An Examination of My Learning
Learning Preferences
I learn best through hearing and seeing, then doing
When I was a child, my mom said I
reacted better to verbal instructions
than to spankings, threats of no
dessert, or promises of new toys. I
read constantly. I asked as many
questions as possible. And when I
couldn’t find answers to problems, I
was upset.
“You always seem to
comprehend things
better when you talk
them through aloud,
even when you’re
doing something
hands-on.”
According to my mother, I am and
have always been a mostly auditory
and verbal learner. When I was a kid,
my parents would take me to the
library for hours every Saturday, where
• Prefer to write stream-
of-consciousness style,
then edit extensively
• Acquire knowledge
best by reading aloud
and talking things
through
Ever since I was little,
I have learned best • Occasionally use trial
through reading,
writing, and listening.
and error, but usually
only as a last resort
• Need clear verbal
instructions before
completing a task
I’d locate books on a variety of
topics—everything from the • Prefer to learn theory
Babysitters’ Club series to biographies before practice
about celebrities and historical
accounts of trains and bats. I was • See the trees before
obsessed with books to the point that the forest
I’d borrow them from teachers and
later “forget” to return them. In my
bedroom I would pretend to be a
librarian, referencing books
whenever someone asked me a
question. If I couldn’t locate an
answer within my book collection, I’d
go searching for a new one.
In school I always sat where I could
hear the teacher, even if I couldn’t
see her. It wasn’t important that I
saw notes on the chalkboard as long
as I could hear what the teacher said
and write it down. I regularly
participated in plays, learning how to
communicate effectively through
acting. Whenever I studied in
college, I would write and read my
class notes multiple times until they
were engraved in my mind.
In terms of a classroom environment,
my mom says I learn best when
material is presented in an organized
manner.
 However, I also love to be
creative and learn through the
design process. For example, this
assignment is a perfect way for
me to learn since it involves
listening to my mother and then
synthesizing the information
through writing, then figuring out
a way to present the information
visually and creatively.
During our interview, my mom also
said I have always enjoyed visuals
for their aesthetic appeal but that
I don’t necessarily need them to
comprehend material. Even
though I am great at math, I am
often confused by graphs and
charts, especially when they are
not accompanied with a verbal
explanation; I prefer step-by-step
instructions to diagrams to
comprehend complex problems.
Even today, I experience difficulty
reading maps without written
directions. But give me a Google
printout with numbered directions
without a picture, and I am good
to go.
As far as writing goes, my mom
believes I write best when I
conduct a lot of research and
draft outlines beforehand. Even
though I find my writing is typically
“better” when I plan it prior to
sticking the pen to paper, this is
not how it usually occurs. Most of
the time, I write stream-of-
consciousness style until I am hit
with a “Eureka!” moment.
Typically I will write an eight-page
paper in a short amount of time
and then spend a significant
amount of time editing it, moving
text about extensively, sometimes
even changing my thesis (or lack
thereof) completely. Assuming no
one is nearby, I will usually talk
myself through my ideas as they
are developing and listen for
mistakes as I read aloud.

Characteristics of Auditory Learners

 Remember what they hear
 Talk while they write
 Need phonics
 Remember names but forget faces
 Eyes move down and to their right
when they are listening to others
 Remember by listening, especially
music
 Highly distracted by noise
 Games and pictures are annoying
and distracting
 Often, information written down will
have little meaning until it has also
been heard
 May seem to be listening to
something inside themselves, rather
than to the person they are
communicating with

An Examination of My Learning ● Volume 1, Issue 1 ● January 2009 ● Beth Wilkerson ● English 885
 Things That Seem to Help Me Learn Best
Although I am primarily
an auditory learner, I can
learn in a variety of ways Explain the material I am trying to learn to a
if necessary. For study partner.
example, when I put a
bed together last
summer, I discovered Read explanations out loud. Be sure to go over
that reading directions all important facts out loud.
wasn’t working for me, so
I threw them aside and
figured the steps out by Make up songs to go along with subject matter.
trial and error. The crazier, the better.
Sometimes I tire of
reading and search for
visual examples that Record lectures and review these tapes while I
exemplify key concepts. drive.
Overall, though, I prefer
to learn first through
hearing, writing, and/or When learning new information, state the
reading; secondly problem out loud. Reason through solutions out
through visuals; and
loud.
thirdly by trial and error or
“practice.”
Say words in syllables, e.g. “Wed-nes-day.”
Understanding the ways I
learn best has helped me
immeasurably. It has also Make up and repeat rhymes to remember facts,
challenged me in dates, names, etc.
situations where learning
in those ways isn’t
possible, making me To learn a sequence of steps, write them out in
better appreciate the sentence form, then read them out loud.
learning styles of others—
something I hope will
help me as I teach others Use mnemonics and word links.
with differing learning
styles.

Beth Wilkerson
952 Georgetown St.
Clemson, SC 29361

Dr. Cynthia Haynes

806 Strode Tower
Clemson, SC, 29361

An Examination of My Learning ● Volume 1, Issue 1 ● January 2009 ● Beth Wilkerson ● English 885