We all think, take in and remember information differently based on our preferred learning style. Your learning style is the unique way you use your senses to learn. When you understand how you learn, you can make learning easier. The most common learning styles are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
If you find charts and pictures help you learn you may be a visual learner. If you would rather sit and listen to a lecture – you may be an auditory learner. To find out about your preferences you can google™ “learning style inventory” or click on one of the links below.
Once you have identified your learning style you may want to think about what learning style your teachers are teaching to. When a teacher’s style and a student’s style differ it can be harder for the student to succeed. Teachers tend to give study tips or require projects to be completed a certain way and it is often based on their own preferences. If a student’s preferences differ then it is more of a challenge for that student to do well. For example learning a new concept strictly through a lecture without any visual support would be very challenging for a visual learner like me. Pictures and visuals help me take in new information and I find I am able to remember those pictures easier than remembering words that were spoken.
How does this help with homework and studying for tests? Use your strength to help yourself study. You can create study aids in your learning style and use them to study from. Here are some examples:
Visual: Use color whenever possible
Mind maps
Flash cards
Color stickies
Use photos or draw diagrams
Auditory: Use a recorder
Read out loud
Use mnemonics
Talk it through
Use poems, mnemonics, acronyms, etc.
Kinesthetic: Act it out
Work standing up
Move around while learning
Make lists
Use desk toys to keep your hands busy
These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. First step, take an inventory and find out how you think and learn best. Good luck.
http://www.scholastic.com/familymatters/parentguides/middleschool/quiz_learningstyles/index.htm
http://www.howtolearn.com/lsinventory_student.html