My learning preference

No, that's not a drawing of me! It shows my learning profile!


We recently did an experiment in class to see the different ways that students learn. Some prefer to learn by touching things while others may prefer to hear about things. After we did a self-assessment, we matched the results to a profile. My learning profile was. It says that I am Gestalt dominant and I prefer to learn by visualizing things.

I was shocked to see that my profile was spot on. It quite accurately describes what I am like in real life. For example I have problems communicating, remembering and listening to people when I am under stress. Sometimes even though I am able to see the whole picture, I have problems in finding the words or language to express the idea. For me, language is not an initial response.

The profile says I am a visual learner that needs to see the whole three dimensional perspective and emotional elements to learn. I learn best when I can understand the whole picture and why the subject is relevant or important to me. I usually only become interested and motivated when I can understand why I should be learning the subject. Unlike other people, I prefer not to follow step-by-step instructions. I tend to do something by imagining the end results and then intuitively doing what seems right. I think that this is because I am Gestalt dominant. I am more creative than logical. This shows in the way I study. I don't like to be glued to the chair the whole class. I'm always itching to move around. I would like to lie down, sit on the floor or of course walk around. I always like surprises. I like it when the teacher asks us students what we want to do and then vote on what we should do next. I have no doubt that I learn best when I have some input in deciding how or what to learn.

The stuff I need to work on is controlling my stress level because if I get stressed out I would have a hard time communicating, remembering and listening to people. When I am stressed, I feel clumsy and stuck. I find it even more difficult to find the words to express myself even if I know the answer. I also need to concentrate harder when I am studying because I get distracted really easily. The way to do that is to remove things that can become distractions.

The strategies that would help me in learning would be to try and concentrate and to follow the assignment step by step. I think that maybe I should stop talking to my friends when the teacher is teaching because I would not know what the teacher is teaching. I need to read a lot more when I have free time to improve my vocabulary because it is pretty weak right now. I need to concentrate harder and stop looking at people around me because I get distracted so easily. So I must become more focused and disciplined.

I would like my teachers to make studying interesting and exciting. I like it better than just learning in a routine way. In my previous school, teachers usually stood in front of the class and lectured the students. I found it hard to learn. Here at ISKL, the way subjects are taught is quite different and I find it much more interesting. I know my teachers here make a lot of effort to guide me and I appreciate it. But I hope they understand that maybe my weaknesses are due to the fact that I prefer to learn in a different way from other students. I hope they will sometimes ask me for my opinion on what to study or how to study. I would like my teachers to explain the importance or relevance of a subject to me. But now that I know my learning preferences, I will try to improve myself and take advantage of my own way of learning.