Different individuals learn through many ways/methods. Some of the learning styles include visual (spatial), verbal (linguistic), Logical, social solitary and physical. Each individual utilizes the different learning methods in different proportions. It is worth mentioning that individuals that have a high efficiency in using different learning styles have the highest ability of understanding different aspects within their stipulated curriculum or even in having general knowledge. Research has shown that such students achieve better grades than the rest. I did a test to determine my ability to use the different learning styles.
I scored significantly high points in the logical learning style, which is also known as the mathematical learning style. This shows that I learn a lot from my logical/mathematical reasoning. According to Watkins and Carnell (2000), people that employ the logical learning style are able to work well with numbers an aspect that is normally demonstrated by their good performance in not only mathematics but also in sciences and science related subjects (p. 25). I have always done well in such subjects an aspect that proves Watkins and Carnell’s findings. One of my key strengths in using this learning style is my passion for numbers and urge to find the connections between them especially in solving real life problems. Additionally, I gain a lot of pleasure from budgeting my money an aspect that requires one to be willing to work around different figures to arrive at the final budgetary allocations. The weakness that I have with this particular learning style is that I tend to get agitated every time things do not work out as I wanted them to and would spend a lot of time to make unveil certain patterns or solving some problem irrespective of how worn out I might be at that particular moment. In addition, at times I tend to overlook the creation of a guiding list before getting into deep reasoning. When it happens, it not only causes wastage of time but also lack of proper co-ordination.
The logical learning style is followed by the social learning style. I owe this to my good interpersonal communication skills that enable me to interact well with different groups of people. One of my key strengths is my ability to listen to people as they voice out their ideas just as I would want them to do when I am talking (which they do). I do seek advice from knowledgeable people whenever I feel incapacitated to handle a particular matter. I pay attention to the moods or rather emotions of other people especially those who I associate with closely. When people come to me for advice on certain issues I not only assist them gladly but also pay attention to their experience an aspect that has enabled me to learn the different issues that people go through. I have a weakness in that at times I am too quick to judge people especially by their appearance a behavior that I believe has denied me information that could be an asset to me. The information that I am usually unable to get from people makes me spend many hours alone trying to get answers to the many questions that end up unanswered at the end of the day.
The solitary style of learning helps me to find answers that I could not get from people. It was ranked number three. It gives me a conducive environment to learn the things that are or may not be related numbers. I tend to have deep thoughts especially when pondering about some of the issues that I have experienced or witnessed at some point in life. During such moments, I usually am fully aware of all that which goes through my mind as I try to understand such issues. Consequently, I learn quite a lot through such experiences. Moreover, I love doing an overview or an analysis of my progress as an individual in different disciplines in life. By doing so, I am able to point out the mistakes that I might have done in my past that caused me not to perform well in a given task. Owing to this, I avoid repeating such mistakes in the present as well as in the future: learning through mistakes. I always set my goals and plan well to ensure that I achieve them. I also evaluate myself to see if I am up to my goals. For the things that I cannot easily figure out, I do a lot of research, which enables me to understand them better. However, I spend much time on a given issue at the expense of many others that also require my attention.
My aural and visual learning styles scored the same number of points. I attribute the tie to my love of documentaries and films, which I consider very educative. The use of sound and moving images draw my attention very easily. In my opinion, films and documentaries are among the most powerful tools of showing how things real are in the normal setting. I find documentaries about wildlife really fascinating besides being educative. Others include documentaries of our great leaders through which I have been able to develop some good leadership skills. Other than the combined effect of sound and picture/images, I love listening to motivational pieces (audio). One of my weaknesses is that most of the educative materials that do not encompass the two tend to be rather boring thus giving me a rather low score in the two learning styles.
The learning styles that I achieved the lowest scores are the physical and verbal learning styles. The low score in learning through physical activities does not mean that I do not like doing exercises or being physically involved in creating solutions. I admire and love it when people do it but my view about physical activity is that it takes quite a while to arrive at a solution. This supports my high scores in logical, social and solitary styles since I am able to get solutions easily through such styles. This makes me to overlook the physical aspect of learning and only engage in such when it is the most effective way to getting a certain answer. On the other hand, I do not use much of the verbal learning style. It comprises of both the written and spoken word (Butler, & McMunn, 2011, p. 102). As earlier mentioned, I am good at listening at other people in a social setting where different people offer their views. However, in a scenario where one person speaks for more than fifty minutes, I get bored e.g. in a classroom setting when the teacher spends quite a long time explaining a few concepts. In such instances, I tend to stop paying attention to whatever the teacher is saying. On the other hand, I read only when I desperately need to get certain answers. I rarely read books for general knowledge thus the low score. According to Come (1995), there are things that one can never discover unless they develop a culture of reading a wide collection of texts or books.
An improvement strategy
This strategy will help me to exploit some of the opportunities available for increasing not only the score for each of the learning styles but also for the overall learning approach necessary for making me more knowledgeable.
In conclusion, I have employed most of the learning styles effectively. The improvement strategy will enable me to enjoy the benefits of all the learning styles in an effective manner.
REFERENCES
Butler, S. M., & McMunn, N. D. (2011). Teacher’s Guide to Classroom Assessment:
Understanding and Using Assessment to Improve Student Learning. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.
Clark, R. C., & Lyons, C. (2010). Graphics for Learning: Proven Guidelines for Planning,
Designing and Evaluating Visuals in Training Materials. Hoboken, NJ: Pfeiffer.
Come, A. (1995). Kierkegaard as Humanist: Discovering My Self. Montreal, QC: McGill-
Queen’s University Press.
Sadler-Smith, E., & Evans, C. (2006). Learning Styles and Training. Bradford, GBR: Emerald
Group Publishing.
Watkins, C. L., & Carnel, E. C. (2000). Learning about Learning: Resources for Supporting
Effective Learning. Florence, KY: Routledge.
