Have you ever wondered: ‘What kind of student are you?’
Do you plan your daily schedule very carefully? Do you study for 3 to 9 hours every day and a bit less at weekend? Or perhaps, you have your own studying rules and you always follow them? Before your class starts you switch off your mobile phone in order to be concentrated well. Why do you do better in some classes than others?
It may depend on your individual learning style. Your learning style influences the way you understand information and solve problems.
There are three primary learning styles:
- Auditory
- Visual
- Tactile
Many people use a combination of learning styles, whereas others learn best by using just one.
What types of learning activities seem to suit the student best?
If you are an auditory learner, you learn by hearing and listening. You understand and remember things you have heard. You store information by the way it sounds, and you have an easier time understanding spoken instructions than written ones. You often learn by reading out loud because you have to hear it or speak it in order to know it.
As an auditory learner, you probably hum or talk to yourself or others if you become bored. People may think you are not paying attention, even though you may be hearing and understanding everything being said.
Here are some things that auditory learners can do to learn better:
- Sit where you can hear.
- Study new material, new words by reading it out loud.
- Read stories, assignments, exercises, test questions or directions out loud.
- Record yourself spelling words and then listen to the recording.
Remember that you need to hear things, not just see things, in order to learn well.
If you are a visual learner, you learn by reading or seeing pictures. You understand and remember things by sight. You can „draw“ what you are learning in your head, and you learn best by visual methods. You want to see what you are learning.
As a visual learner, you are usually neat and tidy. You are attracted to colors. You often close your eyes to visualize or remember something, and you will find something to watch if you become bored. You may have difficulty with spoken directions and may be easily distracted by sounds.
Here are some tips for visual learners:
- Try to visualize things that you hear or things that are read to you.
- Draw pictures to help explain new concepts and then explain the pictures.
- Use flashcards to learn new words.
- Write down key words, phrases, ideas, or instructions.
- Highlight your notes by colors.
- Avoid distractions during study times.
Remember that you need to see things, not just hear things, to learn well.
What can the tactile learners do to learn better:
- Participate in activities that involve touching, building, moving, or drawing.
- Use a laptop/tablet to reinforce learning through the sense of touch.
- Do lots of hands-on activities like completing projects, taking walks, or acting out stories.
- Walk around, rock in a chair, tap a pencil, shake your foot while listening, reading or studying.
- Use flashcards and arrange them in groups to show relationships between ideas.
- Trace words with your finger to learn spelling (finger spelling).
- Take frequent (but nor long) breaks during reading or studying periods.
Remember that you learn best by doing, not just by reading, seeing, or hearing.
Being a tactile learner, you learn by touching and doing. You understand and remember things through physical movement. You tend to learn better when some type of a physical activity is involved (touching, moving, building, or drawing). You need tHarmer, How to teach English, Longman, 2007,o be active and take frequent breaks, you often speak with your hands and with gestures, and you may have difficulty sitting static.
As a tactile learner, you like to take things apart and put things together, and you tend to find reasons to tinker or move around when you become bored. You may be very well coordinated and have good athletic ability. You can easily remember things that were done but may have difficulty remembering what you saw or heard in the process. You often communicate by touching, and you appreciate physically expressed forms of encouragement, such as a pat on the back.
What can the tactile learners do to learn better:
- Participate in activities that involve touching, building, moving, or drawing.
- Use a laptop/tablet to reinforce learning through the sense of touch.
- Do lots of hands-on activities like completing projects, taking walks, or acting out stories.
- Walk around, rock in a chair, tap a pencil, shake your foot while listening, reading or studying.
- Use flashcards and arrange them in groups to show relationships between ideas.
- Trace words with your finger to learn spelling (finger spelling).
- Take frequent (but nor long) breaks during reading or studying periods.
Remember that you learn best by doing, not just by reading, seeing, or hearing.
‚People will discover their preffered way of learning and use their brain capacity more fully. Learning becomes more enjoyable, easier, more effective and faster (…).‘
What is your learning style?
Recourses:
Harmer, How to teach English, Longman, 2007
Scrivener, Learning Teaching, MacMillan Education, 2011
