Each of us has a learning style. Now many of you may have been “assessed” or taken some other type of test which tells you how you learn. I am in favor of another less scientific way of determining things. Think back to a time when you were very excited about learning something that you either paid for or you got free. What was it that you were learning?
Now, think about how the “thing” was taught. Did someone give you a bunch of materials and then you received instruction, step by step and then you repeated the step right there on the table in front of you? Or perhaps you were given a notebook with the question and a bunch of blank space and then the facilitator got up and gave instruction and then you did the inputting yourself. Maybe you sat down in a chair in a large room and the facilitator spoke and you took notes or just listened. Perhaps it was something else entirely.
Which one of those things really gave you the most “bang for your buck?” Which one gave you the most instruction and you felt like you really had valuable takeaway?
Your answer will give you a clue to your personal “Optimal Learning Style”. When you decide to pay your own hard earned money in order to learn something that you want to learn, or that you need to learn for your career, look for learning opportunities which are presented in the “Optimal Learning Style” that you learn best in. After all we each want to get the very best value and knowledge that is available to each of us and we can only do this in the manner in which we take the information in best.
Next time we will give a names to each of these styles and I will explain more. Now just think about the courses, seminars, off sites and other things that you have taken….in which format did you learn the most?
