How to Find Your Learning Style and Study More Effectively

If you’re trying to learn a new skill around a busy schedule, like by taking an online course, knowing how to make the most of your limited study time can be beneficial. Remember that effective learning is more than just memorization and speed reading; understanding how you learn best can help you process and retain the information you need.

In general, the four most popular learning styles are visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Even though not everyone fits neatly into one category, it can be helpful to try different ways to study your course material to see which one (or combination of learning styles) works best for you. Read on for some tips on how to figure out how you learn best and how to study better.

What’s Your Learning Style?

If you want to get a better sense of your learning style, think about how you generally approach learning new material. You can find online surveys that help you narrow down how you learn best, but you should also consider how you respond to specific situations.

Generally, visual learners learn by sight (pictorials, graphs, movies), auditory learners learn by listening (podcasts, lectures, music), reading and writing learners learn through written materials (reading textbooks, making lists, taking notes), and kinesthetic learners learn through movement (experiments, physical demonstrations, hands-on materials).

For example, imagine you want to learn how to make bread. There are multiple ways to learn how to do this:

•  If you look at step-by-step pictures of the bread-making process, that’s visual learning.
•  If you listen to a podcast on how to bake bread, that’s auditory learning.
•  If you read a recipe in a cookbook, that’s learning through reading/writing.
•  If you watch a demonstration of a baker making bread and then try it yourself, that’s kinesthetic learning.

You may find that several of these styles appeal to you, and it’s fine to mix and match study methods to develop the approach that suits you best.

How Can I Study Effectively?

Now that you have a broad overview of the different learning styles, you can use them to focus on making a study plan that works for you. Here are a few ways to efficiently use these different learning methods to help you better absorb new material.

1. Vary Your Study Methods

One strategy to study more effectively is to approach the topic or skill in various ways. For example, if you’re learning a new computer skill, instead of just reading about it (reading or writing learning style), you can watch a related video demonstration, listen to a step-by-step audio recording, and try it out for yourself. Approaching new material in multiple ways helps you become more confident in your skills and further reinforces what you’ve learned.

2. Teach Someone What You Know

Once you’ve absorbed a new topic, it can be helpful to teach someone else what you’ve learned (using whatever method you feel most comfortable with). Explaining or demonstrating what you’ve learned to someone else allows you to work through the material at your own pace and ensures you’re not missing any crucial steps or information. You can even use their questions to pinpoint the areas you need to focus on for yourself.

3. Dedicate Time to Study

If you’re trying to learn a new skill or concept in your free time, it can be easy to get distracted by life, like kids, pets, a job, or household tasks. But you’ll get the most out of studying if you set aside some distraction-free time to review the material, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. Studying while doing something else, like cooking or cleaning, can have a negative impact on how well you retain the information. In other words, don’t try to multitask!

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