Most Effective Study Techniques Based on Your Learning Preferences
Boost your learning by engaging all of your senses
Have you ever felt like you’re zoning out while reading? You just can’t get past the sentence. Or you’re listening to a lecture and can’t remember what your professor said five minutes ago.
No worries. I get it.
The problem is that your learning style is not adapted to the task. Many people struggle with studying when they adhere to only one method, while they would benefit more from combining visual, auditory, or kinesthetic-centered techniques. In this post, let’s discover the most effective study techniques according to background and preferences.
Eight Main Learning Preferences
Proposed by Neil Fleming in 1987, the VARK learning styles theory has been through a lot. This concept suggests there are specific learning styles that suit every individual. Initially, there were three types — visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Then, read/write was added. Finally, logical, social, solitary, and nature styles were included. However, these 8 are not the only ones.
As the number of learning styles and their popularity increased, several misconceptions grew around them. Read more about it here: Learning Styles: Debunking the Biggest Myth in Education.
Now,
Let’s take a look at the eight main learning styles:
- Visual learners prefer to see the information. For example, they can get more information from graphs, pictures, and charts than from books.
- Auditory learners benefit from the information they hear. Lectures, podcasts, and audiobooks are great for them. Reading out loud written materials also feels better for auditory learners.
- Reading/writing. Some learners like reading texts and making notes rather than listening to lectures. It means reading textbooks and making lists is the way to go.
- Kinesthetic. Not only kids benefit from tactile toys. Adults are practical learners as well. Hands-on experience is how kinesthetic learners prefer to gain new knowledge.
- Logical and analytical learners depend on logic when they want to understand and remember new material. They look for correlations, causes, and results while learning.
- Social. You might recognize social learners by their joy in doing group projects. Through socializing and participation, they get a better understanding of the subject. Role-playing is an excellent example of how to engage social learners.
- Solitary learners are the opposite of social ones. They prefer going to the library for study sessions and wearing headphones to avoid getting disturbed. These learners benefit from individual assignments.
- Nature. As the name suggests, nature learners enjoy the calmness of studying outdoors. This learning style is similar to kinesthetic, but nature learners prefer close contact with nature.
Below is an excellent compilation of various study methods. You can use them separately or combine them. Find the advice on how to benefit from mixing methods at the end of the post.
Visual Learning Strategies
Here are the tools to improve your visual learning:
👁️ Graphs, charts, and diagrams. Charts and graphs are like a refined picture of the data, making it easier to understand.
👁️ Graphic organizers. Venn diagrams and mind maps are excellent tools for organizing your thoughts.
👁️ Color coding. Assigning a color to specific points helps group information and create strong logical connections. For example, red is for negative aspects, and green is for positive.
👁️ Flashcards. Both online and physical flashcards are great for information retention. Try to include illustrations to boost association in your memory.
👁️ Visual note-taking. Wanna try something creative? Visual note-taking is a form of writing down your thoughts with drawings.
Auditory Learning Activities
Great tips for auditory learning:
👂️ Listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Tap into the power of podcasts while you’re commuting! You can find free audiobooks and podcasts on any topic online.
👂 Explain the topic to someone else. Teaching material to others is excellent for understanding and reviewing it.
👂 Create rhymes and songs. Just like an alphabet song gets stuck in your mind, anything else turned into a song can become more accessible to remember.
👂 Engage in discussion. Hearing others throw new arguments can give you another perspective.
👂 Record lectures and notes. Don’t think of it as cheating! Even recording your notes and playing them back can help you perceive information better.
Reading and Writing Learning Style Techniques
Tools for when you prefer reading and writing:
✍️ Taking Cornell’s notes. This method helps you highlight the main points. Divide your paper into three sections and write the corresponding notes (key points, notes on key points, summary.)
✍ Rewrite and summarize. Try to summarize the primary information and write it down in your own words. You can use this IvyPanda Summarizing Tool for free.
✍ Highlight and annotate. Review your notes, and write little comments about the main ideas you highlight.
✍ Use mnemonics. Mnemonic forms serve as memory aids and can give you clues of any kind, for example, acronyms or acrostics.
✍ Make lists. As simple as it sounds, it’s very effective. I have dozens of lists in my phone’s notes, which help me categorize and remember everything.
Kinesthetic Learning Style Examples
For those who would like to learn through physical engagement:
🤸 Study while standing, walking, or exercising. Kinesthetic learning implies movement during studying. You might get a standing desk or do pushups between the book chapters.
🤸 Create manipulatives. Make study tools, like flashcards, that you can use on the go.
🤸 Make small movements. If you don’t have enough room for exercise, do what you can — throw a tennis ball, twist a pencil with your fingers, etc.
🤸 Take notes by hand. Forming letters while handwriting helps you memorize your notes.
🤸 Get creative. Draw illustrations, use gestures to visualize your ideas, or implement other techniques that involve muscle memory.
Logical Learning Style Examples
If you need to remember information by solving a problem in a systematic way, try these:
🧩 Solve logic puzzles. Logic puzzles are the ones where you have limited clues, and you need to figure out the rest of the information with them.
🧩 Seek patterns. Find relationships and connections between pieces of information to make it easier to remember. Connecting them to real life is even better.
🧩 Solve case studies. Studying real-life cases helps engage critical thinking and problem-solving.
🧩 Create outlines and diagrams. Look for structure in the material you’re studying and organize everything based on it.
Social Learning Activities to Try
Sometimes, new knowledge can be acquired by observing and interacting with others:
👥 Participate in group projects. A significant advantage of the group activities is that it allows students to share their personal experiences.
👥 Find a study buddy. The perks of joy and motivation boost from study sesh with your friend are unmatched. With a study buddy, you also enjoy brainstorming and sharing experiences.
👥 Engage in class discussions. Ask questions, start discussions, and analyze the ideas. As a social learner, this allows you to gain new perspectives and better understand the topic.
👥 Ask for peer feedback. Even after finishing a project, you can still ask your friends for an honest review.
Solitary Learning Style Techniques
Some people prefer to learn independently and on their own, and here is what they do:
🧑🏫 Find a quiet place to study. Stay in your bedroom or go to the library. Alternatively, use noise-canceling headphones.
🧑🏫 Keep a journal. Keeping a diary might be beneficial to deepen your understanding of the subject as you regularly reflect on your thoughts.
🧑🏫 Relate to what you learn. Make the topic personal. Try to find the connection between the new material and the ones you already knew about.
🧑🏫 Meet one-on-one with a teacher. Getting a professional opinion without a loud crowd around is priceless.
Nature-Based Learning Techniques
If you prefer to acquire knowledge in natural settings or with some elements of nature, try these:
🍃 Go on nature walks. These walks promote situational awareness, attention to detail, and stress relief from being in nature as a pleasant bonus.
🍃 Conduct experiments. A hands-on approach is always more fun than a boring textbook. Experiencing various textures and seeing immediate results in real life give extra benefits.
🍃 Watch nature-related documentaries. Watching TV and learning? Why not?! Choose National Geographic and Discovery Channel to learn about nature.
🍃 Use materials from nature. Using natural materials incorporates sensory learning. It can be as simple as replacing plastic cubes with wooden blocks or acorns.
Blend Learning Styles to Gain the Most Benefit
Let me be clear here.
You don’t have to choose only one of the methods described above.
On the opposite, pick at least 3 for different tasks.
Research shows that it’s better to combine two or more different learning styles. It helps boost outcomes by engaging more than one sense and more parts of the brain processing the material.
Educational games, for example, can combine different learning styles simultaneously, but it’s better to use them separately and avoid sensory overload. Watch a video lecture and make notes today. Tomorrow, read the notes and create flash cards. In the next few days, discuss the material with your peers.
And so on…keep a cycle of different learning activities to stay engaged and maximize your brain work.
