Published on November 4, 2020

There are seven different styles of learning.  It is essential to know which types you prefer so that you can maximize your learning potential.  Here are the seven styles and what they mean in terms of learning and understanding new information.

1.     Visual (Spatial)

2.     Aural (Auditory-Musical)

3.     Verbal (Linguistic)

4.     Physical (Kinesthetic)

5.     Logical (Mathematical)

6.     Social (Interpersonal)

7.     Solitary (Interpersonal)

Knowing how you learn best will help you process new information in a way that is appropriate to your learning style.

Visual Learning

Sometimes it is easier to understand information when there are diagrams that show the data.  Visual learners like diagrams and concept maps as ways of expressing thoughts and ideas.  Visual learners will often use color-coding to organize their ideas.

When you represent ideas spatially, you can easily group and organize thoughts and use your visual memory to learn the concepts. Good career choices for visual learners are things like architecture, engineering, and project management positions.

Aural Learning

Hearing things out loud will help some people retain the information better.  Some auditory learners read aloud or talk to themselves while reading as it helps process the information.  A great way to learn if you are an aural learner is to discuss the material with a partner or a small group.

If you are an auditory learner, you can pay attention to sounds such as tone and pitch changes.  Many auditory learners will make up little songs or jingles to help them remember information.  Good career choices for auditory learners include musician, speech pathologist, recording engineer, or language teacher.

Verbal Learning

If you find it most comfortable to get your ideas across by writing them or talking about them, you are a verbal learner.  Verbal learners love to read and write and enjoy playing with words.  Tongue twisters and rhyming are fun.  Learning new words and incorporating them into your daily vocabulary is also something you enjoy.

Learning is most effortless when you use mnemonic devices to remember things.  You also learn well through role-play and anything else that involves speaking and writing.  Some careers that best suit verbal learners are public speaking, journalism, political office, and administration.

Physical Learning

Physical learners do well with hands-on activities.  Doing rather than listening is how you learn best.  For instance, when you have to learn about electricity, you enjoy the hands-on activities of building circuits rather than just looking at diagrams that show how it works.

Physical learners excel at careers such as emergency services, entertainment, physical education, and safety advisors.

Logical Learning

Logical learners are great with mathematical reasoning and logic puzzles.  If you are logical, you are good at seeing patterns and connecting concepts where others may not see the connection.  You like to group information and classify it to help understand it.

Logical learners can do more complex math in their heads.  Careers in the field of scientific research, computer programming, and accounting are well-suited to logical learners.

Social Learning

Suppose you enjoy communicating with people in social settings, and you are comfortable in large groups. In that case, you are probably a social learner.  You are the kind of person who is always around to give others advice.  Social learners are good at detecting the feelings and moods of others and can respond to them.

Careers that many social learners look into are teaching, coaching, politics, and counseling.

Solitary Learning

Solitary learners like to work alone.  They can think best when working independently and find it easier to concentrate when there are no distractions.  Solitary learners tend to be reflective, and creativity is at its peak when they have time to be alone with their thoughts.

Many authors and researchers are solitary learners.  Solitary learners may also like to consider careers where they can work from home or a job where they are more isolated from others.

Which Are You?

Knowing your learning style and preferences will help you in your courses.  It may also help you to choose a career that is more suited to the way you learn and process information.  Knowing how you learn is essential when it comes to studying for your exams as well.  Being aware of how you best process information will help you retain the information and know it well enough to explain it and teach others.