How do you learn Best?
Today we’re going to take a look at different learning styles and help you answer the question, “How do you learn best?”
There are three primary learning styles that determine how we best learn new information and skills. Each of us are usually a combination of all three, but we’ll have one primary and one secondary style. The styles are: auditory, visual, and tactile.
Click the link to take a FREE Learning Styles Assessment.
Auditory Learners
If you are an auditory learner, you learn by hearing and listening. You understand and remember things you have heard. You store information by the way it sounds, and you have an easier time understanding spoken instructions than written ones. You often learn by reading out loud because you have to hear it or speak it in order to know it.
As an auditory learner, you probably hum or talk to yourself or others if you become bored. People may think you are not paying attention, even though you may be hearing and understanding everything being said.
Here are some things that auditory learners like you can do to learn better.
- Have someone read new information out loud to you
- Read new information out loud to yourself
- Use flashcards to learn new words; read them out loud.
- Read stories, assignments, or directions out loud.
- Record yourself and then listen to the recording.
Remember that you need to hear things, not just see things, in order to learn well.
Visual Learners
If you are a visual learner, you learn by reading or seeing pictures. You understand and remember things by sight. You can picture what you are learning in your head, and you learn best by using methods that are primarily visual. You like to see what you are learning.
As a visual learner, you often close your eyes to visualize or remember something, and you will find something to watch if you become bored. You may have difficulty with spoken directions and may be easily distracted by sounds. You are attracted to color and to spoken language (like stories) that is rich in imagery.
Here are some things that visual learners like you can do to learn better:
- Use flashcards to learn new words.
- Try to visualize things that you hear or things that are read to you.
- Write down key words, ideas, or instructions.
- Draw pictures to help explain new concepts and then explain the pictures.
- Color code things.
- Avoid distractions during study times.
Remember that you need to see things, not just hear things, to learn well.
Tactile Learners
If you are a tactile learner, you learn by touching and doing. You understand and remember things through physical movement. You are a “hands-on” learner who prefers to touch, move, build, or draw what you learn, and you tend to learn better when some type of physical activity is involved. You need to be active and take frequent breaks, you often speak with your hands and with gestures, and you may have difficulty sitting still.
As a tactile learner, you like to take things apart and put things together, and you tend to find reasons to tinker or move around when you become bored. You can easily remember things you did but may have difficulty remembering what you saw or heard in the process.
Here are some things that tactile learners like you can do to learn better:
- Participate in activities that involve touching, building, moving, or drawing.
- Do hands-on and interactive learning activities.
- It’s OK to chew gum, walk around, or rock in a chair while reading or studying.
- Use flashcards and arrange them in groups to show relationships between ideas.
- Take frequent breaks during reading or studying periods (frequent, but not long).
- It’s OK to tap a pencil, shake your foot, or hold on to something while learning.
- Use a computer to reinforce learning through the sense of touch.
Remember that you learn best by doing, not just by reading, seeing, or hearing.
Use All Three Styles
Studies consistently demonstrate that learning experiences that incorporate auditory, visual, and tactile learning activities have better results when it comes to mastering new information and skills. Don’t limit yourself to just one type of learning.
You can enroll in a FREE course that gives you a proven study method which uses all three of the learning styles HERE.
When it comes to studying for a water or wastewater certification exam, you’ll want to either create your own study material to take advantage of all three learning styles or enroll in a course that presents the essential information using auditory, visual, and tactile methods.
All American Water College exam prep courses are created to leverage the exercise of all three learning styles so our students who complete the program have a near 100% pass rate on their exams.
Enroll in one of our Guaranteed exam preparation courses HERE.
Summary
Because only half of water and wastewater treatment operators pass their state certification exams each year, American Water College has developed a proven exam prep system using auditory, visual and tactile learning methods. As a result, 99% of American Water College students who put in the work and complete their course, pass their exams the first time. You can increase your likelihood of success on your next exam to almost 100% by having the right attitude, putting in the effort to prepare, and using either the process outlined in our FREE “How to Prepare to Pass Your Certification Exam” course or by using one of our Guaranteed Exam Prep Courses.
