How Do You Learn Best? Part 2
Last updated on January 20th, 2020 at 6:17 am
Do you know what sort of a learner you are? Do you understand how you already process, store and retrieve information in your day-to-day life? This article discusses the profiles of different types of learners.
Written by Lysette Offley
Continuing from last month’s article…
The more you understand about how your brain already prefers to process information, the more you can tailor your revision to suit. This will mean that you can learn more easily, and that, in turn means an easier life and faster route to qualifications.
If you remember, each pair forms a continuum. You’ll slide up and down depending on circumstances, but will probably find you tend towards one end or the other.
Remembering that each pair is a continuum, and circumstances have you tending towards one end or the other, do you recognise yourself in any of these descriptions?
And so what?
Well, maybe knowing a little bit about your personality will help you make decisions about how to revise so that you make it easier and more effective.
Thinker – Feeler – How you evaluate information
This is about how you reach conclusions and how you make decisions, either through logic or by using fairness and human values.
Thinkers analyse problems impartially and weigh up the impact of their decisions quite objectively and based on logic and beliefs. They have strong principles and need a sense of purpose. They value fairness, focusing on the logic and objective criteria of each specific situation. They naturally see flaws and tend to be critical. They tend to be frank and honest rather than diplomatic, and accept conflict as normal when dealing with people.
Thinkers prefer to work with factual, abstract material, rather than diving straight into real life examples. They like clearly defined goals and objectives, precision, and taking action, and they want to know up front exactly what it is they have to do to learn the material. They do well to think about their own objectives for learning a specific chunk of information and ultimately, for passing the exam. They need to concentrate on what they’re going to do to pass the exam, rather than what other people can do to help. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t go on training days or ask for help. It just means they should focus on their motivation and their own ability to make things happen.
Feelers, on the other hand, get to their conclusions by exploring their personal feelings and the impact of these decisions on other people. They’re sensitive to the needs and values of others and their decisions and actions are directed by that. They are the sort of people who value harmony and will seek consensus in a group because they dislike conflict and feel uncomfortable with tension. They’re often good at persuasion and facilitating differences within a group.
Feelers like to relate what they’re learning to their own personal experiences. They often prefer working in small groups and usually learn very well by helping others to learn too, especially in a friendly, supportive environment. They would do well to set questions for themselves, applying the material they need to learn to real-life situations, then answering those questions with the information they’re learning. Explaining their answers to someone else is another useful approach. Another is to set a question for a group discussion, allowing each member, in turn, to share information and ideas, before coming to a consensus on a solution.
Do you know what type of learner you are? Share on X
Judger – Perceiver – How you select your lifestyle and relate to the outside world
This is about whether you prefer to plan ahead or whether you tend to be more spontaneous
Judgers are decisive, self-starters and self-regimented. They like to plan in advance – and in some considerable detail. They focus on the task and finish it before they move on. The organise their life with routines and by setting dates. They’re happiest working well ahead of deadlines which are viewed as sacred, as they see time as a finite resource. They are usually quick to take action.
Judgers like to tackle one thing at a time and need to know as they revise, how this new knowledge is going to be assessed. Therefore it’s important for Judgers to understand the marking criteria in the exam, to inform the weight they give to different areas of the revision they do. They are usually are self-motivated and self-disciplined. They need tools to help them plan execute their learning. They do well to condense processes into short lists of what to do and in what order, making sure they refer to them as they make their revision notes. They are encouraged by noticing their progress and accumulation of knowledge.
Perceivers though, are a little more laid back. They take things as they come and plan as they go along. They dislike being hemmed in by commitments. Perceivers are curious, adaptable and spontaneous. They may start many tasks and want to know everything about each. They are better able to multitask than some, so they’re good in emergencies, being able to think straight when bombarded with lots of important information. They’re flexible and receptive to new Information. Pressures of time do not seem to worry them and they tend to leave everything to the last minute – and only just in time to meet deadlines, seeking additional information right up to the last minute. Time is viewed as a renewable resource, and they like to keep their options open.
Perceivers tend to be those laid-back people who like to leave things the last minute! They enjoy study that is problem-based, grounded in real-life situations. Relating the information they’re learning to real-life situations with clients helps to make sense of it. They might imagine that they work best under pressure, but stress they create themselves hampers progress. Instead, splitting large assignments into smaller chunks, each with their own deadline tends to keep them on target. They are process-orientated, focusing on how the task is completed. Finding out exactly how to do something so that they can adapt easily to the job in hand is motivating.
This completes our quick overview, illustrating how organising your learning according to how your brain already prefers to process information can make life a lot easier for you.
Understanding more about how you already prefer to handle information day-to-day can make your learning much more efficient, not to mention much more enjoyable.
Good luck.