Study Tip: Know What Type of Learner You Are!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

Our personal learning style is the unique manner in which we acquire, grasp, and retain new material. Some adults learn predominantly by way of seeing and visualizing, whereas others learn via the hands-on approach, which entails touching, tapping, and movement. Furthermore, others learn by listening and hearing. While one particular learning style tends to predominate in most persons, a handful of people seem to favor more than one modality.

How does one figure out what type of learner (s)he is? Read more about the four primary learning styles below and see if you can identify with any of them.

The Visual Learner

The majority of students are visual learners. Students who possess the visual learning style seem to favor lists, demonstrations, and PowerPoint presentations. Visual learners learn by watching lectures and looking at visual representations (charts, pictures, maps, and graphs). Based on estimates, approximately 60 percent of the student population consists of those with a predominantly visual learning style.

The Auditory Learner

Auditory learners, also known as aural learners, tend to retain information that they hear. These types of learners learn most efficiently by listening to lectures and verbal instructions. Moreover, when many auditory learners read, they often whisper the words to themselves or sometimes read aloud. Countless auditory learners retain material by listening to audiobooks, recorded lectures, or through talking out the steps of a problem. A telltale sign of an auditory learner is distractibility: they are distracted by extraneous noises and frequently require quiet study environments.

The Tactile Learner

Tactile learners acquire new material primarily through the sense of touch. These learners display a strong preference toward activities that allow them to utilize their hands, such as flipping flash cards, taking hand-written notes, preparing drawings, doodling, and typing. The typical tactile learner performs most optimally when (s)he actively takes notes during lectures using pen and paper. In addition, numerous students with this learning style enjoy lab practicum courses that facilitate hands-on acquisition of new facts.

The Kinesthetic Learner

In the past, many people assumed kinesthetic learners and tactile learners were one and the same. However, several differences exist between the two styles of learning. Namely, kinesthetic learners grasp new information by way of doing and moving. In essence, they would rather jump in there and perform the activity instead of observe or listen to directions. The telltale sign of a typical kinesthetic learner is the inclination to retain very little of whatever the instructor speaks during lectures. It should be noted that most persons start out as kinesthetic learners in early childhood before gradually becoming more tactile in middle childhood.

Now that you've probably identified your prevailing learning style, what are some study tips to help you navigate the scholastic setting and learn more effectually?

Visual Learning Tips

Use vividly-colored highlighters when reading textbooks and notes to help make important facts visually stand out.
Utilize flash cards since constantly visualizing the same words, facts, definitions and tidbits helps the visual learner retain new material.
Read your notes and, whenever possible, turn them into presentations using programs such as Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint.

Auditory Learning Tips

Listen to audiobooks whenever possible. If you cannot obtain the audiobook version, read your textbooks aloud whenever possible.
Obtain your instructor's permission to record lectures, and repeatedly listen to the lecture to retain the information being presented.
Join a study group where you can actively talk with and listen to classmates about the material, as well as compare notes aloud.

Tactile Learning Tips

Invest in some old-fashioned lined paper and take handwritten notes during your lectures. In your spare time, rewrite these notes into your own words.
Take the time to prepare flash cards using 3 by 5 inch index cards. The act of touching, preparing, and writing out the information will help you remember it.
Do not resist the urge to draw, doodle, or jot extraneous information. Drawing and doodling actually helps cement material into your long-term memory.

Kinesthetic Learning Tips

If you must read, you'll probably retain best while moving (e.g. standing, cycling on a stationary bike, walking on a treadmill, and so forth).
Engage in another activity while studying such as eating a snack, chewing gum, tapping your feet, sipping water, or standing up.
Be mindful that you will probably need to take frequent breaks while studying. A true kinesthetic learner cannot remain still for long periods.