Is it all of us or just me who sometimes wonder that, I wish I could go back to school days and study those subjects well.
Oh wait, do not think this is all about marks. That’s not the point here. I sometimes feel, there are certain subjects or concepts I might have not gone too deep while studying for the first time and that makes me wonder why?
Is it about the age or the environment or the importance or the medium through which we studied? What is it?
This question lingered in my mind for a long time, without a clear answer until a conversation with my sister introduced me to different learning patterns that exist.
V.A.K Learning Styles
VAK is an acronym for Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic which are three different learning styles that people naturally lean toward. Each one of us are dominant learners in one of the three styles and that could also vary task to task.
Let’s break it down
Visual Learners
Those who grasp quickly and sharply via image, graphs or videos anything visual for that matter.
Auditory Leaners
Those who love to learn via hearing, loves to be read to, and are often very verbal.
Kinesthetic Learners
Those who learn by doing, by touch, feel, and movement.
Interestingly, kinesthetic learning further branches into two types such as tactile (touch) and kinesthetic (movement).
As I understood these styles, it hit me how important it is to know what kind of learner we are and how to adapt this in day-to-day life. Personally, I prefer a good mix of visual and auditory learning. I’m not great at reading long texts or dense papers; I’d much rather watch a video or listen to an audio recording that holds my attention tightly.
While I sometimes feel bad for not absorbing all subjects deeply during my school years, there’s so many other things I’ve accomplished as an adult once I had the freedom to learn in a way that suited me.
For instance, I am born and brought up in Karnataka but I have learnt a new language Odia as an adult, by relying heavily on visual and auditory cues. I would watch videos for pronunciation, listen to family members speak, and store those sounds in my memory. Today, I can speak the language fairly well.
I also learned to play the Sitar in 2010, through a rather unique set-up.
Every weekend, I would travel to Mysore, where my Guruji stayed. I got only about two hours each session to absorb what he played and etch the tune of each note into my mind. During the weekdays, I would practice and somehow, it worked.
Now I understand why. It’s because of my learning style which is a strong mix of visual and auditory grasping that made it possible.
Not all of us are same, then why compel to use the one generic technique to learn?
If I had been given the chance to learn my school subjects beyond just relying on textbooks, I’m 100% sure I would have absorbed certain topics much better.
The reason I write this today is because I genuinely believe in the fact that:
We should all know our learning styles.
It’s the key to learning constantly, & most importantly to learn well. This is also extremely important for teachers too, to understand that kids learn differently.
As a child, I couldn’t articulate that I learned better with images and auditory aids. But now, I’m determined to make sure to pay attention to how the next generation learns. 🙂
If you’re struggling to pick up a new concept, an art, or anything that feels hard to absorb remind yourself to take a step back. Think of a thing you learned effortlessly in the past. Dig deeper into how you learned it.
There lies your goldmine: your unique learning pattern.
Hope you liked this piece and were able to relate to it. If this has made you pause, think and reflect I would be very glad. Pay attention to how you learn as much as what you wish to learn.
Watch this space for more personal experiences explored and analysed!