Learning Styles

Introduction

 A learning style is a technique best fitted to you to help you learn in the way you feel most comfortable. Different people learn more in different ways and styles, here are some examples people may feel most suited to when learning.

Visual

People may like actually seeing what they are learning in detail such as images, this may be because it sticks in their mind better as an image rather than lots of text. Some ways people may benefit from visual learning could be;

charts/ pictures, diagrams this would give them visual detail and statistics.

colour coding can also make things easier by highlighting important information.

Aural

Some people may prefer sound when learning such as earphones reading books and music, listening may put them in a zone which allows them to keep what they are learning in their memory. Repetition may also help you learn as it is said over and over again for some people who find it easier to remember that way. Discussing in groups can also be an easier way to learn for some as they can talk over their problems etc. Tutorials such as online learning websites allows people to learn because it has hands on detail about a certain thing. Music, audio books and CD’s allow the person to listen instead of read which they may find sticks in their memory better.

Verbal

Speaking out loud such as reading a book out loud may help people to learn more as they are hearing what they want to learn. They may also find talking in groups can make learning much easier than doing it alone. When learning something some people may like to write it down then read it out repeatedly to help it implant on their memory. Discussions in groups or PowerPoint presentations is a good way of learning for some people as speaking out loud to people may help their confidence and help the information to stay in your memory. Working within groups such as small groups when learning a certain topic may help as its less formal which may make the person feel more comfortable to learn.

Physical

Some people may rather physical learning such as playing a learning game, this active learning may make the memory more fresh for the person trying to learn.

Hands on learning such as computer systems where you are looking inside a computer and learning about the parts in detail. Some people may use flash cards to help learn as they can apply their own information they want to learn and physically see it in front of them.

Logical

Thinking through problems in your mind and keep thinking over what you are learning may cause some people to learn information easier. Brainstorming ideas help keep your memory thinking of parts you want to learn, this can be good for some people as it keeps their mind active. Writing notes also can be a way of logical learning, this allows you to look back over what you have done to keep it in your memory.

  Social

Being in and around people and groups and discussing and learning together may be the best way to learn for some people as they feel more comfortable working along side others. Communicating with others about topics that need to be learned can help people remember the most of the information.

Solitary

Being alone in a quiet area can be the best way to learn for some as they are alone with little distractions. Learning alone can make the person more independent by increasing their knowledge by self tutoring. A person who finds learning alone may keep a journal to look back over to keep their mind fresh on the topics that have been done. Usually the main sort of person who finds it better to always work alone and find it easier that way would be a quieter person.

There are many ways you can tell what learning style best suits you, such as experience and websites on the internet that allow you to under go a short test to tell you what learning style best suits you. Here is an example of a website http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html

Here is the results I achieved from an online website

  

This information allows me to take a look at how I can approach learning in the best way, the graph tells me that social learning is my best suited technique there for I can now look for ways in which social learning can help me such as learning with others or in groups and classes, speaking out loud and performing presentations. This should allow me to learn the most as I can and also change how I go about doing work such as assignments. Social learning could have an effect on my learning by commuicating with others, learning in a group or an environment with other people. Another way I could learn is by physical learning such as learning games, which could be used as a method of memory. Physical learning also includes looking at things hands on and learning from it in your own comfort and knowledge. In order to achieve my goals in the future i am going to work more socially when trying to learn ie. working in a small group or talking through the situation casually with people such as friends or family. I also think that speaking out loud will help me learn as saying things over and over again out loud will help me focus.