There are three different types of learners, visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners; a person may fit into one or more of these categories, depending on how their brains function. Visual learners essentially “think in pictures or movies” (The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, 2012); they are able to best retain and recall information obtained through reading or other forms of visual input. Auditory learners are able to retain more information if they hear it aloud, and kinesthetic learners are hands on learners, able to do something a second time if they have physically done it the first time (The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, 2012).
Through a traditional learning styles inventory, statements are given for the tester to agree or disagree with; based on their answers to those questions, the results provided shows which style of learner a person is. The Center for New Discoveries in Learning has one such test, referred to as their “Learning Styles Quiz.” The results provided by this test indicate that I am a 42% visual learner, 32% auditory learner, and 26% kinesthetic learner.
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The second type of learning styles inventory is one that looks at the different styles of learning, something that is different from the three types of learners. Avandogy.com (2004) has a test of this nature, looking at seven different styles of learning, visual, social, physical, aural, verbal, solitary, and logical. The results from this test are listed below:
After a review of the different test results I must say that I do not wholly agree with them. I do not believe that I am an auditory learner to that extent. I am a visual learner, this is something I was already aware of, picking up information from a book and tuning out when lectures are occurring, but it is because of the fact that I tune out those who are speaking, especially if I am reading, typing or writing, that I cannot agree with this aspect of it, and I believe that it was to such a high percentage because of the questions relating to how quickly a piece of music can be learned. I would place kinesthetic learning much higher on the scale than auditory learning, simply because I can build just about anything. Show me once and I can do it, and the second time I do it will be better than the first, and so on.
I believe the second set of test results are far more accurate, and provide a better representation of my learning styles, however this is most likely as a result of the fact that the first test only had a few questions and the second test had over 100, giving it the ability to be far more accurate than the first. I prefer to learn in a solitary environment, as I find that other people tend to not be as driven as myself and when in a study group, they are more apt to go “Hey guys, look at this picture of a cat” than they are to actively allow for the learning process to continue.
It is imperative for a student to be able to know what learning styles that they use, and to know how they work best, for this will allow them to be able to not only study more effectively and efficiently, but also allow them to work to raise their grades with the minimal amount of effort, as they will be able to base their studying methods around those learning styles. Tests such as these, when the results are properly applied, serve as an immense benefit to the student for these reasons.
- Advanogy.com. (2004). Learning styles online. Retrieved from http://www.learning-styles-online.com/
- The Center for New Discoveries in Learning. (2012). Learning styles inventory. Retrieved from http://www.howtolearn.com/
