Shana Smith Case

Knowing as much as possible about my personal learning style will help me tremendously throughout my lifetime of learning. I discovered recently that I knew very little about the ways I learn best. I used a learning style quiz to help me find out whether I was an auditory, kinesthetic, or visual learner. The quiz was simple and straightforward and gave me the result I was looking for. Once I determined what type of learner I was, I was able to find some practical strategies such as reading aloud, note taking, studying with a friend and recording and playing back the information (Smith, 2013) and I am confident they will help me find success in learning.

After taking the learning styles quiz I discovered I am an auditory learner (Smith, 2013). I was a little surprised at the result and had assumed I was a visual learner because from past experiences I seemed to learn well with visual aids. After reading more about auditory learning I do feel like the results are correct. While I could use some of the strategies from each of the learning styles, I feel like the auditory learning strategies are going to work very well for me.

An auditory learner learns best by hearing the information that is being taught. While this can be tough in a class with heavy reading requirements, there are several ways for an auditory learner to take in the information. Some strategies I have found helpful and that I use on a regular basis are reading aloud to myself and taking notes while reading and going over them frequently (Smith, 2013). Other ways I have not tried that I think might benefit me are studying with a friend and discussing the information together or even recording the information to play back at a later time (Smith, 2013). There are many strategies I can use as an auditory learner and I plan to try several of them to see what works best for me.

There are many ways for an auditory learning to be successful using both practical and biblical strategies. Partnering up with another person, reading aloud, taking notes and making a recording to listen to are great techniques for an auditory learner (Smith, 2013). We can also look to the Bible for advice and for ways to apply things in our everyday lives. The Bible says "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10, NIV). We were each created differently and for a specific purpose and because we are unique, so are our learning styles. Knowing which way I learn best will help me choose the best strategies for my style of learning, which will in turn help me to get to the place God wants me to be and to do the work He has called me to as an individual.

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