Personal Learning Style
Personal Learning Style
Introduction
Different people have different learning styles. Most individuals however use a constellation of
Learning styles but in most instances, one learning style tends to be used more than the other. In this
text, I will discuss my personal learning style as well as assess the strength and opportunities for growth. Lastly, I will create an improvement strategy based on this assessment. My preferred learning style is visual learning.
My personal learning style
According to Smith (2006) individuals may have multiple styles of learning and this means that no learning style is particularly fixed. However, each person has a preference when it comes to the specific learning style. Personally, I tend to use different learning styles in various circumstances. Smith (2006) notes that the main learning styles include but are not limited to physical, verbal, aural, visual, social as well as solitary learning styles. Personally I mostly prefer images and pictorial diagrams to enhance understanding. My learning style is hence visual. In this kind of learning style the use of images inevitably increases learning capability. I have come to realize that visual representations act as an aid to my memory.
To me, partial learning (visual learning) is mostly effective in specific areas only. When it comes to class work, especially mathematics and other analytical subjects, interpersonal or social learning styles tend to be highly effective. Here, I tend to learn better in a group setting as opposed to learning alone. This is the only way in which I am able to retain mathematical concepts mainly through listening to other individuals as they discuss and demonstrate analytical concepts after which I ask for clarifications where I need some. I have come to realize that this learning style complements visual learning where I tend to play out instructions that were disseminated at a group discussion or class setting in a pictorial way. However, the way in which my learning mostly takes place is through visual information dissection and assimilation.
As a visual learner, I think it would be good to state some of the characteristics I poses. First, I tend to forget names quite fast. That is, phrases, sentences and names without a visual feature tend to be very hard for me to remember. This is because I like likening words to their visual representations. In cases where this is lacking, it is much clear that I have challenges recalling what I read or saw. Secondly, to easily communicate with others, I prefer to use image, maps, pictures as well as other visual representations. This is because I tend to visualize plans as well as objects quite easily. In class, information presented in a diagrammatic form becomes very easy for me to process. I have also discovered that I understand more if I learn in a place with minimal background noise. This is something I have come to learn affected me from the early developmental stages of life. As I grew up, I found out that my concentration was largely impaired whenever there was any amount of background noise.
However, I do experience some challenges when it comes to my preferred learning style i.e. visual learning. The problems I encounter in this case are mostly informed by the presentation of information in a way that does not take into consideration my unique learning needs. In class for example, I always find it difficult to understand concepts when visual aids or diagrams are not used. The revere is true. Some of the most well defined challenges I have encountered as a result of visual learning include but are not limited to distractions as a result of background noises which tend to distract me in one way or the other. At times, my concentration is cut out almost entirely by minimal background noise. I also have difficulties figuring out what an assignment needs if clear instructions are not provided.
An improvement strategy
It is important to note that the concentration on graphical, pictorial and other representations to enhance learning as opposed to use of words can place me at a disadvantage because in one way or the other, most of the learning is mostly done by use of written as well as verbal information which is the practice of choice as far as dispatching information is concerned. That is to say that in most cases, information may not be broken down in an easy to understand as well as assimilate way. With this in mind, I will have a lot of practice to do with respect to enhancing my note taking skills. Here, I will exploit every opportunity presented to me to take notes. This may be during travel where I can take notes on what I see, hear and smell etc. This can also be enhanced and perfected in a class setting. Another way in which I may enhance my retention of information in a written or verbal format is through seeking opportunities to pass information to individuals by way of words. I believe this will have an effect of enhancing my verbal learning skills. This is informed by the assertion that individuals who prefer visual learning as opposed to verbal learning have a tendency to communicate or avail a visual learning experience to those who may be listening to them.
According to Pritchard (2009) the only way to enhance the visual learning style is to tailor the education experience in such a way that the various concepts, information as well as ideas are laid out in a style the learning style in question. With this in mind, I would take various deliberate steps to enhance my learning style. These strategies include but are not limited to seeking handouts with diagrams from the instructor after he or she is through with the verbal instruction.
It is also important to note that it would be important to enhance my memorization with regard to the visual learning style. According to Konig (2007) individuals whose learning is mostly visual in most cases make use of the power of their visual memory. To enhance my memory, I will always try to play our visuals of a concept I want to remember by playing it out severally in my mind.
Conclusion
It is important to note that enhancing ones learning style means discovering new ways of learning which in more than one ways complements the learning process and helps an individual in the assimilation as well as retention of information.
Learning is an essential component of an individual’s life and with that in mind; it is only prudent to develop it by creating an improvement strategy which is based on the assessment of an individual’s strengths as well as opportunities for growth.
References
Konig, M.E. (2007). Theory of Learning Styles and Practical Applications. GRIN Verlag
Pritchard, A. (2009). Ways of learning: learning theories and learning styles in the classroom. Taylor & Francis
Smith, E.S. (2006). Learning styles in education and training. Emerald Group Publishing
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