Ever wondered what the most effective method of learning is for your specific personality? Recent research by the University of Rochester has lifted the lid on how best to maximise your learning potential.
We always think about our ability to learn being based on external factors – are we tired, or in a noisy environment, for instance…
Yet just as pertinent is who we are in ourselves, and how the effectiveness of our learning can be determined by our inherent persona.
Extroverts
As an extrovert, you thrive on the energy and thrill of a crowd and tend to work through problems by talking about them out loud and discussing through ideas with others.
You likely have an active learning style and will retain information better once you have imparted it to others and come to some mutual assumptions. You may find joining a study group to be useful.
Introverts
Unsurprisingly, introverts like to learn in the same way you prefer to do most things: quietly and alone. You probably prefer a reflective learning style whereby you take time weighing up a subject on your own before acting on your conclusions.
When anticipating a situation where you may be put on the spot or asked to speak up in class, you would benefit from taking the time to prepare for the given subject beforehand.
Sensing
If you like to deal with facts and details, it is likely you have a sensing personality. Similarly, you prefer to learn in a way that centres on the practical and factual, and you absorb information best when you use it in a hands-on way that benefits you.
As a naturally cautious and careful person, you do well to have as much information on the subject as possible, and the means to apply it to your world.
Intuitive
The natural opposite to the sensing mind, you prefer working with the abstract.
No idea is too lofty or convoluted for you, as you prefer to focus on the bigger picture and on what is possible.
Your intuitive style of learning involves abstractions, mathematical formulations and symbols, and with your brain set on the wider world and its endless opportunities, you may feel stifled by more rigid, structured learning approaches.
Thinking
The thinking mind likes to get to the heart of the matter; what is the basic truth or principle that must be applied?
You prefer logical explanations that are rooted in provable facts, and you learn most effectively through words. This verbal approach puts an emphasis on language – both written and spoken – so reading extensively on a subject or listening to a book, lecture or article on it most benefits you.
Feeling
Possibly one of the more underrated personality types, feeling personalities are essential to a fair society because they consider the human element of every argument.
Weighing up what people care about and the points of view of persons involved in a situation is how you reach your decisions, and it is likely you respond best to visual cues. Thus, visual learners remember best what they see – pictures, diagrams, flow charts, timelines, videos and demonstrations – so seek these out when trying to retain information.
Judging
It is possible that your friends call you over-cautious, but for you an orderly way of life is essential to find peace of mind. Sequential learning probably suits your supremely put-together brain, and sequential learners tend to follow logical step-by-step paths in finding solutions. When struggling with a vast subject, therefore, you would benefit by breaking it down into more digestible chunks of information.
Perceiving
The perceiving mind can thrive in chaos. It adapts rather than seeking to control the world and is as changing and spontaneous as mercury itself. No wonder then, that you prefer a global approach to learning.
This means grasping concepts in large jumps, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, and then suddenly ‘getting it’. You will likely feel stifled by traditional learning methods and instead thrive by learning on your feet out in the real world.
