Identifying a Learning Style That’s Right For You

Posted by Alex Murray on Sep 15th, 2009 | no comments home title

Whilst there are many varied learning styles the 3 most predominant styles that I will talk about are visual (learning by seeing things done), auditory (learning by hearing about how to do things) and kinesthetic (learning by doing).

There are many tests, generally consisting of a list of rather obvious questions, that aim to determine your style of learning while in reality it is most likely that you have a mixture of 2 of the above mentioned learning styles. However having said this you will want to determine your predominant style for learning Spanish as it is always a good idea to play to your strengths.

One of the quickest ways to find out what learning style you prefer is to think back to your school days and remember the ways you most enjoyed learning. For example were you the person that loved to have things show as diagrams and charts so you could get a clear understanding of where everything was in relation to everything else? Then you probably already know that that’s because you’re a visual learner.

Did you just like to listen to the teacher speak and are you the kind of person that will remember sound bytes from a conversation rather than the cover of a new book? This indicates you much prefer to learn by listening and are therefore an auditory learner. Kinesthetic learners are perhaps the most easy to determine. If you were the kind of child that found it hard to sit still and concentrate on text books but jumped at the chance to do an experiment or something similar then you are most likely a kinesthetic learner.

Now that you have an idea of what kind of learning style you prefer how is this going to help you learn Spanish? Well if you know the way that you most enjoy learning and which provides you with the greatest amount of understanding then you can use this to personalise your experience when you teach yourself Spanish.

For a visual learner books (especially books that have some kind of pictures in them) and memorization learning such as flash cards will help the most. Oftentimes visual learner excel in reading and writing but come up short when conversing in Spanish. To combat this the use of software programs, which form a link between and image (visual learning) and the sound of the word, are far better suited to you than audio Cd’s or mp3′s.
If you have found that you’re an auditory learner then it’s your lucky day. Sticking some Spanish audio classes on while you’re driving, watching Spanish TV and listening to Spanish music or radio are all ways you can improve your conversational Spanish. It would also be beneficial to you if you can find a native Spanish speaker, either in your community or a relative, that you are able to talk to on a regular basis.
As a kinesthetic learnerit is important that you are doing something involving movement. Even if this is the simple act of taking notes as you read a text book or listen to Spanish audio classes just simply doing something will increase your concentration and improve your results. Spanish learning software that can provide some form of interactivity is especially useful for kinesthetic learners.

It is important to understand that there is no one superior learning style and learners of all types will face different obstacles as they progress with their education in the Spanish language. However by identifying your particular learning style you will be able to improve the quality of the time you spend learning of a regular basis and ultimately teach yourself Spanish faster.

Image courtesy of cnelson

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Identifying a Learning Style That’s Right For You

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