Learning Styles

The term learning styles refers to people's preferred ways to learn and process information. You may have one or two dominant learning styles or a combination of several overlapping styles. Culture, environment, training, content, and purpose combine to affect the learning process.
 
Through self-awareness and knowledge of learning styles, you can develop study habits that optimize your individual strengths and build new ones. Because you often do not have control over how information is presented to you, we encourage you to consciously work to improve your ability to process and retain information using multiple modalities.

Verbal—Learn through using language and writing to describe and analyze issues.

Auditory—Learn through discussion and listening; nuances of sound help you understand concepts.

Logical-mathematical—Learn and solve problems by applying logic, mathematical concepts, and recognizing patterns.

Visual-spatial—Learn through seeing; you prefer diagrams, pictures, and videos. A speaker's body expression and gestures provide cues that help you understand concepts.

Physical-kinetic—Learn through movement and hands-on activities: doing, shaping, building, acting, and role-playing. You prefer to break your study up into short periods of time.

Social—Learn through discussion and social interaction in a group and feel comfortable with peer review.

Solitary—Learn through the quiet and focus of studying alone; can also benefit from peer review or the use of a peer review checklist to assess their own work. Students often try to balance solitary with social learning.

Resources

• Find a Space to Meet Your Needs in the Dudley Knox Library (website)
• "What Is My Learning Style?" (website with link to learning-style self-evaluation) Neumann University