Knowing your dominant learning style is the most important and yet often the most overlooked step in your study plan!
Most students are a combination of a few of the learning styles, but knowing which are your most dominant means that you’ll spend less time and effort learning content because you are working in a way that makes sense for YOUR brain.
There are 4 main learning styles:
👂 Auditory
👀 Visual
🖐 Kinesthetic/tactile
✍ Reading and writing
Auditory learning
What is it?
Auditory learners process information best when it is heard or spoken. They tend to think after they’ve spoken, rather than before (Bay Atlantic, 2021). This is because they process information as they speak and listen.
Study strategies:
- Recording notes to listen to later
- Listening to lectures or classes
- Discussing the content with someone
Visual learning
What is it?
Visual learners process information in a visual way, such as by using graphs, pictures, flow charts and diagrams.
Study strategies:
- Use colour codes for organising information
- Utilise mindmaps and flowcharts to describe processes
- Redraw notes from memory
- Replace information or key words with symbols
- Draw pictures
Kinesthaetic/Tactile learning
What is it?
Kinaesthetic learners learn best when they can be hands-on. They prefer to get physical and learn through experience. They love examples and relating work to their own experiences.
Study strategies:
- Perform experiments
- Use examples and case studies
- Use objects or draw posters and mind maps to illustrate content
Reading and writing learning
What is it?
Reading and writing style learners prefer text over any other form of information. They excel at written assignments.
Study strategies:
- Write and rewrite your notes over and over again
- Make sure concepts are in your own words
- Translate diagrams and charts into statements
If you’re curious about which learning style you are, here is a free quiz you can take 👉 https://www.learningstylequiz.com/
Or make contact with us at Mastering It for further assistance in identifying your learning style.
Remember that while a combination of strategies is the best plan, you should focus on using your dominant styles for the bulk of your studying.
We hope this proves useful for you and that you revolutionise your study routines!
Happy studying!