Theorist, or Pragmatist? Activists learn best from activities in which there are: • • • • • •
new experiences and challenges from which to learn, short, here and now tasks involving competitive teamwork and problemsolving, excitement, change and variety, high visibility tasks such as chairing meetings, leading discussions and presentations, situations in which new ideas can be developed without constraints of policy and structure, and opportunities for just having a go.
Reflectors learn best from activities where they: • • • • • • •
are allowed or encouraged to watch / think / ponder on activities, have time to think before acting, to assimilate before commenting, can carry out careful, detailed research, have time to review their learning, need to produce carefully considered analyses and reports, are helped to exchange views with other people without danger, by prior agreement, within a structured learning experience, and can reach a decision without pressure and tight deadlines.
Theorists learn best from activities where: • • • • • •
what is being offered is part of a system, model, concept or theory, they can explore methodically the associations and interrelationships between ideas, events and situations, they can question and probe the basic methodology, assumptions or logic, they are intellectually stretched, e.g. by being asked to analyse and evaluate, then generalise, they are in structured situations with a clear purpose, and they see interesting ideas and concepts, whether or not they are immediately relevant.
Pragmatists learn best from activities where: • • • • • • •
there is an obvious link between the subject matter and a ‘real life’ problem, they are shown techniques for doing things with obvious practical advantages, they have the chance to try out and practise techniques with coaching or feedback from a credible expert, they see a model they can emulate or examples / anecdotes, they are given techniques currently applicable to their own work, they are given immediate opportunities to implement what they have learned, and they can concentrate on practical issues, such as drawing up action plans or giving tips to others.
Effective Study Methods There are many different study activities to suit your preferred learning style. Some general suggestions for getting started: • • • • • •
Create an effective study environment - pleasant, tidy and quiet, with plenty of light. Decide what you should be studying - create a study plan. Utilise appropriate study tools - paper, pens, notebook, dictionary. Add study to your day-to-day routine - set yourself a regular time for study. Organise your time - keep a calendar and plan ahead. Evaluate your study methods - reflect on what worked for you, improve on what did not work so well.
Use Mind Maps Mind Maps are a very effective way of making notes. They show facts, show the overall structure of the subject and the importance of individual ideas. They help you see the links between ideas that you might not otherwise see. Mind Maps are useful for: • • • •
summarising information, collecting information from different sources, thinking through difficult subjects, and showing the overall structure of your subject
Manage Your Time Effectively
Identify your tasks and the activities needed to achieve them. Tasks
– reports, presentations, assignments, practical project.
Activities – take notes, study, lectures, proof reading, type up work. Schedule your work Scheduling is the process by which you look at the time available to you and plan how you will use it to achieve the tasks that you have identified. Prioritise By prioritising your activities, you can tell what needs your immediate attention and what you can leave until later. This is essential to reduce stress and beat work overload. Monitor Periodic review of your schedule will allow you to use your contingency time for tasks that are taking longer than expected.