Figuring Out Your Learning Style as an Adult Learner

As an adult learner, chances are you have not been in a structured educational environment for quite a while. This means that you may not remember the ways in which you studied for tests and reviewed material for courses prior to starting your work life. The same concepts utilized in your work can often be transferred to the online college experience. When you are faced with problems at work and learn new solutions, the methods used to understand these solutions can be used to study the material presented at online classes.

Three Different Learning Styles

There are typically three common learning styles that most human beings employ to retain information they receive through their courses. These learning styles blend in with your personality and transfer to other things you do. These three learning styles are:

  • Visual - People who have a visual learning style learn by seeing. Visual learners typically find themselves taking meticulous notes and tend to sit in the front of the class. They are generally the most responsible and organized people in the course. If you are a visual learner, you will usually find yourself closing your eyes to visualize something you are trying to remember. Visual learners really benefit from seeing charts and presentations as a part of their class.
  • Auditory - People that have an auditory learning style learn by listening. They generally try to sit where they can hear a lesson but do not concern themselves with seeing the lecture. Auditory learners find information easiest to retain when reading it aloud or listening to a taped lecture or audio book.
  • Kinesthetic - People that have a kinesthetic learning style learn by practicing. Kinesthetic learners are the most outgoing of the three learning styles. They enjoy field trips and actively applying the concepts they learn through their courses. Kinesthetic learners are often the least organized of these styles and require frequent breaks to avoid stagnation. Kinesthetic learners thirst for hands-on experiences where they can tinker with the concepts the professor teaches.

Test out Different Methods for Learning

It can be difficult to assess your learning style before actually entering into an educational program. You need to start learning and try to absorb material in different ways. Try to take detailed notes and see how well you are able to memorize the concepts taught. If this does not work, switch to an auditory learning style and try reading your notes out loud or purchasing an audio textbook. Next, try a kinesthetic style and immerse yourself in the concepts that were learned by trying to do them yourself.

Pick the Right One

Once you have went through the litany of learning styles, assess your progress and find the learning style that lead to the best results for you. See which learning style allows you to study for the least amount of time while retaining the most information you can.

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