Learning styles

Reflecting on your learning styles can be a valuable way of developing your use of study strategies.

Your Quickscan report provides an indication of your preferred learning style or styles, which can be used to help you review your current strategies. It provides a starting point from which to raise your awareness and to think about how you:

• perceive or acquire information
• process information
• organise and store information

You may have been identified as having one predominant learning style or a combination of two, or even three. No one style is better than another. The most important factor is your awareness and development of your own approach to learning.

Visual Learning Style

This suggests that you learn best from what you see.

Learning preferences:

• observation
• visual presentations /demonstrations
• mental imagery
• thinking in pictures or images

Characteristics of this style:

• ability to plan thoroughly
• able to plan in a meticulous, neat and professional manner
• an avid reader
• can study for long periods of time
• a high level of concentration.

Study tips:

• use highlighters to identify key information
• use flowcharts, mind maps and colour coding to help you plan
• try visualisation to remember awkward spellings, difficult words, specific terms, definitions and formulae
• replace words with symbols or initials.

Keywords:

• See, watch, imagine, picture, visualise, draw, look, display, clear sight.

Auditory Learning Style

This suggests that you learn best from what you hear.

Learning preferences:

• information presented verbally
• opportunity for discussion.

Characteristics of this style:

• able to assimilate facts form discussions
• may read quickly and fluently
• adept at summarising information
• good at presenting logical argument
• like to articulate a problem or difficult concept.

Study tips:

• verbally rehearse information
• try reciting facts to yourself (or even sing them)
• use mnemonics
• use verbally based ‘peg and hook’ systems
• discuss your learning with others
• put notes onto tape

Keywords:

• listen, hear, talk, debate, recite, discuss, formulate, dialogue, repetition.

Kinaesthetic Learning Style

This suggests that you learn best from what you do.

Learning preferences:

• like to place events or information within a dramatic or real context
• practical involvement.

Characteristics of this style:

• like to get to grips with the subject by experiencing the event
• create opportunities for practical activity
• prefer to work in short bursts
• intersperse reading with physical activity.

Study tips:

• work in short, intense periods
• take regular breaks
• reading should be selective
• place information into an emotional or even theatrical context
• mentally review your learning whilst taking exercise.

Keywords:

sensation, do, touch, feel, move, act, take, experience, emotion, dramatic.