Auditory Learning Style
From a learning style test carried out on college scope.com/pcc, I was able to find out that I am an auditory learner. This is whereby the learner obtains information through listening. For an auditory learner to comprehend information effectively there has to be sound during the process of learning. This means I am very capable of understanding the information disseminated through verbal lectures. On the other hand, in case of silence or where there is no verbal educator, I have to form some background sounds to enhance my learning process. The auditory learning style has various strengths and weaknesses, which make it a conventional learning style. First, auditory learning enables the learner to comprehend oral information such as that delivered during lectures, speeches and other oral sessions. Because of this, they also perform well in oral examinations (Vincent and Ross 3). A key strength of the auditory learning style is that it improves the understanding of primary information delivered directly from the source (Vincent and Ross 3).
Another strength associated with auditory learning is that the learners are good at story telling. This implies that by passing information through telling stories, they enhance their understanding of key concepts. This characteristic has enabled me to learn from others as well as through assisting others in their learning process. While the advantages of auditory learning enable to learner to experience the process from a firsthand perspective, it also has one major weakness. Without sound, it is difficult for the auditory learner to understand the lessons easily. This requires them to add sound reinforcement to the learning set up so that their understanding can be boosted.
For me as an auditory learner, I can use various strategies to improve my learning in various contexts. For instance, in the classroom set up, effective and active listening can help me to take in information effectively. On the other hand, while studying for classes it is often necessary that I add sounds to the background through playing music, or studying in a group discussion setting. To memorize information, storytelling is a concept that I have developed and through which I get to repeat the received information aloud thereby improving my memorizing capacity. Although these strategies may be effective in learning, the traditional college lectures pose a specific challenge in that the students’ roles in the classroom are more or less passive. This makes it difficult for me to comprehend based on a one off listening opportunity without a chance for speaking aloud. To deal with this challenge, I often try as much as possible to get other class members who may be interested in the topic of study immediately after the class and hold discussions on the same. This has made me realize that personal initiative is key to learning in any set up.
One favorite learning experience that I went through in high school is where we had teachers asking us to contribute to the lessons through taking charge of the class. This experience enabled me to speak out on the key concepts learnt thus enhancing my memorization capacity. Teachers who use this style of learning make it possible for students to understand what they teach as well as to share with others effectively. On the contrary, teachers who do not use this style can make it possible for learners to understand through formation of discussion groups in their classes.
Works Cited
Vincent, Annette and Dianne`Ross. “Learning Style Awareness”. Journal of Research on Computing in Education. (2001). 33: 1–10.