Tired of reading? Listen instead!

by Richard

How do you learn?
Do you prefer reading, watching videos or do you learn best by doing?

You see, not everyone learns the same way. And knowing what your learning style is, can help you do better in your studies and help you develop new skills faster.

Usually, each of us has a mix of learning styles. Knowing which you are naturally good at allows you to adjust your strategy, so that you can make the most of your efforts.

Here are the 7 learning styles:

1. Visual/Spatial Learners

Visual learners are those that learn best when they have images to help them process information. They may also need to write down their thoughts to process what they are thinking.

The most common characteristics of this learning style are:

• Being good at visualizing objects, plans, and outcomes
• Very creative
• Have good color recognition
• Remembering directions and finding their way
• Great imagination

If you prefer images and mind maps to help you process information, you are most likely a visual/spatial learner.

2. Aural/Auditory Learners

The auditory learning type learns through sound.

Most musicians, and people who respond well to things like binaural beats, will often depend on this learning style.

Auditory learners often:

• Enjoy listening to music in the background while learning
• Have an interest in music
• Learn through rhythms, or the use of clever rhymes to remember something.

3. Verbal/Linguistic Learners

Verbal learners work better under verbal instruction, and with writing. They typically excel with both. These learners are often found in professions like public speaking, writing, journalism, and debating.

Verbal learners are:

• Very expressive
• Enjoy reading and writing
• Inclined towards tongue twisters and rhymes
• Has a strong vocabulary and enjoys learning new words

If this is your learning style, you may need to read content aloud to learn something. Or, you prefer to have someone speak the information to you so you can process it.

4. Physical/Kinesthetic

The kinestethic type learns through movement and touch.

This learning type are often very animated, and likes to keep moving. They learn best by doing, and would find it challenging to sit quiet in a classroom all day.

Physical learners often:

• Notice and appreciate textures
• Enjoy outdoor activities
• Like working with their hands
• Tend to pick up on body language, and use it while speaking
• Enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles

If you are the kinestethic learning type, you don’t really learn something until you do it. You may also be constantly in motion, and speak with your hands.

5. Logical/Mathematical

Many logical learners end up being engineers, mathematicians, or pursuing the sciences. They want to understand the reason behind things, and tend to enjoy games like chess and doing brainteasers.

People who prefer the logical learning style are often good at:

• Classifying and grouping information together
• Performing complex calculations
• Creating and improving procedures
• Finding a solution to a problem
• Understanding the bigger picture by seeing the logic, reasoning and systems behind it.

6. Social/Interpersonal

The social learner are group workers.

These are the individuals that are most likely to be involved with a variety of extracurricular activities. As adults, they are the individuals that like to be engaged with others, work on teams, and ask their peers for feedback in order to learn.

Social learners:

• Prefer to socialize after work or class
• Enjoy playing group sports
• Are often trusted by others, and valued for their advice

If you prefer to work with other people, and find you learn best in groups, then you have a social learning style.

7. Solitary/Intrapersonal

Solitary learners are individuals who prefer to learn on their own. They are results and goal oriented people, and are often introverts.

Solitary learners are good at:

• Doing self-analysis to improve
• Independent thinking

For example, someone who reads self-help books to develop a deeper understanding of themselves, is often a solitary learner.

Those who have the solitary learning style need to sit alone and study by themselves in order to retain information. Other people will just be a distraction.

Final Thoughts

There is no wrong way to learn. And even if it may seem strange to others, you need to play to your strengths when trying to learn a new concept so that it really sticks.

If you are a visual learner, and you are trying to learn how to play the guitar, then watching someone else play (live or on video) can help you learn quicker.

And if you are a social learner, learning the guitar in a group setting will work better for you than trying to do it on your own.

By being aware of how you learn, you can actually pick up new skills and information faster. And make it stick!