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Additional Learning Strategy Questions
To help you deepen your exploration of your own learning preferences, here are some additional questions. These look at learning strategies beyond those covered in the questionnaire, and can help you develop an effective learning strategy for yourself.
Do you learn best in the morning, afternoon or evening?
Do you prefer to learn by interacting with others or on your own?
Do you like to learn with music in the background or in a quiet environment?
Do you learn more easily when you can eat while learning?
Do you prefer to zero in on one topic, or jump around?
Do you prefer to learn the parts first and then create the whole, or would you rather see the whole and then deduce at the parts?
Do you prefer to listen to the experts or trust your intuition?
Do you learn in order to enhance your understanding of yourself or to better understand concepts and processes?
Imagine the following scenario: You are about to start a new class and are entering the classroom for the first time. As you walk through the door, what are the first few things you are most likely to notice about the learning environment?
Think back through your personal learning history. Identify a learning experience that you thought was particularly powerful or effective. What were the key characteristics of that experience?
A (Very) Brief Introduction to Learning Styles and Strategies
Learning theorists spend a lot of time talking about learning styles. The heart of their discussion is that every person has a unique set of preferences, talents and abilities that influence how they learn. While there is a great deal of research on the topic of learning styles, there is little agreement on which theory of learning styles is the right one. In fact, the original concept that every individual has a dominant learning style, and should focus on learning approaches largely based on that style, has been thoroughly discredited. While most people use a wide range of learning strategies depending on what they are learning and the environment in which they are learning, understand what works best for you can be very helpful.
The following explanation is intended to identify a range of potential learning strategies. Knowing what approaches work for each individual in varying learning circumstances is an effective way to leverage knowledge of learning strategies.
Exploring your own learning strategy preferences can pay great rewards. When you know how you learn best, you can make the most efficient and effective use of your study time.
The following information will provide insight three learning strategies: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic.
People commonly have a main preferred learning strategy, but this will usually be a blend of all three strategies. Some people have a very strong preference; other people have a more even mixture of two or less commonly, three strategies. The key point is that there some strategies may work better for you than others.
As adult learners, we all use each of these approaches in various combinations. But one or two strategies may be more effective for you for certain types of learning. Understanding your preferences can help you tailor a learning program for yourself that optimizes your learning. How do these strategies influence learning?
Visual learning strategies are based on seen or observed things, including pictures, diagrams, demonstrations, displays, handouts, films, flip-chart, etc. These people will use phrases such as ‘show me’, ‘let’s have a look at that’ and will be best able to perform a new task after reading the instructions or watching someone else do it first. These are the people who will work from lists and written directions and instructions.
Visual learning strategies have two subchannels - linguistic and spatial. Learners who are visual linguistic like to learn through written language, such as reading and writing tasks. They remember what has been written down, even if they do not read it more than once. They like to write down directions and pay better attention to lectures if they watch them.
Learners who are visual spatial usually have difficulty with written language and do better with charts, demonstrations, videos, and other visual materials. They easily visualize faces and places by using their imagination and seldom get lost in new surroundings. To integrate these strategies into your learning environment:
Use or create graphs, charts, illustrations, etc.
Create your own outlines, agendas, handouts, etc. for reading, taking notes, and planning study sessions.
Collect plenty of handouts to reread after the learning session.
Use the white space in handouts for note taking.
Write down content from flip charts to record what will happened in class.
Use highlighting to emphasize key points to cue when to takes notes.
Eliminate potential distractions.
Supplement textual information with illustrations whenever possible.
Draw pictures in the margins of your handouts and notes.
Show diagrams to a partner and then explain them.
Try to envision the topic or act out the subject matter.
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