LEARNING STYLES

Rose Wedemeyer-Academic Skills Center

Student Success Resources

Your Preferred Learning Style

Visual

Aural/Auditory

Reading/Writing

Kinesthetic

Multimodal

(Fleming, 2001)

Visual Learners

Want the whole picture

Are often swayed by the look of an

object

Are interested in color, layout, and

design

Are likely to draw things

Do well with instructors who use

pictures, videos, diagrams, graphs,

flow charts(Fleming, 2001)

Note-taking for Visual Learners

Underline

Highlight

Use different colors

Use Post-its

Draw diagrams, concept maps, flow charts

Beware of doodling

Studying for Visual Learners

Look at your notes

Look at the diagrams, tables, charts in the

textbook

Replace words from notes with symbols

Studying for Visual Learners

Transfer notes and concepts from lecture into

documents using Smart Art (flowcharts,

diagrams)

Test-taking for Visual Learners

If allowed, draw diagrams, flow charts on the test

For multiple choice questions, cover up the options and write your own answer, then find the answer that most closely matches yours

Visualize the diagrams and flow charts you created

Aural/Auditory Learners

Prefer to have information explained to them

Do not find written words as valuable as words

they hear

Do well when instructors lecture, play audio,

have debates and class discussions

(Fleming, 2001)

Note-taking for Auditory

Learners

Attend class so that you can hear the lecture

Use a tape recorder to record the lecture

Leave spaces in your notes for later recall and

“filling”

(Fleming, 2001)

Studying for Auditory Learners

Attend discussions and tutorials

Expand your notes by talking with others and adding notes from the textbook

Put your summarized notes onto tapes and listen to them

Discuss topics with other students and teachers

Ask others to “hear” your understanding of the topic

Read your summarized notes aloud

Explain your notes to another “aural” person(Fleming, 2001)

Test-taking for Auditory

Learners

Imagine talking with the examiner

Spend time in quiet places recalling the ideas

Practice writing answers to old exam questions

Speak your answers aloud or in your head

(Fleming, 2001)

Reading/Writing Learners

Prefer an emphasis on words and lists

Find handouts more helpful than lectures

Prefer reading over lectures and discussions

(Fleming, 2001)

Note-taking for Reading/Writing

Learners

Use outlines and lists when taking notes

Include page numbers from the text when

taking notes

Studying for Reading/Writing

Learners

Turn notes into paragraphs with beginnings and

endings

Arrange notes into outlines

Write out key terms again and again

Reword the ideas and concepts

Organize any diagrams, graphs into statements

Develop lists of similar concepts, key terms

Reread handouts

Use indexes, glossaries(Fleming, 2001)

Test-taking for Reading/Writing

Learners

If allowed, write exam answers on the test

For multiple choice questions, cover up the

response choices and write your own answer,

then select the response that most closely

matches

If allowed, write key words and terms on the

test

(Fleming, 2001)

Kinesthetic Learners

Want to experience the concepts so they can

understand it

Need to do things to understand

Prefer activities over lecture

(Fleming, 2001)

Note-taking for Kinesthetic

Learners

Pay attention to the real-life examples

described in the lecture

Include plenty of examples in your notes

Describe activities (laboratories, field trips) and

what you experienced

(Fleming, 2001)

Studying for Kinesthetic

Learners

Revise and re-write your lecture notes

Use case studies to learn concepts

Talk about your notes with another kinesthetic

learner

Use pictures and photographs to illustrate the

idea

Go back to the laboratory or classroom to

study

Recall the activities and experiments(Fleming, 2001)

Test-taking for Kinesthetic

Learners

Role play the exam questions

Recall the examples associated with the

concepts

Recall the activities related to the questions

(Fleming, 2001)

Multi-modal Learners

Have 2 or 3 strong preferences (visual,

auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic) or are

pretty even on all 4

Consider taking another self-assessment to

confirm the results

Questions?

In Groups:

“Teach” the rest of the class about one of the

styles:

Visual:

Auditory:

Reading/Writing:

Kinesthetic:

Present study tips to the rest of the group

Include at least two examples from your current

courses