I know there’s controversy over different learning styles and what the best way to learn is. Scientific controversy or no, there is nothing wrong with having a preference of how we like to learn and use our preferences to help us study or implement ways for us to learn what we need to learn. We may not always get a lot of say in how we get to learn, but we can try and take initiative and adapt where we can.
How do you like to learn? Does the way you like to learn align with how you actually learn/retain information? If so, what works about it? If not, what’s missing?
When/where/how do you learn best?
Do you learn by doing? Hearing? Seeing? Some combination of them?
If you learn by doing, how can you implement your knowledge into action or motion to have it make sense?
If you are an auditory learner, how can you obtain recordings of what you need, and how can you listen to them?
If you like to see your information, do you need to take notes? Make graphs? Write or draw or type things out? Can you get printouts of information to see in your own time?
How have you learned in the past? What has and has not worked?
Do you need to make a study game out of the information to process it? What would that look like?
How can the information be more easily digestible?
How do you best retain information?
What tools help you retain information? What tools help you put your knowledge into practice?
What resources do you have? What do you need? How can you get them?
How do you know what works for you? How will you know what you are doing is working?
What accommodations do you need? Can school or work provide them?
You may not have just one preference when it comes to how you like to process information and learn. Different situations or subjects can call for different methods. How will you know what method you need to use?
There may be some trial-and-error as you explore different methods to learn and study. It’s okay to take some time to figure it out. You may make some discoveries about yourself along the way. Things you may not have thought would work might surprise you. Things you thought would work might not. Be present and open to the possibilities.
