Introduction Making the most of your learning style
These articles will help you think about your learning style, so you can adapt the way you study to be more effective and efficient. They also describe theories about forms of intelligence to help you think about your own strengths and weaknesses and perhaps reconsider assumptions you may have about intelligence.
This will help you with:
- understanding your own preferred way of working
- being aware of how this helps or hinders you
- understanding multiple and emotional intelligence.
It can be very worthwhile to spend some time identifying your strengths and what you find difficult. Being aware of what you're good at and where you need to develop your skills can be the first step to boosting your confidence, enabling you to plan to improve your performance as a student. You can help yourself by being willing to try new approaches.
Recognise your preferred style
Research suggests that we each tend to adopt a particular approach or style when we study. For example, one theory describes how you may be an activist, a reflector, a theorist or a pragmatist (or a couple of these).
It can be useful to recognise your preferred style of learning, as this can help you re-think how you might use study techniques effectively. However, you shouldn't feel restricted by the categories given. Your approach to learning may change as you develop new study skills, and many of us use different styles depending on the problem or task at hand.
If you have no strong preferences for a particular learning style
This is not a bad thing because you'll probably be able to adapt to most learning situations. If you have a preference for just one or two styles then you need to remember that there are a number of ways to approach the various aspects of your study. You might be tempted to miss out important stages, so be open to trying new things. This will help you take responsibility for your learning and exercise control over what you do.
