Learning Strategies

On this page...

• Visual/Verbal
• Visual/Nonverbal
• Auditory
• Tactile/Kinesthetic

Visual/Verbal

• When possible, get written instructions for all assignments and tests.
• Write down oral instructions to have a visual aid to refer to later.
• Use visual/verbal aids: handouts, outlines or summary notes of lectures, written definitions of new terms, diagrams, charts and graphs.
• Write down oral explanations.
• Take careful notes to help concentrate during class lectures and discussions; then study them several times for a visual review before a test.
• Write summaries or notes in your own words of what you have read or discussed in class.
• Read your textbooks and other assigned material silently instead of aloud to gain maximum meaning.
• Highlight important ideas in your assigned reading with colored markers or highlighters, and make summary comments in the margins in your own words.
• Make flashcards with definitions, dictionary examples, and your own sentences of new vocabulary.
• Make lists and other written reminders of anything you need to remember to do.

Visual/Nonverbal

• Carefully watch demonstrations and modeling of assigned tasks.
• Ask for models of successfully completed assignments that you can emulate.
• Pay attention to visual aids: lists, diagrams, charts, pictures, films, concept maps, and real objects.
• Draw pictures, diagrams, or other graphic representations of problems, ideas, or concepts.
• Use a variety of bright colors to highlight important information in your lecture notes and assigned readings.
• Use guided visualizations to help you imagine a situation, and get a mental picture of what you are reading or listening about in a lecture to keep you mentally alert and better able to retain this verbal information.
• Ask your instructor to provide examples and anecdotes to help you imagine and understand difficult concepts and vocabulary.

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Auditory

• Make tape recordings of information you want to learn and play them in your car, while doing household chores, and before going to sleep.
• Summarize the content you want to master aloud to yourself or to someone else.
• Try a solution to a problem verbally before doing it on paper.
• Ask for verbal explanations for diagrams, charts, graphs.
• Brainstorm ideas aloud with classmates before beginning a reading or writing assignment.
• Use a study buddy or small-group to discuss material and prepare for tests.

Tactile/Kinesthetic

• Record your thoughts on paper; make lists, outlines, graphs, or concept maps.
• Take good notes during lengthy class lectures and discussions, even if you think you understand the material, because the act of writing and highlighting important points aids a great deal in learning.
• Make your own graphs, charts, time lines, diagrams, and concept maps to better understand new concepts and important materials.
• Highlight ideas in your assigned chapters and other reading selections after you have already done an initial reading; then copy the most important information in your own words in a notebook in whatever form seems helpful to you: chart, graph, diagram, or summary.
• Make and use your own flash cards to quiz yourself on new vocabulary and material.
• Write your brainstorming for papers and projects or problem-solving for math first on a large piece of paper, then copy this onto a smaller piece of paper.
• Schedule your study sessions so that you can take breaks to stretch and move around.
• Break your homework into manageable time blocks; vary the activities you work on to concentrate better rather than spending a large amount of time on one activity.
• Try not to register for classes that meet only once or twice a week, which may require you to sit and listen to a lecture/discussion for a long period of time.

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