LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Learning Styles
Anna McGarry ©2011
• Honor your learning needs. Do you need to see the big picture first, then work on the details like spelling and conjugation endings? Or, do you systematically organize and break down the details into charts and lists to work towards developing a big picture? Do you learn best when you study alone, in silence, while sitting down at a table? Do you concentrate best when you sit curled up on the sofa with your cat and music playing in the back- ground? Or, do you think most clearly when you study outdoors in the fresh air and natural lighting? Do you learn best with long period of uninterrupted time, or do you retain more if you study in "spurts?"
• Know your learning style. Most people have a primary, secondary (and even tertiary) learning style. Tailor the material to your fit your needs by figuring out which style best helps you learn, and using those senses as much as possible during class and when studying.
• Listening (auditory) learner - you comprehend and process the material better when you hear it.
• Visual learner - you need to see the material (either in print, charts or pictures) in order to process, understand, and have it stick in your brain.
• Verbal (oral) learner - you need to say things out loud in order to process the material or memorize it.
• Tactile-Kinesthetic learner - you might need to move around as you study; perhaps you need to keep your hands moving by doodling or sketching while the instructor is presenting a lesson. You may need to write things down or act things out in order to memorize or learn them.