How Do You Learn?

Have you felt as though you’ve had trouble remembering what you read, but can recall almost anything you’ve heard? What about finding it difficult to remember what you hear but vividly remembering what you felt physically or wrote down? Almost everyone should have one of these experiences. Our bodies are all wired individually and learning in one way may be astronomically easier to one, and terribly difficult to another. There are three types of learners, and they all bring with them great strengths.

Visual Learners

Visual learners often learn best by seeing. Looking at pictures and reading, as well as watching others, work best for them. This comes in handy for those that need to observe graphics, pictures, and absorb text. This doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t listen or do, but visually they are much stronger. A visual learners difficulty may come when they are forced to listen to an explanation without any visual aids to help the learning process.

Auditory Learners

Auditory listeners can learn the best by hearing. Instead of reading like visual learners, auditory learners would rather listen to someone explain things to them. Auditory learners can often be distracted by outside noise, such as background music because their hearing senses are more sensitive than most. As a result, if you think you are an auditory learner, try to work in a quieter space. You may find that your productivity increases.

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners learn best through touch. A visual or auditory explanation may not be the best choice, but rather to experience an activity and try it out. Activities and tasks that are more hands-on can be beneficial for kinesthetic learners. These types of learners may not thrive by learning while sitting. Kinesthetic learners tend to learn best by writing down the information or doing a pattern of activity or motion while learning certain material.

Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners all work best in different situations. While some can listen to an explanation, others will want to follow along with pictures or take notes. It is vitally important to keep in mind the type of learners that your coworkers are, and even more important to think about what kind of learner you are! All in all, take advantage of your learning strengths, and build up your learning weaknesses.