Learning Styles Inventory Place a check next to what best represents you. VISUAL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC Learns by seeing and watching

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1 Learning Style Reading Classes Memory Free Time Sociability Learning Styles Inventory Place a check next to what best represents you. VISUAL AUDITORY KINESTHETIC Learns by seeing and watching Likes description; sometimes stop reading to stare into space and imagine the scene Enjoys classes that are set up with the instructor writing material on the board Remembers faces; writes things down During my free time, I like to see a movie, a play, or sporting event At a party, I prefer to people watch Distractibility Unaware of sounds; distracted by visual disorder or movement Problem Solving Response to Periods of Inactivity Spelling Handwriting Deliberates; plans in advance; lists problems Stares; doodles ; finds something to watch Recognizes words by sight; relies on configuration of words Tends to be good; appearance is important Learns through verbal instruction Enjoys dialog, plays; avoids lengthy description; moves lips doesn t focus on illustrations Enjoys classes that are discussionoriented Remembers names; remembers by auditory repetition During my free time, I like to listen to music, go to a concert At a party, I prefer to talk in a small group Easily distracted by sounds Talks problems out; tries solutions verbally; talks to self Hums; talks to self or others Uses a phonics approach; tries to sound it out Tends to write lightly; has difficulty learning cursive Learns by doing and direct involvement Prefers stories where action occurs early; fidgets while reading; handles books; often not an avid reader Enjoys class in which I can work with classmates on a group activity Remembers what was done, not what was seen or talked about During my free time, I like to work out or be involved in some type of physical activity At a party, I like to take part in an activity like dancing Not attentive to visual and auditory presentations, so seems distractible Attacks problems physically; impulsive; often selects solution involving greatest activity Fidgets; finds reasons to move Writes words to determine if they feel right Good initially; deteriorates when space becomes smaller; pushes harder on instrument Visual total: Auditory total: Kinesthetic total: If the majority of your checks are in one column, that is your preferred learning style. If your checks are in multiple columns, try to combine the various tips from your preferred styles.

2 Learning Styles Three of your fives senses are primarily used in learning, storing, remembering, and recalling information. Your eyes, ears, and sense of touch play essential roles in the way you communicate, perceive reality, and relate to others. Because you learn from and communicate best with someone who shares your dominant or preferred learning style, it is a great advantage for you to know the characteristics of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles and be able to identify them in others. It is based upon the characteristics that an individual uses in order to attain their optimal academic performance. We all learn in different ways and it is helpful to have an understanding of what your learning style is. This is important to know because then you can assess what your strengths are and learn the necessary strategies to compensate for your weaknesses. Ideally, we can all learn using each learning style but in reality, we each have our preferences. What we do best can depend on our mood, the subject, other students in the class, and the teacher. The goal is to know your own preferred learning style and adjust as needed for maximum effectiveness in every class. Since learning styles and preferences vary for each of us and in different situations, by developing the skills that help you learn in a variety of ways, you make the most of your learning potential. And because you're better able to learn and gather information, you will be able to make better connections with what you are learning, and have more success both in and out of the classroom. Take time to identify how you prefer to learn and then force yourself to break out of your comfort zone. Once you start learning in new ways you ll be amazed at how much more you catch and how much easier it is to assimilate information and make sense of what is going on.

3 3 types of learners Visual Learners are able to understand through using their eyes as the primary way of learning. They rely on seeing, reading, and visualizing, and prefer maps to verbal directions when trying to find a place. Students who have a visual strength or preference like the teacher to provide demonstrations. They find it easy to learn through descriptions. They often use lists to keep up and to organize thoughts. Visual learners often recognize words by sight. They often remember faces but forget names. They often have well developed imaginations. They are easily distracted by movement or action in the classroom. They tend to be less aware of noise. Auditory Learners can learn best through using their hearing and being vocal. They prefer listening, following verbal instructions rather than written ones, and often find it comfortable to add spoken numbers mentally. Students who have an auditory strength or preference like the teacher to provide verbal instructions. They find it easy to learn by listening. They enjoy dialogues, discussions, and plays. They often remember names but forget faces. Auditory learners often do well working out solutions or problems by talking them out. They are easily distracted by noise and often need to work where it is relatively quiet. Students may do best using recorded books. Kinesthetic Learners are able to comprehend information by manipulating things with their hands. They rely on moving, touching, writing, and doing. They often like to draw pictures and use their hands. Many times, kinesthetic learners enjoy lab classes because they can actually do what they are learning. Students who have a kinesthetic strength or preference often do best when they take notes either during a lecture or when reading something new or difficult. They often like to draw or doodle to remember. They do well with hands-on such as projects, demonstrations, or labs.

4 Guidelines for Brainstorming Concentrate on the topic. Call out what pops into your head. Try to fill the silence. Wait for an opening. Repeat your idea until it is recorded. Be positive. No put downs. Stay in focus. Don't get off the topic. Use short time spans. (1-3 minutes) Record ideas in a short form. Record everything. Analyze later. Brainstorm from general to specific. Now, let s share what each of our preferred learning styles are. Then let s brainstorm some strategies for each of us to use to optimize our own preferred styles and our learning. From

5 Helpful Hints for your Preferred Learning Style: VISUAL LEARNER AUDITORY LEARNER KINESTHETIC LEARNER Read material that will be discussed before you get to class. When you read, don t forget to also look at the pictures, graphs, charts, etc. to reinforce the text. Use a tape recorder for class (ask your instructor s permission first). Listen to the tape a few times, especially if the material is new or challenging. Create flashcards(when doing this, on the front have the word; on the back have the definition and an example) Create flashcards (when doing this, on the front have the word; on the back have the definition and an example) Make lists Color code your work. Highlight important information in your notes and texts. Use multi-media equipment such as videotapes, DVDs, or computers Take detailed notes during lectures and compare with someone else to make sure you have all the important points. Take notes while you are reading as well. Leave plenty of space in your notes to add ideas or details later. Look at your instructors when they are speaking. Participate in class. This will keep you involved in what is a mostly auditory situation. Draw maps/charts/diagrams Get a study buddy/group to talk through the material with you Read the notes aloud to yourself. Think out loud. Read the text out loud, especially if you are tired or confused. Put your summarized notes on a tape recorder. Listen to the tape a few times, especially if the material is new or challenging. Participate and be active in class discussions. Create mnemonics to aid in memorizing the material Teach the material to someone else in the class Take frequent study breaks to walk around Rewrite your notes Design your own sample quiz or test. This will help you key in on areas that are important and that you need to study more. Create a map on a topic (this can be done with note cards or post-it notes) Create mnemonics to aid in memorizing the material You will learn best by using as many activities as possible so in addition to above, try making maps, charts, vocab bingo, word puzzles, etc. Adapted from handouts by Sheila Magnason, text by Houghton Mifflin Company (chapter on More than Note Taking and Textbook Reading), and College of Marin Website

6 Learning Styles and Your Professors Just as everyone learns material in the different manners, instructors and professors run their classrooms in different ways. Some use their own preferred learning style and others teach how their own professors taught them. Others still like to use the newest technologies to try to help get their points across. Although we cannot control how the instructor presents material in class, we can be aware of how we learn best and learn how to analyze and use strategies that will help us make the most of every learning situation. If your own learning style differs from the style used by your professors (and if it hasn t already, it will!), you will have to adapt how you approach that course. Case Study Renee was a chemistry major. She especially loved labs and had always been good in math. She found it easier than most students to do the abstract thinking that math and chemistry required. As a result of her well-developed kinesthetic intelligence, science labs always made sense to her. In her second semester, along with her math and science courses, Renee was taking required BG Perspective courses in political science and art history. She d been pretty good in her art classes in high school, which consisted mostly of drawing and painting. But she d never been an especially good visual or audio learner. Both the political science and art history instructors used lectures, power point, and written documents to teach. The art instructor used lectures and what seemed like a million slides. At the end of almost all of these class sessions, Renee felt that he head was aching from all the audio and visual information she couldn t easily assimilate. She studied her texts regularly and even went to the library to study the art slides. But when she tried answering the questions at the end of the first few chapters, she knew she wouldn t do well on the tests without more help. If you were Renee, where and how would you seek help? Renee went to see her art history instructor to explain her confusion. The art instructor was an artist herself. She suggested that Renee focus more attention on the parts of the chapter and

7 lectures that covered how the artists made their paints and other materials and how they applied them. Then Renee should imagine herself as the individual artist in the act of creation. That would let her use her natural abilities to remember which particular artist created which work, and in which period of history. This study technique worked so well for Renee that she approached her political science professor, hoping for similar advice. This professor, however, just told her to work harder and study her lecture notes more often. But she d already tried that! When Renee complained about this advice to some of her friends in the class, several commiserated with her. One, who was also a kinesthetic learner, said he had arranged the theories of government in chronological order of their evolution. Then he connected the name of a country, an important date, and important leaders with each theory. He suggested that Renee could draw the shape of the country or some other useful symbol next to each theory. Another friend, an art major, said she used her computer as soon as she could after class to copy her lecture notes, using different colors of type for different categories of concepts she needed to remember. Renee combined both suggestions. Almost immediately, she noticed how much easier it was to answer the end-of-chapter questions and to remember answer for tests. Are you having difficulty translating your instructors preferred teaching styles into your preferred learning styles? For which classes? If so, to whom could you go for help? What makes this/these particular classes difficult for you? If you ve managed to work out these differences successfully, what strategies do you use that might be helpful to others? Adapted from Darrell Anthony Luzzo and Marilyn K. Spencer (2003). Overcoming the Hurdles to Academic Success: Strategies that Make a Difference. Houghton Mifflin Company.