Study Better with Three Learning Styles and Deeper Learning

What are Learning Styles?

General thought goes that there are three types of learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic, and knowing which learning style you have will help you study better.

Most people are a combination of two types. Auditory-visual learners prefer learning through reading and writing, visual-kinesthetic learners prefer doing and moving, while kinesthetic-auditory learners prefer speaking and listening. In case all that sounds confusing, here’s a diagram for you:

How to Study by Your Learning Style

Here are ways you can develop your own learning plan by your learning style:

Auditory-visual

• Videos
• Powerpoint slides
• Drawing pictures/ diagrams
• Making mindmaps
• Writing colour-coded notes
• Reading articles

Visual-kinesthetic

• Hands-on activities
• 3D models
• Interactive graphs/ charts
• Hand gestures
• Role-playing
• Making a dance from notes

Kinesthetic-auditory

• Podcasts
• Group discussions
• Giving a presentation
• Making a song from notes
• Listening to music while studying
• Walking and verbally recalling notes

A Caveat

However, it seems that there is no one fixed learning style for a person, and there are debates if learning styles are actually beneficial for students. It can change with the subject and specific topic you are learning.

In music, singing a song aloud can help you memorise the lyrics; but you learn to play the song on the piano using muscle memory, while learning to read piano scores for the song requires a visual memory.

It would perhaps be beneficial to go through the different learning styles for a particular subject or topic to see which helps you learn and remember it best.

Something Deeper

Now let’s talk about the deeper process behind learning— quite literally— Deeper Learning.

Similar to machine “deep learning” in Artificial Intelligence, Deeper Learning is when you learn one thing and can apply it in a different context. It’s like how learning to write a word for spelling or 听写 isn’t going to teach you how to use it; you have to dive deeper into the meaning and context to learn that. It means you’ve really understood the concept.

To do Deeper Learning, one will have to go beyond merely reading textbook notes and copying it out on flashcards. It will take making the learning relevant to real-world situations, exploring coming up with your own test questions and breaking down complex concepts into simpler terms.

Here’s an example: If you’re learning about the water cycle, Deeper Learning happens when you recognise that the water puddle you left on your table disappears because of “evaporation” and the raindrops pattering on your windowpane are formed because of “condensation”. “Now, how does the tree outside your window help with this process?”

Self-regulated Learning

Something also worthwhile to explore is Self-regulated Learning. In simpler terms: being able to learn on your own; or as Singlish puts it, “ownself check ownself.”

Self-regulated Learning is a cycle of planning your study goals, using strategies to get the studying done, then reflecting on how well you did and how you can improve.

Self-regulated Learning is important because it promotes intrinsic motivation, helping you to keep progressing and becoming an independent learner. It can go beyond academics, helping you to learn how to effectively manage your time, deal with emotions and navigate relationships.

Conclusion

There is no fixed method for learning. Learning happens when you approach a subject with an open mind, connect the dots between new things and past experiences, and apply it to different contexts.

Elina Lo

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