Learning Styles

These learners need to see the teacher's body language and facial expression to thoroughly understand a lesson's content. They tend to prefer sitting at the front of the classroom to avoid visual obstructions (e.g., people's heads). They may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays, including diagrams, illustrated textbooks, overhead transparencies, videos, flip charts and handouts. Visual learners often prefer to take detailed notes during a lecture or classroom discussion to absorb the information.

These learners learn best through hearing what the teacher is saying to understand the lesson. They prefer classroom situations that include verbal lectures, discussions, talking things through and listening to what others say. Aural learners interpret the underlying meanings of speech through listening to the tone of voice, pitch, speed and other nuances. Written information may have little sense until heard. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and using an audio recorder to playback information heard or read.

These learners learn best through anything that can be read and written. They learn best through interaction with print, including lists, headings, glossaries, definitions, handouts, textbooks, manuals or the teacher's notes. During a lecture, they often found to write notes verbatim. They may also write in the margins of the text and/or highlight with a color-coded system.

These learners learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them. If this experience is not available in the classroom, they will need substantial personal experience related to learning. Kinesthetic learners may find it hard to sit still for long periods and become distracted by their need for activity and exploration.

These learners do not have a standout model with one preference score above the others and they may be equal or vary slightly in many areas.

To find out your learning preference, visit VARK and take the questionnaire.

If you have a strong Kinesthetic preference for learning, you should use some or all of the following:

Intake

To take in the information:

• all your senses - sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing...
• laboratories
• field trips
• field tours
• examples of principles
• lecturers who give real-life examples
• applications
• hands-on approaches (computing)
• trial and error
• collections of rock types, plants, shells, grasses
• exhibits, samples, photographs...
• recipes - solutions to problems, previous exam papers

SWOT - Study without tears

To make a learnable package:

Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1)

• Your lecture notes may be poor because the topics were not 'concrete' or 'relevant.'
• You will remember the "real" things that happened.
• Put plenty of examples into your summary. Use case studies and applications to help with principles and abstract concepts.
• Talk about your notes with another "K" person.
• Use pictures and photographs that illustrate an idea.
• Go back to the laboratory or your lab manual.
• Recall the experiments, field trip...

Output

To perform well in any test, assignment or examination:

• Write practice answers, paragraphs...
• Roleplay the exam situation in your room.

You want to experience the exam so that you can understand it. The ideas on this page are only valuable if they sound practical, authentic, and relevant to you. You need to do things to understand.

You want the whole picture, so you are probably holistic rather than reductionist in your approach. The look of an object often sways you. You are interested in color layout and design and you know where you are in your environment. You are probably going to draw something.

If you have a strong preference for learning by Aural methods (A = hearing), you should use some or all of the following:

Intake

To take in the information:

• attend classes
• attend discussions and tutorials
• discuss topics with others
• discuss topics with your teachers
• explain new ideas to other people
• use a tape recorder
• remember the interesting examples, stories, jokes
• describe the overheads, pictures and other visuals to somebody who was not there
• leave spaces in your notes for later recall and 'filling.'

SWOT - Study without tears

To make a learnable package:

Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1)

• Your notes may be poor because you prefer to listen. You will need to expand your notes by talking with others and collecting notes from the textbook.
• Put your summarized notes onto tapes and listen to them.
• Ask others to 'hear' your understanding of a topic.
• Read your summarized notes aloud.
• Explain your notes to another 'aural' person.

Output

To perform well in any test, assignment or examination:

• Imagine talking with the examiner.
• Listen to your voices and write them down.
• Spend time in quiet places recalling the ideas.
• Practice writing answers to old exam questions.
• Speak your answers aloud or inside your head.

You prefer to have this page explained to you. The written words are not as valuable as those you hear. You will probably go and tell somebody about this.

If you have a strong preference for learning by reading and writing (R & W) learning, you should use some or all of the following:

Intake

To take in the information:

• lists
• headings
• dictionaries
• glossaries
• definitions
• handouts
• textbooks
• readings - library
• notes (often verbatim)
• teachers who use words well and have lots of information in sentences and notes
• essays
• manuals (computing and laboratory)

SWOT - Study without tears

To make a learnable package:

Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1)

• Write out the words again and again.
• Read your notes (silently) again and again.
• Rewrite the ideas and principles into other words.
• Organize any diagrams or graphs into statements, e.g., "The trend is..."
• Turn reactions, actions, diagrams, charts and flows into words.
• Imagine your lists arranged in multiple-choice questions and distinguish each from each.

Output

To perform well in any test, assignment or examination:

• Write exam answers.
• Practice with multiple-choice questions.
• Write paragraphs, beginnings and endings.
• Write your lists (a, b, c, d, 1, 2, 3, 4).
• Arrange your words into hierarchies and points.

You like this page because the emphasis is on words and lists. You believe the meanings are within the words, so talking is OK, but this handout is better. You are heading for the library.

If you have multiple preferences, you are in the majority, as approximately 60% of any population fits that category.

Multiple preferences are interesting and varied. For example, you may have two strong choices, Visual and Aural (VA) or Read/write and Kinesthetic (RK), or you may have three strong preferences such as VAR or ARK. Some people have no standout scores, and they are almost even for all four modes. For example, one person had V=6, A=6, R=6, and K=6. She said that she adapted to the mode being used or requested. If the teacher or supervisor preferred a written method, she switched to read/write for her responses and her learning.

So multiple preferences give you choices of two or three or four modes to use for your learning and interaction with others. Positive reactions mean that those with multimodal preferences choose to match or align their method to the significant others around them. But, some people have admitted that if they want to be annoying, they may stay in a mode different from the person with whom they are working. For example, they may ask for written evidence in an argument, knowing that the other person prefers to refer only to oral information. This can be used in argument or debate.

You will need to read two or three or four lists of strategies provided in the help sheets. If you have two almost equal preferences, please read the study strategies that apply to both preferences. If you have three preferences read the three used lists and similarly for those with four. There is no multimodal help sheet. One exciting piece of information that people with multimodal preferences have told us is that it is often necessary to use more than one strategy for learning and communicating. They feel insecure with only one. Alternatively, those with a single preference often "get it" by using the set of strategies that align with that single preference.

We notice differences among multimodal and have chosen fewer than 25 options and those who have selected more than 30. Those who decided fewer than 25 of the options in the questionnaire prefer to see their highest score as their primary preference - almost like a single preference, and they use their choices singly to suit each situation. Those with a total VARK score larger than 30 tend to use their options in combination.

Much of studying involves the remembering of different kinds of information. In courses where there are large amounts of FACTUAL types of data, the use of flashcards may be helpful.

Kinds of material that might be considered appropriate for flashcards are vocabulary words, formulas, equations, definitions, dates, names, etc.

The primary advantage of flashcards over other review techniques is that they will probably be reviewed more often than material in a notebook or a textbook since the cards are conveniently carried.

FREQUENT REVIEW of cards is what makes them effective. Short reviews FREQUENTLY REPEATED will generally be more effective than long cramming sessions.

Objections about flashcards usually state that "they take too long to make." One should keep in mind that prepared blank cards can be inexpensively purchased now, and the writing down of the material on the cards is an aid to memory in itself. One learns even as they prepare the cards.

Suggestions for flashcard Use:

• Review cards OFTEN. Carrying them with you will facilitate frequent review.
• Prepare the cards WELL IN ADVANCE of the material's date to be tested or learned.
• Avoid copying information onto the cards. Instead, look at the data in text or notes, look away, say it aloud, and then write the information on the card without looking back at the source. This active recall and writing will improve your long-term memory for the info.
• Study most of the cards you don't know or are unsure about. Reviewing cards you know well is a temptation but inefficient use of time.
• Recite out loud the information from the back of the card you are learning.
• When learning cards for the first time, BREAK THEM UP INTO SMALL GROUPS. Learn one group of cards, then move to another group reviewing all the cards from time to time.
• Shuffle the cards frequently and flip through them rapidly. This avoids learning the cards in a particular order. Remember: it is NOT the cards that improve memory; it is HOW OFTEN THEY ARE REVIEWED.

The Cornell System for taking notes

The first step - preparing the system

1. Use a large loose-leaf notebook.

• It's large enough for ample room.
• The loose-leaf feature enables you to insert "handouts," etc.

2. Draw a vertical line about 2 ½ inches from the left edge of each sheet. This is the recall column.

• Record classroom notes in the space to the right of the line.
• Later, write the keywords and phrases to the left of the line--in the recall column.

The second step - during the lecture

• Record your notes in a straightforward dash outline. Your object is to make your messages clear to have meaning weeks or months later.
• Strive to capture general ideas rather than details. You will be better able to follow the train of thought or the development of an idea.
• Skip lines to show the end of one idea and the start of another. Indicate sub-ideas and supporting details with numbers or letters under the major idea.
• Use abbreviations when possible. Don't, however, use so many abbreviations that you can't decipher your notes later.
• Write legibly. Do your notes right the first time.

The third step - after the lecture

• Consolidate your notes as soon after the lecture as possible.
• Read through them, making corrections and filling in; finish with a summary.
• Underline or box the words containing the main ideas.
• In the recall column, create questions next to the information in the record section.

These will be cues for the ideas and facts on the right (in making your recall questions, you will be preparing for possible test questions, and you will have organized and structured the lecture in a meaningful, easy-to-remember form).

• Now cover up the right side of the sheet, exposing only the recall column. Using your questions, keywords, or phrases to help you recall, RECITE aloud the facts or ideas of the lecture as fully as you can. Then uncover the notes and verify what you have said.

In summary - The 5 R's

1. Record (write) the lecture.
2. Reduce the ideas and facts into the recall column.
3. Recite the main ideas and facts triggered by your recall phrases.
4. Reflect on your understanding of the material.
5. Review your notes periodically.

Commit

When possible, take on one project at a time. Most people cannot multitask and fewer people multitask well.

Organize

Disorganization and clutter only increase stress. Take time to develop an organizational system to keep your coursework orderly and neat.

Say "NO" to being superman/superwoman

You can't be perfect. Avoid setting unreasonable goals and expectations for yourself.

Unplug

With all the technology, the expectation that you are available all the time is unreasonable and exhausting. Try taking 30 minutes a day to be distraction-free.

Relax

Develop your own "toolkit" of things to do to help you relax (drug-free). Yoga, meditation, progressive relaxation and guided imagery are all good to try. Other times, just taking a walk, watching your favorite show or taking a bubble bath is just the thing you need to relax and recharge.

Talk

Find an empathetic ear, such as a friend or family member, to discuss what is stressing you. MCC counselors are available to listen.

Have fun

Find pastimes that are enjoyable to you. Taking an occasional break can help invigorate you.

Studying Efficiently (SQ4R)

The feeling of uncertainty that follows the usual study plan can be avoided by carrying out an organized attack. Students will know what they have studied because they have crystallized it in a question-answer form. The following steps will ensure better mastery of a textbook chapter:

1. Survey the chapter

Determine the structure, organization or plan of the chapter. Details will be more easily remembered when their relationship to the total picture is clear.

• Think about the title. Guess what will be included in the chapter.
• Read the introduction. The main ideas, which must be seen before the details make organized sense, are usually presented here.
• Read the summary. This usually shows the relationship among the main ideas.
• Read the main headings (boldface type). Here are the main ideas which provide a basic outline of the chapter.

Follow the following four steps on each chapter section and subsection

Question

Formulate questions by changing main headings and sub-headings to questions you anticipate you will find the answers to while reading.

Example:

"Causes of Depression." (What are the causes of depression? What conditions are usually present before depression occurs?)

Having in mind a question results in

• a spontaneous attempt to answer with information already at hand;
• frustration until the question is answered;
• a criterion against which the details can be inspected to determine relevance and importance;
• a focal point for crystallizing a series of ideas (the answer).

The kinds of questions you ask will be determined by the vital information in a given class. The types of information you will be expected to read will vary from class to course, instructor to instructor.

Here are several different kinds of information you might be expected to read for: definitions, processes, names, dates, places, general concepts, specific details, formulas, rules, applications, examples, causes and effects, problems and solutions; theories, reasons why, general trends, sequences, etc.

After deciding what information is essential, formulate questions using "What?" "When?" "Why?" "How?" "Who?" "Where?" etc. Jot these questions down in the margins of your book or a notebook.

Read

Read to answer the question. Move quickly. Sort out ideas and evaluate them. If content does not relate to the question, give it only a passing glance.

Recite

Answer the question aloud in your own words, not the author's, to check your understanding. By doing this, you will be clarifying the information for yourself and catching news you don't understand or partially understand. This process also reinforces memory.

Write

Now you can:

• Underline your answer(s) in your book or
• Write a brief explanation in your own words under the questions written in your notebook.

This becomes a review sheet for test preparation. When underlining or writing answers, use only keywords and phrases necessary to recall the whole idea--don't bother with complete sentences.

Review

Increase retention and cut study time by 90% utilizing immediate and delayed review. To do this:

• Read your written question(s).
• Recite the answer without looking at your notes. If you can't, look at your notes and try again. Five to ten minutes will suffice for a chapter.
• Review again after one week using the same approach.