Learning Style

How do you learn things?

Do you learn things by seeing, by listening, or by doing? Everyone learns differently and no learning style is better than another. Perhaps you’ve never really thought about it before, but knowing how you learn things can help you succeed at school and later, help you decide on the kind of career path you might follow.

Visual

You might be a visual learner if you:

  • React strongly to colors
  • Need to write things down to remember them
  • Use hand gestures when you talk
  • Notice details and are tuned into differences
  • Doodle and draw pictures in your notebooks
  • Are easily distracted by background noise
  • Like to read
  • Have good handwriting
  • Are a good speller
  • Are organized

Study strategies for success at school:

  • Color-code your school subjects to stay organized
  • Use illustrations, charts, and diagrams to reinforce what you have learned
  • Write things down – especially homework assignments and directions
  • Use color cues with a highlighter or symbols to remember key information
  • Make flashcards for studying math facts, vocabulary, or a foreign language
  • Ask your parent or guardian for a quiet space for study at home
  • Turn off the TV and music player when it’s time for study
  • Turn off social media during homework time to avoid distraction

Auditory

You might be an auditory learner if you:

  • Like to tell stories or jokes
  • Talk to yourself while doing a task
  • Are very social
  • Prefer spoken directions rather than written directions
  • Work and study best with other students
  • Would rather listen than read
  • My papers, folders, and notebooks seem messy

Study strategies for success at school:

  • Sit close to the teacher so you can hear him/her clearly
  • Read your homework assignments aloud to yourself, or follow the words with your finger
  • Recite information aloud when studying facts, vocabulary or math formulae
  • Create musical jingles to help you memorize facts, vocabulary, equations, or other information
  • Study in groups
  • Ask your teacher if you can bring a hand-held tape or digital recorder to class to record the lesson and listen to it again after school
  • Read books on tape or audio tapes when possible

Tactile

You might be a tactile learner if you:

  • Enjoy physical activities and are athletic
  • Fidget and tap your pencil during class
  • Like to try new things
  • Like to “dive in” to a project before reading the directions
  • Like to work with your hands
  • Like to touch things rather than just look at them
  • Like to do your homework on your bed or on the floor
  • Get bored easily

Study strategies for success at school:

  • Take frequent, but short study breaks during homework and study periods
  • Change your position when doing homework, or move to a different area
  • Dress up your workspace or room with posters
  • Draw a picture of what you have learned
  • Listen to quiet music while you study or do homework
  • Skim through reading material to get a rough idea what it is before reading in detail
  • Learn by doing whenever possible