What are your best conditions for learning?
Each of us has unique learning style. We favor certain
conditions when we learn that are as personal to us as any other
feature we've inherited. Where are you in each of these?
Knowing what you prefer will make it easier to learn whether in
school or out.
What kind of noise level works
best for you when you study?
Some people like to have music on. Some like the sound of the TV in
the background. Others need complete silence. Which are you?
 What
kind of light do you like?
Some people like to work with as much light as possible while others
are comfortable with a darkened room and a light over the work
area. What kind of light do you like?
|
I never realized the
light preference that people have until I house hunted
with a friend. She determined if she liked a house by
how much light came into it. My brother on the other
hand does not have a need for bright light at all. His
last two apartments have been basement apartments with
barely any exposure to the sky at all
When I mentioned this light difference to one of my
classes, a student said that he couldn’t wait to tell
his mother. He liked working in a darkened room with
just a light on his desk. His mother kept coming in and
switching on the light telling him that he was going to
go blind studying the way he did. Now he knew that
he had a different learning style from his mother which
will put both of them at ease.
Marianne Douglas |
What temperature do you like?
Some people thrive in heat and humidity. Others like it cool. Some
like a breeze blowing on them as they work.
What setting do you like?
What surroundings work best for you? Can you study curled up on a
comfortable couch or do you need to be sitting at a desk or table
with a hard chair?
Do you like to work alone or with
someone?
Although we focused on 3 primary learning styles there are several
others that vary with each person. Some people work best when they
can talk it out and be with someone else. These interpersonal
learners function best when others are around. They love group work
and are the perfect candidates for having a Study Buddy.
Intrapersonal learners relish the solitude of their own thoughts.
Which works best for you?
Do you need an authority figure
around to get something done?
Do you tend to get sidetracked on your own or do you better with a
teacher or your parent close by to keep you going?
Do
you like variety or doing the same thing for a while?
If you like variety, structure your study time with built in breaks.
Change the subject or the style of studying frequently to avoid
boredom. If you like to be more structured, study one subject at a
time. Knowing what you prefer makes doing the work so much easier.
Do
you work best on an empty stomach?
Or do you like to have snacks handy as you study? Make sure you’re
sufficiently nourished before you begin or hunger pangs will
distract you from your work. If you work best with snacks, try to
keep them healthy. Too many carbs may make you sleepy. Too much
sugar may make you hyper. Neither condition makes for good
studying.
What’s your best time of day?
Are you a morning person? Most teens aren’t. Their biological
rhythms tend to make them more alert and productive later in the day
and into the night. If that’s the case, plan to do the bulk of the
studying then being sure to get sufficient rest earlier in the day
if there is school the following day. There is no benefit to
staying up so late that school becomes a constant fight in keeping
the eyelids open and the mind focused on the task at hand.
How much mobility do you need?
Are you someone who can sit still for hours or do you need to get up
and move around more frequently? Plan breaks to get up and move
around if there’s a great deal of school work or studying to be
done.
(Excerpted from
Strategies of Success, a leadership/success curriculum for high
schools with research from the Dr. Laurence D. Martel and Peter
Kline's book School Success – The Inside Story.)
|
traffic jams?