All of these kids are listening – but which ones are learning?
Last week we looked at how habits can help you improve your memory. But there’s another piece of the puzzle. Besides making room in your brain and schedule for memory, each of us has a special way of learning and thus memorizing. Even though we all learn when our brains make neural pathways, our brains have different ways of making those pathways permanent and strong. This is called learning style.
You have probably heard of auditory learners, visual learners, and kinesthetic learners. This describes the way that a person receives and understands information best. If you are an auditory learner, for example, you might struggle to focus on and understand written words. You are technically receiving information, it just won’t stick!
This is because you are not making neural connections in your brain when you just read words. On the other hand, when an auditory learner hears an engaging lecture or someone tells them a piece of information, their synapses get firing and their neurons can connect much easier. Now you can learn – and remember!
What does this have to do with memory?
Learning and memory are very closely connected. You cannot really learn something unless you remember it! The great thing about knowing your learning style is that you can be sure to receive the information you want to remember in your learning style. write it down (on a piece of paper!) and take a breath.
Is your boss telling you about an important project coming up? If you’re a visual learner, ask for the information in an email, or write it down yourself. Do you have an important meeting coming up? If you’re an auditory learner, say it out loud so you can hear it.
What’s your learning style? You can find out by taking The Highlands Ability Battery. This excellent test actually tells you a lot more than just your learning style. If you need help understanding your full report, get a FREE consultation with The Career Profiler.