The Importance of Knowing your Learning Style

By Barbara Baird, Adult Literacy Program Assistant

 

For some visual learners, colour-coding keeps them organized

In September, many adults come to Action Read with a sense of renewed hope and optimism for learning.  When we meet new learners, we ask them to reflect on how they learn best. We ask 'When you have experienced learning success in the past, why do you think you were successful?’.  When we train new tutors, we ask ‘How can you find out how your learner learns best? How can you help them understand this?’.  While these questions may sound simple, we know that they most certainly are not.  Figuring out how we learn best can be really hard.  It can take a lot of work, experimentation, assessment, observation and reflection.  We believe that one reason why some people experience school success is that they have figured out the answer to this question.  Some of us figure it out early in our learning careers, others are still working on it.  At Action Read we focus on this question because we know that everyone has individual strengths and learning styles, and that how we are educated does not always match our learning styles.  Sometimes this mismatch has contributed to learning frustration, anger and feelings of defeat. Since Action Read’s job is to help those individuals who struggle the most, our job is to work extra hard to unlock the question of how people learn best. 

The following is my story about how I ‘learned how to learn’ best.  After you’ve read my story, please share yours!  How do you like to learn?? What do you do that makes learning easier for you?? Share your ideas in our comments section below!

Barbara Baird

Mom Told Me Not to Write on the Walls, but…

“As a university student going into my fourth year, I finally figured out the way I study best. I like to colour code everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. I colour code my calendar, my books, my notes and basically my entire life. To me each subject has its own colour. Math is yellow, science is green, English is blue and French is always red. When I write everything in its own colour, I can look at it from a distance and already know what subject I’m looking at. My colour coding system means I’m a visual learner.

My favorite memory of studying was when I drew all over the house. I used dry erase markers and wrote my notes on every window or mirror I could find in the house. Each room or window was dedicated to a different unit and each unit chapter had its own colour. By the time I was finished, my roommates didn’t know what to do with me. They would wake up to go brush their teeth and have to read my psychology notes. They would go to make breakfast and have to read about behavior studies that I had taped to the kitchen cupboards. As crazy as they thought I was, I had so much fun learning this way. During my exam, I could remember every note that I wrote, and in which room I wrote it in. Because I had color-coded everything, I was also able to remember exactly where I wrote it on the mirror or window.

This trick can help learners working towards a GED study for their tests. Find places you can post your notes around the house. Colour-code the notes so you can see your subject from far away and already know what subject you’re looking at. Trying to learn biology? Write those notes in green. Taking notes on Shakespeare? Write those in blue. Doing math equations? Maybe using black ink instead of a grey pencil would help you see those numbers better and write faster. Have a hard time being organized? Pick a colour for each subject and keep each subject in its own coloured binder or folder. Getting bored of writing your long essay? Change the colour of your pen, pencil or font. (Just remember to make the final copy one colour. As fun as writing in different colours might be, I’m sure you’re instructor won’t like reading a rainbow coloured essay!)

Having my notes colour coded wasn’t the only useful thing about how I studied. What helped was having my notes everywhere in the house. Having them in the kitchen and bathroom might stress some learners out because it reminds them of their test. However, for me I found it made learning casual and relaxed. I didn’t feel the need to tie myself down to my desk and bury my nose in papers. Having my notes around the house let me walk around and read. This was good for me because I fidget a lot in my chair and I know I’m not the only one like this.

Being able to remember every note because it was color-coded and written in a specific room, really showed how much of a visual and an experiential learner I am. As I wrote my exam, I was mentally looking through the house for my notes. I had memories of where I was supposed to find them and what colour they should be. It was also easier for me to remember because I had so much fun during my experience studying. My only regret about studying like this is not trying it sooner and not doing it more often. I can’t believe it took me until my last year of university to figure this out.”