Dear Elcee:
I am a 35 year old who has just returned to post secondary education.  I am currently in my first year and taking a hybrid of online and in person classes.  I have discovered that I seem to do better with online learning.  A friend of mine said that it might be related to my learning style but I have no idea what that is.  Can you tell me more about it and how it might benefit me in my future studies?

Style Free in Scarborough

Great question!  Knowing your own particular learning style can not only answer questions about how you learn best but can also prepare you in designing your learning plan.  The term learning stye is often used to describe how learners gather, sift through, interpret, organize, come to conclusions about, and “store” information for further use. It is commonly accepted that there are 7 learning styles.  They are in a nutshell;

• Visual  using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.

• Aural  using sound and music. Listening to lectures and podcasts 

• Verbal  both in speech and writing.

• Physical  using your body, hands and sense of touch.

• Logical  using logic, reasoning and systems.

• Social  learning in groups or with other people.

• Solitary  working alone and using self-study.

Most people tend to fall into one or more categories.  No one style is better than the other although “traditional schools” tend to primarily focus on using linguistic and logical teaching methods.  That being said, we are seeing a greater incorporation of learning styles in the educational system.  I, myself, am definitely a social learner with a touch of verbal and, at times, solitary. However, put me in a group project and I am definitely in my happy place. 

There are a myriad of websites that can help you get a picture of what your particular learning style(s) are.  Two are;

Free learning styles inventory (learning-styles-online.com)

What’s Your Learning Style? 20 Questions (educationplanner.org)

Learn about your learning style! Once you know your learning style or styles, you can incorporate them into your personal study plans to maximise the effectiveness of your studies. Again, I repeat, there is no learning style that is better than the other.  Good luck with your studies

We value your opinion. Please let us know what you think about this column. Send comments to learningcurves@hotmail.com.