Blog
Good Enough?
By Craig Jensen | May 15, 2014
Is just any learning tool good enough? Should you settle for watching videos, even though you learn best by reading? In my last blog, Does Everyone Learn the Same Way?, I described the four main learning styles: Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic. In short, research shows that most people learn in more than one way, and many tap into all four learning styles.
- 61.2% prefer more than one learning style
- 34.1% use all four learning styles
Each of us is unique, and we each learn in different ways. There is not a "one fits all" learning style. One way that helped me see and understand different learning styles was volunteering in my children's grade school. I would visit their classrooms weekly and help the kids with reading, writing, etc. Some of the kids could hear something and immediately understand it, memorize it, and later recite it. Some needed to read it one or more times on their own before it would sink in.
Still others needed to follow along with the book while I read to them. Occasionally a child would grasp something quickly with one learning method-for example, they couldn't read well, but if they watched a video of the material they could comprehend it immediately. It became so clear to me that in order for individuals and groups to learn effectively, they need to have access to many ways to learn. Each person is an individual and learns differently.
Take me for example. I am one of the 61% of people who uses multiple learning styles. When learning something new, I'm at my best when I am able to watch and listen to someone explain the material, read along in a book or on-screen, and then try it for myself. Whenever possible I even try to teach someone else the material...in order to teach something well, you really need to understand it. So, don't settle for a learning tool geared toward only one learning style-like a tool with just videos, or just books-and figure it's good enough.
You'll learn faster and retain more when you discover what type of learner you are and then choose a learning tool or method that supports all of the ways you learn. LearnNowOnline recognizes that learning styles matter and offers a Dev and IT learning subscription with something for everyone, including resources that nurture all learning modalities.
Craig Jensen
Craig Jensen is the President and CEO of LearnNowOnline. Craig has led the company’s change from instructor-led classroom training, to self-study CD/DVD training, to the award winning online learning solutions offered today. Craig is passionate about helping individuals and businesses of all sizes solve their problems through practical learning and technology. He is involved in setting direction for the company, including selecting training content for development with resources to support all learning styles. He is also involved in The CEO Roundtable organization in the Twin Cities as well as the Minnesota High Tech organization. In his spare time, Craig loves to travel, golf, and partake in water sports of all kinds.