Introduction with Student Profile

4How You Learn

IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL EXPLORE

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Tools for discovering your learning style

Strategies to handle a mismatch between how you learn best and how you are being taught

How to understand and recognize a learning disability

Apply your learning style to your everyday life. Eventually you will learn in a different, smarter, and more efficient way.

Robert Schein, 23

Undeclared major

Truman College

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Although he tells us, “I didn’t have much knowledge of learning styles before I started college,” Robert Schein from Truman College in Chicago enrolled in the College Success Seminar in his first semester. There, he took a learning styles inventory called the VARK and learned that he’s both a kinesthetic learner, which means that he learns by doing, and a read/write learner, which means that he learns by reading and writing down material from class. Since then he has been able to employ numerous strategies that apply specifically to his form of multimodal learning to help him succeed in class. He does things like rewriting terms and concepts in his own words so that he better understands what they mean, and he uses note cards to help him memorize. He says that knowing his learning style has improved his performance. “When I take notes, I read them silently on note cards and continue to return to them so I can memorize the meaning,” he says.

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Robert Schein

It’s not surprising that Robert is also a kinesthetic learner as he spends 10 to 15 hours a week working in his family car business. “A hands-on approach has my name written all over it.” “I like being able to use my hands and express myself, and I like being able to figure things out just by playing with them for a bit.” He translates this hands-on approach to learning by doing things like taking practice exams until he feels ready for the real exam.

Robert chose to begin higher education at Truman College because it was close to home and because he believed that he would receive more one-on-one attention from instructors by going to a community college for his associate’s degree. When Robert enrolled, he took advantage of the TRIO program, which helps prepare students for a successful transfer to a four-year institution through advising, tutoring, and transfer assistance. All that work paid off: After completing his associate’s degree at Truman, Robert transferred to Northeastern Illinois University to pursue a B.S. in computer information systems. Robert plans to finish his degree and then explore job opportunities as well as master’s programs. He ultimately hopes to be working in computer science or finance, and he plans to continue to rely on his learning styles: “Apply your learning style to your everyday life. Eventually you will learn in a different, smarter, and more efficient way.”


Have you ever thought about how you learn, or are you like Robert and never thought about learning styles before coming to college? People learn differently. This idea is hardly novel, but if you are to do well in college, it is important to become aware of your preferred way, or style, of learning. Experts agree that there is no one best way to learn.

Maybe you have trouble paying attention to a long lecture, or maybe listening is the way you learn best. You might love classroom discussion, or you might consider hearing what other students have to say in class a big waste of time.

Perhaps you have not thought about how college instructors, and even particular courses, have their own inherent styles, which can be different from your preferred style of learning. Many instructors rely almost solely on lecturing; others use lots of visual aids, such as PowerPoint outlines, charts, graphs, and pictures. In science courses, you will conduct experiments or go on field trips where you can observe or touch what you are studying. In dance, theater, or physical education courses, learning takes place in both your body and your mind. And in almost all courses, you’ll learn by reading both textbooks and other materials. Some instructors are friendly and warm and others seem to want little interaction with students. It’s safe to say that in at least some of your college courses, you won’t find a close match between the way you learn most effectively and the way you’re being taught. This chapter will help you first understand how you learn best and then think of ways you can create a link between your style of learning and the expectations of each course and instructor. In addition to its focus on learning styles, this chapter will also explore learning disabilities, which are very common among college students. You will learn how to recognize them and what to do if you or someone you know has a learning disability.