Visual Study Strategies

You want the whole picture so you are probably holistic rather than reductionist in your approach.. You are often swayed by the look of an object. You are interested in color and layout and design and you know where you are in your environment.  You are probably going to draw something.	

Aural Study Strategies
If you have a strong preference for learning by Aural methods (A = hearing) you should use some or all of the following:
INTAKE
To take in the information: 
•	attend classes 
•	attend discussions and tutorials 
•	discuss topics with others 
•	discuss topics with your teachers 
•	explain new ideas to other people 
•	use a tape recorder 
•	remember the interesting examples, stories, jokes... 
•	describe the overheads, pictures and other visuals to somebody who was not there 
•	leave spaces in your notes for later recall and 'filling' 
SWOT - Study without tears
To make a learnable package: 
Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1)
•	Your notes may be poor because you prefer to listen. You will need to expand your notes by talking with others and collecting notes from the textbook. 
•	Put your summarised notes onto tapes and listen to them. 
•	Ask others to 'hear' your understanding of a topic. 
•	Read your summarised notes aloud. 
•	Explain your notes to another 'aural' person. 
OUTPUT
To perform well in any test, assignment or examination: 
•	Imagine talking with the examiner. 
•	Listen to your voices and write them down. 
•	Spend time in quiet places recalling the ideas. 
•	Practice writing answers to old exam questions. 
•	Speak your answers aloud or inside your head. 
You prefer to have this page explained to you.
The written words are not as valuable as those you hear.
You will probably go and tell somebody about this.

Read/Write Study Strategies
If you have a strong preference for learning by Reading and Writing (R & W) learning you should use some or all of the following:
INTAKE
To take in the information: 
•	lists 
•	headings 
•	dictionaries 
•	glossaries 
•	definitions 
•	handouts 
•	textbooks 
•	readings - library 
•	notes (often verbatim) 
•	teachers who use words well and have lots of information in sentences and notes 
•	essays 
•	manuals (computing and laboratory) 
SWOT - Study without tears
To make a learnable package: 
Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1)
•	Write out the words again and again. 
•	Read your notes (silently) again and again. 
•	Rewrite the ideas and principles into other words. 
•	Organize any diagrams, graphs ... into statements, e.g. "The trend is..." 
•	Turn reactions, actions, diagrams, charts and flows into words. 
•	Imagine your lists arranged in multiplechoice questions and distinguish each from each. 
OUTPUT
To perform well in any test, assignment or examination: 
•	Write exam answers. 
•	Practice with multiple choice questions. 
•	Write paragraphs, beginnings and endings. 
•	Write your lists (a,b,c,d,1,2,3,4). 
•	Arrange your words into hierarchies and points. 
You like this page because the emphasis is on words and lists.
You believe the meanings are within the words, so any talk is OK but this handout is better.
You are heading for the library

If you have a strong preference for Kinesthetic (doing) learning you should use some or all of the following:  
 INTAKE
•	all your senses - sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing ... 
•	laboratories 
•	field trips 
•	field tours 
•	examples of principles 
•	lecturers who give real-life examples 
•	applications 
•	hands-on approaches (computing) 
•	trial and error 
•	collections of rock types, plants, shells, grasses... 
•	exhibits, samples, photographs... 
•	recipes - solutions to problems, previous exam papers 
SWOT - Study without tears
Convert your lecture “notes” into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1).
•	Your lecture notes may be poor because the topics were not 'concrete' or 'relevant'. 
•	You will remember the "real" things that happened. 
•	Put plenty of examples into your summary. Use case studies and applications to help with principles and abstract concepts. 
•	Talk about your notes with another "K" person. 
•	Use pictures and photographs that illustrate an idea. 
•	Go back to the laboratory or your lab manual. 
•	Recall the experiments, field trip... 
OUTPUT
•	Write practice answers, paragraphs... 
•	Role play the exam situation in your own room.