Learning Style

Learning Styles

Karen Dunning

Coll 100

I believe everyone of us has a very individual learning style just as we all have very different personalities and upbringings. We all learn in different ways and have different needs to be able to learn. Some of us do better in a group setting to learn while others need to be alone. Some do better with the material they are trying to learn in print in front of them while others do better to listen to the material being presented to them. Some need both visual and auditory. I believe that I am a visual learner.

I am currently seeking a college degree to better myself for a job change. I have worked in the medical field for the past thirty years. I started out as a Physical Therapy Technician and worked this job for eight years. I then went to tech school and became a Certified Nurse Aide. I have been working as a
Certified Nurse Aide since 1994. I have worked in many areas including home health, hospice, nursing homes and mental facilities. After working in the mental facility, I became interested in Psychology and social work so I decided to pursue a degree in Psychology.

This class has taught me that my learning style is a visual one. In reviewing "Index of learning styles"- NC State University, A visual learner looks at all study materials and writes out everything for easy review. I personally do write out everything for easy review. I find it helps me to have it in writing in front of me for me to be able to learn and remember what I am studying. I also tend to need total privacy with no background noise in order for what I am studying and learning to sink in so I can remember and learn it. In reviewing "Learning styles inventory"- 2010 Penn State, it states that a visual learner prefers to think in pictures or movies. Visual style is most effective when you want to create and recall images when taking written test and can retrieve information they learned much faster. It also states that the old adage "one picture is worth a thousand words", is true for visual learners and that visual learners tend to be neat and well organized in learning style. I agree with these findings since I recall images when taking written test and tend to be neat and organized also.

In conclusion, I know that I am a visual learner since the findings strongly suggest this. This will enable me to focus on the visual style of learning instead of the auditory style of learning and know that it is the best way that I can personally learn. I feel everyone needs to find their own style of learning and stick with it to become successful.

Index of Learning Styles http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html Felder, R. M., & Soloman, B. A. (n.d.)
Learning Style Inventory http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm (Penn State, 2010)