I am a huge fan of discovering how you learn best. To me it just makes sense to know what learning condition is going to be the one that benefits you. Learning how you learn is simple, but it must be more than a guess. You can say, “Hey, I’m an active learner, ” and call it a day but that doesn’t mean you understand what that entails or if it truly captures the entire way you learn. In truth, most people possess the ability to acclimate to all types of learning and even have competency in multiple learning styles. I suggest taking a simple test like this one or this one or even this one to gauge where you live along the learning spectrum.
This type of knowledge extends well past the classroom. Knowing how you learn ought to shape your experiences in life. I recently purchased the Up bracelet by Jawbone, a life tracking device that shows me what is happening with my body in terms of steps I take and hours I sleep. I am, in part, a visual learner so when I see a graphic reflecting my sleep and exercise trends it inclines me to be more active and to change the style and intensity of my activity. I am also an active learner–one who likes to move and do in order to learn, so I experiment extensively with different things in order to figure out the right way to do something.
Because I am visual and I am active I am a person who dabbles in the reading of how-to books and follows e-how online. My home is littered with attempts to learn professional carpentry and the like. Knowing how I learn helps my to understand how I can best acquire new skills without waisting money on learning experiences that will be ineffective.
Some Thoughts:
- No Waiver Wednesday today. There is little to say between the 1st and second weeks of pre-season football that hasn’t already been exhausted on the plethora of 24-hr sports news stations littering your channel guide.
- Still no Minecraft either, because a 4 yr old should not have any reason to pick up a 10 lb barbell and brandish it as a weapon.