Humans start learning when they are born, which takes a particular form in school and higher levels such as universities.
The remarkable thing is that people have a unique way to learn and remember different information. For example, you may remember when you were a student in school, the way you studied and learned a subject differed from your classmates.
Therefore, the learning method is different for people, and everyone has their own way of learning. In addition, as a student, you may have noticed over the years that not all teachers teach in the same way and may use different methods.
As a result, it is natural to say that each person has a unique learning style. But what are these learning styles? What is their importance, and what are their types? Does a specific learning style make you smarter? If you are interested in this topic and want to know more, this article is for you. So, keep on reading!
Definition of Learning Style
As mentioned in the previous section, each person’s learning style is different, so the definition of learning style is as follows.
Learning style means people’s preference in learning, processing, observing, comparing, and remembering new information. Each person has their own unique learning style to learn and remember subjects.
Some people, such as students, may prefer to write down what they are learning and memorize it this way; some may listen to audio files explaining the topic, and some may even want to learn by drawing tables and figures.
Besides, there are four main learning styles which are visual, tactile, auditory, and kinaesthetic.
Visual learners mostly prefer to learn by using images, such as flashcards, to organize their thoughts. Tactical learners learn through movement and doing activities such as participating in writing or building models.
Auditory learners prefer to listen, discuss a topic and memorize it in class; that is how they learn and remember new information. Finally, kinesthetic learners mostly learn new things by using their body and body gestures when communicating with others, so the best place for them to learn is in hands-on environments.
Therefore, there are different learning styles, and only one is unsuitable for everyone. That’s why scientists have researched the best learning styles that help students learn new information better, which we will discuss later.
Why Learning Style is Important?
Learning is an important category, but learning style is more important because it helps students, professionals, educators, and others learn and memorize new information in the best way and effectively.
When students know what learning style they can use to learn and remember new information, they can understand their lessons better and more deeply.
Learning style is important even for teachers because if they master this subject and different learning styles, they can help students perform better in school or university.
In addition, when students know through which learning style they learn the material better, they are eager to learn more and read their lessons more easily.
In general, the importance of learning style refers to when students can learn the material better in a way that suits them and the changes made, including the following.
- They learn new information better and more effectively
- They will have better performance
- Their creativity increases
- They will be more confident
- They can communicate better
- They will be able to share new ideas
- They will be motivated
The things mentioned were part of the importance of learning style; when people learn the material according to their learning style, they become more familiar with the importance of this issue.
10 Best Learning Styles
Now that you know the importance of learning style, it is time to know more about different learning methods. This section reviews 10 of the most important and best learning methods.
1- Visual (Spatial) Learning
Visual learning style can be defined as when people learn the best through visual aids such as diagrams, figures, charts, images, videos, etc.
Visual learners learn better when they see a subject in a visual form. In other words, visual aids help them organize and remember new content and information better and easier.
Moreover, visual or spatial learners use visual memory to store information for a long time.
2- Verbal Learning
People who learn better in this way basically study and learn according to traditional methods. It means that when they read a book or an article, they learn better and remember the material faster. These people also learn faster when they write the material themselves.
Besides, verbal learners are expected to respond well to written or spoken language using cues such as acronyms to guess phrases and rhyme to learn concepts, which greatly impacts their vocabulary.
3- Auditory Learning
Auditory learners learn information by hearing them or by reading them out loud. The remarkable thing is that these people have the ability to quickly recognize changes in the tone and speech of the lecturer.
In other words, these learners understand different materials and can memorize them after hearing them.
Moreover, these students find listening to audio lectures, podcasts, and recordings more effective in processing information. It is good to note that this learning style strengthens the student’s memory and helps them remember the topic for a long time.
4- Logical (Mathematical) Learning
Logical or mathematical learning style is one of the best ways to learn new information, but it is also slightly different and is mostly based on logical and reasoning abilities.
These learners tend to group information and use logic and structure to learn better. It is interesting to know that these learners love everything’s structure and logic and are good at mathematical problems, and critical exercises are very important in this learning method.
In general, these people try to solve new information with their logic and reach a conclusion in this way, which makes them able to learn different subjects logically; as said, this method is a little different and uncommon, but many students use it.
5- Kinesthetic (Physical) Learning
Kinesthetic learning, also known as physical learning, is one of the most frequent forms of learning, followed by many students.
Kinesthetic learners prefer hands-on experiences such as listening to lectures or attending classes; they mostly prefer physically interacting with tangible things in nature.
Studying for long hours can be a daunting experience for these learners, but they are excellent at doing things independently and physically.
In other words, they are characterized by restlessness, a penchant for dirty hands, and being sociable and energetic. They can walk for hours and study but will not be tired.
6- Musical Learning
Many people are annoyed when music plays in the background while studying. They will not concentrate and can not learn the material.
But it may be interesting to know that many students can easily focus on the subject they are learning and learn and remember it when the music is playing in the background. This learning style is very popular among students.
In other words, these learners tend to learn better through music, beats and rhythms. Like logic learners, they find patterns and relationships between different sounds.
7- Social (Interpersonal) Learning
One of the most interesting types of learning is social or interpersonal learning. This type of learner prefers group classes and teamwork activities and learns better when communicating with others.
Because of this, they will associate their thoughts and ideas with others to gather different information so they can memorize them quickly.
Social learners have various skills, such as excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills; they are also very empathetic.
8- Linguistic Learning
It can be said that linguistic learning is a combination of auditory and verbal learning styles. These people retain information by writing or reading the materials; moreover, they will most likely use traditional yet effective learning methods such as verbal learning.
These learners listen carefully to audio file information and write down notes or even read materials out loud, and in this way, they learn new information and memorize them quickly.
9- Naturalist Learning
Naturalist learning is an interesting learning method, and many people use it; these people learn best through experimentation and hands-on experience in nature around plants and animals because they like to discover the world around them.
In addition, these learners may be somewhat associated with kinesthetic learners due to their emphasis on touch and outdoor activities.
You may think these people do not have enough concentration to learn outside the home, but this is not true because some people are more relaxed when they are in nature and can learn with more concentration.
10- Solitary (Intrapersonal) Learning
Solitary or self-study is one of the best learning techniques. These learners, also known as independent learners, prefer solitude during their learning sessions. So, it can be said that mostly introverted people prefer this kind of learning method.
The interesting thing is that these people are mostly known as the quiet person in the class, and others think they can not succeed at exams, but as these people prefer to stick to their perspective and ideas, they can pass hard exams with good results.
The learning methods we reviewed in this section were among the most important and common learning methods that most people use to learn and remember new materials.
If you still don’t know which learning method is right for you or if you are using the wrong learning method, these explanations will help you.
Conclusion
As mentioned, learning is very important, but each person’s learning style differs. When people know which learning style suits them, they can learn and use different materials more easily. Using the right learning method helps them perform better and keep their knowledge up to date.
In this article, we discussed learning style, examined its importance, and, most importantly, examined 10 of the best learning styles in full, which you can use to learn better.
