How Do You Learn?

Posted on Jan 5, 2010 10:40:09 PM

Everyone knows that learning abilities come in as many packages as the person they are bundled up inside.  With that, I’ve listened to folks over the years discuss their personal learning style.  It’s ironic, I can identify my oldest son’s learning type really easy.  The five-year-old is still a bit difficult to figure out.

My husband, he is hard to figure out too because basically, he reads it, he remembers it and it is forever stored in his database of a brain until he actually needs it again.  The man is way too smart.

But me?  How do I learn?  I don’t really know what my style is.  I’m only visiting this subject with the plethora of blogging conferences coming up, I want to know which conferences offer what kind of sessions with what kind of speakers (teachers) that will appeal to my learning style the most.  Never mind the cost is outrageous so I have to think wisely.

With that, here are the points I’ve been able to factor into figuring this out…although, I still don’t know.

If the topic is brand new to me, I cannot simply read about it in a book and comprehend what I have read enough to “get it”.  No matter how simple, my reading comprehension is really bad.  I always figured it was because I pay too much attention to details….but usually the wrong ones………

I do not learn by using hands-on techniques.  I can dissect 900 frogs and it doesn’t matter if you give me 900 more, if I do not have someone standing beside me, pointing out what I am doing and seeing, I cannot look at a picture in a book and then cut and dig an figure it out.  However, if I watch someone do it, giving instructions the entire way, much of it will stick.

I take notes.  I scribble around.  But, the fact is, my notes are usually useless in my learning process.  I’m thinking back again to my anatomy and physiology classes.  The labs were all pointless for me.  I generally failed lab tests or made really low grades.  Then I had to bust my tail to pull them up with the regular exams.  But back to notes.  When I take notes, it’s merely to write down important words.  Not full sentences that make sense.  Just the words, on the paper in the order I hear them.  For instance, the process of digestion, as long as I sit, listen intently and write down the terms that are new to me, I can retain that knowledge by going back and repeating the lecture in my head checking my notes for the words of interest.

I don’t learn by using acronyms to remember things.  It confuses the heck out of me.  I can’t just simply sit down and memorize a lot of properties.  But, the last learning tactic that I use has caused my mother to question my sanity and both she and my husband said that my last method would confuse them more than help them. 

And then…my first cousin was trying to remember something…and she used this last method…and my mom was in shock.  What is this mystery method?

When I need the name of something or someone, I go through the alphabet saying the first word or name that comes to my mind starting with that letter.  And generally the first trip through the alphabet will render an answer.  If by the third run through I don’t have a name of the someone or something, then I probably don’t know it in the first place.  Many times I can recall words that I not only didn’t think I knew but have simply written down somewhere once just to cement it in my mind.

So, take that.  What kind of learner does that make me?

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