Discovering and Using Your Learning Styles

The term cognitive learning styles refers to the general way people prefer to have information presented in order to problem solve, process, learn, and remember new information.

Visual Learners

What are common characteristics of visual learners? What are common characteristics of auditory learners?

Auditory Learners

Kinesthetic Learners

What are common characteristics of kinesthetic learners?

 Highlight

important information in textbooks. Visualize pictures, charts, graphs, or small sections of printed information. Create movies in the mind during the reading process. Create visual study tools that show levels of information.

 Expand

chapter mappings. Add colors and pictures to notes. Copy information in your own handwriting. Observe people for visual clues. Carry a pen and notepad to write down information.

 Talk

out loud (verbalize). Read out loud. Ask questions. Work with a study buddy or in a study group. Recite frequently.

Tape

lectures. Make your own study tapes. Explain information to others. Create rhymes, jingles, or songs. Use technology with audio features.

 Handle

study. Create manipulatives (study tools you can move with your hands). Cut charts or diagrams apart and then reassemble. Use exaggerated movements and hand gestures when you study.

objects, tools, or machinery as you

 Use

a computer to type information and use muscle memory. Walk as you recite or practice. Work at a chalkboard, flip chart, or large poster paper. Learn through creative movement and activities. Create action games.

 The

right and the left hemispheres of the brain are linked together neurologically. Each hemisphere dominates specific kinds of mental activities and learning patterns. People tend to have a preference for initially processing information through the left or the right hemisphere. Once information is received and processing begins in one hemisphere, the information is then shared with the other hemisphere for total processing.
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 Use

your understanding of your linear or global preferences to analyze and adjust learning situations. Ask for a summary or list of significant points. Organize a list or chart of important points. Take time to organize information logically. Add your own heading and subheadings to textbooks that lack detailed structure.
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 Ask

for specific examples or anecdotes. Add color, pictures, or diagrams to lecture notes. Ask instructors and other students questions. Get an overview of the topic before a lecture.

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How would you define or explain each of the following?

Teacher-directed environment Student-directed environment Interactive learner Reflective learner Situational preferences

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Definitions:

Intelligence: An intelligence is a biopsychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a culture. (Source: Gardner. Intelligence Reframed, Basic Books,
1999, p. 33-34)

Subintelligences: Subintelligences are core abilities that belong under a specific intelligence.

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 Linguistic Logical-Mathematical Musical Bodily-Kinesthetic

Spatial Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalist Existential

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