Centred Content
Dear Joanna
I’m currently in a college program and am also looking for part time work. My Reena job coach encouraged me to understand my preferred learning style. She said that this self-awareness could help me be a successful student and employee as well as select a suitable career goal. Why is this important for me to know?
Signed: My Learning Styles
Centred Content
Dear MLS,
There are different ways of understanding information. In brief, a learning style is an individual’s way of learning based on strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. By examining your learning style, you‘ll know how you learn best, and you can also communicate more effectively with others from your coworkers, and bosses to your teachers, friends and family. For more information, check out Loveless’ blog at https://www.educationcorner.com/learning-styles.html).
There are tons of theories on this topic. I will present the most popular one that reports that most learners use a combination of three (3) main types of styles: Kinesthetic/Tactile, Auditory and Visual. Loveless’ explains that ONE or more these styles is your preferred, most dominant style – the best way that you learn new information. Sometimes, learners prefer one style of learning for one task, and another style for other tasks.
To expand, a visual learner learns best by seeing to fully understand the task. This learner needs to see body language, facial expressions and learns best from diagrams, pictures, movies and charts. An auditory learner understands the information best through listening to what others say at lectures, storytelling, discussion, and talking things through. They benefit from reading instructions or text out loud. A kinesthetic/tactile learner prefers to learn by doing, moving and touching – the hands-on approach.
Why is it important for you to know what your learning style(s) is? Why do you need to learn this? Loveless and other researchers explain the following reasons:
- School/Academics. This self-awareness can help you study and learn new information much easier by picking your own best strategies. Also, you can reduce the stress and frustration of learning experiences.
- Employment/Career. This knowledge can help you chose the right career/job, and to figure out strategies you need to learn the new tasks. You can also be a better team player and improve your communication skill with your different co-workers and bosses. To top it off, you can understand your accommodations on the job to be a successful employee.
- Personal. The more insights you have into your strengths, weaknesses and habits, the more you can enjoy learning and be motivated to improve. This self-awareness can increase your self-confidence, improve your self-image and can teach you how to use your brain best in order to take advantage of your natural skills and inclinations.
What is your dominant learning style? Try these tests and perhaps the results can help you better understand your preferred learning style? https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/seeheardo and https://www.how-to-study.com/learning-style-assessment/quiz-item.asp. My results were 100 percent accurate!
Joanna
To submit your questions and comments to this column IN CONFIDENCE, please email jsamuels@reena.org