Learning How We Learn

adhaagenson
Oct 22, 2021
6 min read

Updated: Oct 29, 2021

Remember back in high school when people talked about studying? You know what I'm talking about, that one lecture before the first test of the year where the teacher droned on and on about different study strategies. We didn't even need it back then, but now that we are drowning in homework and career-influencing tests, it might be helpful to revisit the importance of knowing ourselves and how we learn the most productively.

Take a minute and think about a recent assignment or class that went really well for you. Was it a midterm paper where you nailed every sentence, or a unit test where the information was alive in your head? Regardless of the subject, each brain processes information differently, meaning that a lecture may work for the person sitting next to you, but you won't get it until you see it presented as a diagram. Understanding how we retain information is vital to being a successful student at any level. So let's get cracking and find out which learning style will help you ace that test. You've got three to choose from - auditory, visual and kinesthetic - but more on that later.

Want to know which style is best for you? Try this.

I'm going to give you three pieces of information as well as a way to remember it. At the end of this article, see which piece of trivia you remember the best. That will help you determine which type of learner you are.

Saturn is 947.74 miles away - repeat this out loud 10 times, each time with a different inflection or tone.

The mountain Denali has a summit of 20,308 feet - write this fact down 10 times each with a different color or font.

The Pacific Ocean is 36,070 feet deep - recite this fact (internally or externally) 10 times while doing jumping jacks .

Now that you've done this, let's find out what it means to be an auditory, visual, or kinesthetic learner?

Auditory Learning:

If you know anything about the English language, you can probably deduce that auditory learners consume information most effectively by hearing things out loud. These are the types of people who enjoy an in-person class discussion, would prefer a video lecture to a reading assignment, and can't process something completely unless they hear it.

For auditory learners, taking notes and reading textbooks do not work as well as simply listening and actively consuming the information as it is presented in a lecture (yay! No note-taking, right?). Well, before you throw away all of your pens and dismantle your notebooks, keep these tips available for reference.

Tips for auditory learners:

Class discussions! (I can feel your glare from here). But seriously, auditory learners should prioritize discussing the information out loud rather than reading or writing it. This could also involve dictating the information to a study partner or using flashcards.
Create mnemonic devices and word games. Word association is extremely successful for auditory learners. Creating a rhyme or association strengthens the connection between the information and the brain. For example, if you were to create a rap about famous scientists, it can help associate them with their invention. Take JJ Thompson, who used a cathode ray tube to make discoveries about the atom. You can associate these by rhyming JJ and Cathode ray.
One obscure thing that could help auditory learners is to record themselves reading the information and playing the recording in the background while doing other things. This isn't scientifically proven, but I once did this for a test I hadn't studied for at all. I inactively listened to a recording of my notes for 2 hours without really taking in any of the information. Maybe the test was just easy, but I did get 100% on it, so it's worth a try if you're in a pinch.

Visual Learning:

If you are a visual learner, you need the information to be laid out and presented visually in order for it to stick in your brain. Graphs and charts are your best friend. You are the type of person who cannot stand a poorly organized slide show, or fonts that send the wrong message. Your notes are a work of modern art and you secretly judge everyone with bad handwriting. Textbooks and other visual information are vitally important to your learning, and the layout of headings and us of italicization can be a deal-breaker for an effective learning experience.

Tips for Visual learners

Get all the highlighters. Color-coding information, organizing notes and textbook material visually is important and will help you connect the information.
Make charts and timelines. Specifically if you're in history or another type of class where chronology is important. Being able to see the information laid out pleasantly will make it easier to recall come test day.
Incorporate images and doodles into your notes. If you've ever been caught doodling in your notebook, congratulations! Little did you know, you were actually helping yourself retain new information! But seriously, drawing about what you're learning activates your brain to remember.
Make sure you study in a space with limited visual distractions. Because of your amazing capacity to consume information visually, any visual distraction (posters, cafeteria workers, beautiful UMary bluff views) can prevent you from truly concentrating on the information. Try a bland study room with white walls if you're struggling to focus.
Use notecards and sticky notes to visually lay out the content. This uses the visual pathways already in your head to maximize your learning.

Kinesthetic Learning:

Pencil tappers, I'm talking to you. Kinesthetic learners are often people who need to be active, and sitting in classroom setting is not where their education thrives. For kinesthetic learners, the brain retains information best when they are moving or use movement to consume information. Pacing, using a fidget device and the tapping of feet or nearby objects may annoy some, but these items can help kinesthetic learners access information with ease.

Remember that scientific study that every teacher cites when telling you that taking notes by hand helps you retain the information? Turns out it's not just a ploy to ban devices use in the classroom. The impact of physically writing information actually has a great deal of validity and can greatly assist everyone in their learning, regardless of their primary learning style; however, if you are a kinesthetic learner, the physical act of writing is key.

Tips for Kinesthetic learners

Take lots of breaks (yay!). Since most studying is done while sitting, it is important to take lots of breaks in order to keep your mind working. Think of it this way, if your body is working, your mind will be too.
Combine an activity while studying. This could be anything: walking on the treadmill, knitting a sweater, studying in a rocking chair, even chewing gum. This physical movement will help you comprehend that horrible accounting textbook. (A quick warning about this - if you do a particular activity while studying, it may require that same activity to release the information during the test, so maybe try something that you can do while sitting in class.)
Write flash cards. But wait, wasn't that a tip for visual and auditory learners too? Excellent catch, yes! Flashcards are a great study tip for all types of learners and are one of the most efficient ways for anyone to learn something. Specifically for kinesthetic learners, the physical act of holding and writing the material is what will aid you in retaining who exactly started the French Revolution.
Underline, trace, star; basically do anything to mark up your information.
Make a physical model. Think fifth grade science project for this one. This won't work for every class, but specifically for classes that involve practical theories (science, math, engineering, etc.) making a physical models could be a fun (and effective) way to learn.

The Results are in:

Without scrolling up to the top, try to answer the following questions.

How deep is the pacific ocean?

If you answered correctly, congratulations! You are a kinesthetic learner!

How far away is Saturn?

If you answered correctly, congratulations! you are an auditory learner!

What is the summit of Denali?

If you answered correctly, congratulations! you are a visual learner!

Didn't get any of them?

No worries, try the study methods mentioned in the quiz again and try again later.

Got more than one?

Okay, no need to brag. This means that you learn in more than one way! Congratulations, you have twice (or three times if you're really Einstein) as many ways to study.

So crack open the textbook/voice recorder/treadmill and get to work!