Knowing Yourself

(This is a guest post by A.D. Giovanna).

So you have decided to study a foreign language, or even to improve your capabilities in your native language. A tremendously important thing you can do to make all of your future studying and dedication is to figure out, here and now, what kind of a learner you are: audio, visual, or kinesthetic. The really cool element is that there are now on-line quizzes to help you figure out if you are not sure. And there are lots of tips, once you know what kind of learner you are, to help you study while playing to your dominant learning style. This extends even beyond language study to all kind of study.

The basic idea is this: if you are a visual learner, you learn by what you see. You might even need quiet time to study, and you may find it difficult to follow verbal directions. (I am a visual learner and I literally freeze when people tell me how to drive from A to B; I’d just much rather see it on a map.) You can play to this strength by studying from index cards, color-coding your notes, writing out what you study, especially in charts. Your learning will be especially connected to whatever your write by hand.

If you are an auditory learner, you learn by listening. You may be very good at mimicking accents you hear. This will really come in handy! You may prefer to repeat your lessons out loud, so perhaps studying with a friend may suit you better than studying quietly on your own. You can listen to music in your target language, as well as movies or books-on-tape.

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Kinesthetic learners learn by doing. They learn best when the lesson is associated with movement, so anything that is hands-on helps them. While this does not sound like it naturally pairs with language learning, role-playing can really help a kinesthetic learner. Also, memory games that help you associate a movement with an item learned will help.

In order to find out what kind of language learner you are, and get more tips on how to study for your style, visit this link, review the traits of each group, and take the learning style quiz.

How do you learn best?