By Kon Eme
Many students in the university go through the same motions, they attend classes like everyone else, take notes, record the lectures and even go for TDB but at the end of the day, their grades still struggle. They wonder what they are doing wrong and some may even start to blame themselves or doubt their intellectual capacity.
While the problem may be your intellectual capacity, the more probable option is that you're simply using the wrong methods of studying. Seeing a studying method work for someone doesn't always guarantee that it will work for you. Humans are wonderfully complex and that complexity births a certain uniqueness, we aren't all the same, so there's no reason to believe that we all need the same things to flourish.
Here are eight possible methods of studying and ways through which people retain information precisely. La cram, La pour might not work for you but one or a combination of these might.
1. Auditory Learning: This involves learning through listening. Auditory learners benefit from spoken information, discussions, and verbal explanations. If you're an auditory learner, you will greatly benefit from attending classes or listening to recorded lectures and audiobooks rather than pouring through textbooks and notes with great difficulty.
2. Visual Learning: This relies on visual aids and information. Visual learners grasp concepts better through images, diagrams, charts, and other visual representations. For visual learners, seeing the problem solved in front of you or writing down the text can greatly aid in your studies.
3. Kinesthetic or Tactile Learning: This deals with a more hands-on experiences. Kinesthetic learners learn best through physical activities, touching, moving, and manipulating objects. For courses like Philosophy where we seldom have any physical or practical problems, it helps to have a repetitive movement associated with whatever you're trying to memorize.
4. Reading/Writing Learning Style: This is the typical style most students use, the default-if you may - It focuses on reading and writing. These learners benefit from written information, taking notes, and engaging in written exercises. For these groups, it is very important to have complete notes and written materials or PDFs for the course.
5. Social or Interpersonal Learning: Thrives in group settings. Social learners learn best through discussions, collaboration, and interaction with people. People with this learning style greatly benefit from tutorials and study sessions. For students like these, forming a friend group of fellow conversers is very important. When your fellow students come together to discuss, don't feel intimidated, we are all here to learn and there is no shame in not knowing.
6. Solitary or Intrapersonal Learning: People under this category prefer independent learning. Solitary learners excel when working alone, reflecting on information, and setting their own pace. They're quite the opposite of the Social Learners, a peaceful and quiet environment is key for the Solitary learner.
7. Emotional or Affective Learning: This type of learning involves emotions in the learning process. Emotional learners connect with information through personal stories and experiences. Affective learners related their own experiences and naturalistic examples to the subject, making it much more easy to relate with. These type of learners however, tend to have a proper understanding of the material to be able to break it down and relate it so easily.
8. Musical or Rhythmic Learning: Learners like these incorporate music and rhythm into their studies. Musical learners remember information more effectively when presented in a musical format or through rhythmic patterns. This could work by memorising certain texts in the tune of your favorite song or creating a chant for certain difficult to remember acronyms and examples.
Most people tend to have a combination of two or more of these learning styles, finding a learning style that suits you can serve wonders and make studying enjoyable. So before pouring over those books and wondering why you're finding reading so difficult, don't give up on yourself and explore these various options that will only serve to enrich your academic life.
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