Ways of Learning

Visual learners need something they can look at: mind maps, sketches, graphics, text to read, … Everyone knows that person who makes the most beautiful notes—not (only) because they want them to look nice, but because it helps them truly understand the material. This is the classic “I just read it and then I’ve already understood it” type.

 Auditory learners take in information by listening. Podcasts, explanatory videos, listening during lectures, … these are ideal for this type. This is the person who seems to be doing everything except actively paying attention during a lecture, yet still absorbs the information through passive listening.

Communicative learners need to say information out loud in order to store it in their memory. It helps this type, for example, to explain topics to others or to talk to themselves out loud. Often—but not always—these are also the people who have fewer problems with oral exams.

Motoric learners need to do something while learning. This can range from simple movements like tapping a pen or bouncing a leg, to using gestures, or even walking back and forth around a room. This is the classic “learning by doing” type.

This type needs to understand the meaning behind what is being learned: Why is this relevant to me? Without this understanding, information is either not absorbed at all or only with difficulty. The best way to keep this type engaged is through storytelling and real-life connections.

This type needs proof for everything they are supposed to learn: What evidence supports this information? Without numbers, data, or statistics—in other words, without factual proof—it is difficult to convince this learner or spark any interest.

This type wants to understand things in a practical way: How can I apply this? Simply memorizing theory is not enough; the learned material must be tried out and tested. If that is not possible, it becomes difficult to maintain their attention and interest.

For this type, having a view into the future is important: What will this knowledge bring me in the future? Critical reflection on what has been learned is especially important here. If there is no recognizable benefit for future development, interest quickly fades.

The Pomodoro Technique is based on the assumption that, in order to be truly productive, you need to take enough breaks. Work is divided into intervals of 25 minutes (focus phases), with a 5-minute break scheduled after each interval. After four of these intervals, a longer break (30 minutes) follows.

This structured interval approach is meant to help increase concentration and prevent exhaustion. One full Pomodoro cycle lasts 2.5 hours. To avoid overloading yourself, it is recommended to complete one to two of these cycles per day; the remaining study time can be structured less strictly.

The Loci Method is particularly well suited when you need to memorize content or learn things in a specific order.

To use this method, you rely on familiar places and routes and link your learning material to them. You mentally walk through your usual paths (for example, your way to university, specific spots in your room, or even a “time route” such as the days of the week, …) and connect each station with the topics you need to learn. It may sound absurd, but the less the place and the learning content seem to fit together, the stronger the memory aids you can create for yourself.

Here are some examples of such memory aids: learning the planets—we start at the feet with the planet farthest from the sun and work our way upward:

• The sea feels like a cure for my feet. (Mercury)
• Through my knees run veins and arteries. (Venus)
• Falling onto Earth butt-first. (Earth)
• Chocolate goes straight to the hips. (Mars)
• My belly rules over my mood. (Jupiter, ruler of the sky)
• With a trained chest, I go ring throwing. (Saturn)
• Orangutans have broad shoulders. (Uranus)
• The water is up to my neck. (Neptune, god of the sea)

With the ABC technique, you assign keywords from your study material to each letter of the alphabet.

To do this, first choose a topic area on which you want to base your keywords and phrases, and create a list of all the letters of the alphabet. You don’t have to write down your keywords in the correct order right away—start with a brainstorming session and note down the terms that come to mind first; you can always add more as you continue studying. This allows you to approach your material in both a creative and structured way.

If you can motivate others to use this method as well, you can exchange your notes and, ideally, learn even more—because not all associations are the same.

The Memory Palace is similar to the Loci Method. However, instead of placing your concepts along a familiar route or location, you construct a building (a palace) using your learning material.

The foundation consists of the basic concepts, the pillars represent the most important information and data, the different focal points or subject areas form the individual rooms, and all the additional nice-to-have details make up the attic and the very top.

During an exam, you can then mentally walk through this palace and retrieve the information from the corresponding rooms.

The SQ3R technique is especially helpful when you need to read and understand academic texts. The abbreviation stands for: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.

First, you look at the table of contents and think about what each chapter might be about, noting down questions. These don’t have to be content-specific questions (since you don’t know the details yet), but rather questions about your own motivation: What goal are you pursuing? What information do you need?

Only after that do you actually read the text and highlight the most important points. Then you write a summary of the content and try to answer the questions you asked yourself at the beginning.

Once all that is done, you try to explain the entire text to yourself in your own words. You will quickly notice where things are still unclear and where you need to go back and review your summary more closely.