We are individual in the way we learn, remember and revise facts. Recognising your preferred learning styles may lead you to be a more effective learner. Once you are aware of the different learning methods you can plan your learning to include them:
One major theorist is Fleming (2001):
who said individuals learn by a combination of Seeing (Visual), Listening (Aural), Writing and Experiencing (Practising). So an individual does a combination of these 4 activities to learn.
- Visual/Seeing. Preferred activities: thinks in pictures; likes visual aids such as overhead slides, diagrams, handouts, pictures, graphics.
- Aural/Listening. Preferred activities: lectures, tapes, discussions, group discussion, web chat, speaking out aloud and speaking to yourself.
- Read/Write. Preferred activities: Information displayed as words, reading, likes lists and journals.
- Kinaesthetic/Experiencing. Preferred activities: moving, touching, and doing active exploration; science projects; experiments, demonstrations, simulations
Honey and Mumford (1995) have also categorized learning styles into Reflector, Activist, Pragmatist and Theorist:
- Reflector – learns through observation, thinking, practising before doing
- Activist – learns through role playing, talking, practising and trying out things
- Pragmatist – needs to know the link between theory and practice, likes practical problems.
- Theorist – likes ideas, research, reading before applying research to a problem.
Spend a little time finding out what your preferred learning style is.We have other resources under the tabs on the right which might help you discover how best you like learning.
