By Shelley A. Gable
Is auditory learning your strength? Your maybe tactile learning? As you may have read in an article posted last week, many learning researchers suggest that we learn through three 
sensory modalities:
- Visual (learning through seeing)
- Auditory (learning through hearing and/or speaking)
- Tactile (learning through doing)
The article from last week introduced the concept of learning modalities and dug into the visual modality. This week, we’ll take a closer look at the auditory and tactile modalities and what you should know when completing that insurance continuing education course.
How do you know if you’re an auditory learner?
Auditory learners tend to learn best by listening to information or by saying information aloud to themselves. If the majority of the statements below are true about you, you’re probably an auditory learner.
- You prefer to listen to a story or a good lecture rather than read about it.
- You often read aloud or whisper to yourself as you write.
- You remember names but forget faces.
- You tend to talk through problems and complex situations.
- You try to recall difficult-to-remember information by attempting to remember how it sounded when you first heard it.
How can you leverage auditory learning in an online course?
The most obvious way to leverage your auditory learning strength is to listen to audio narration, if it’s available. However, not all courses have audio narration. Regardless, the suggestions below can also help you get the most from your auditory strength when completing an online course.
Narrate the course yourself.
This can involve more than just reading text aloud. Verbally explain any diagrams and flowcharts to yourself. Talk through formulas, articulating what various numbers and symbols represent. State concluding remarks after each slide or cluster of slides.
Discuss your learnings with others.
Talking with others (colleagues, clients, friends, family – anyone!) helps reinforce what you’ve learned and may even deepen your understanding of the topic. A previous post on this blog explains why this works and how to make it work for you.
Play with mnemonics.
You probably learned some mnemonics in school when you were growing up. Mnemonics are memory techniques intended to help you recall information more easily – and many of these techniques tend to be most effective when verbalized.
Here are a few examples…
- Create an acronym for steps in a procedure – for example, PASS represents the steps for using a fire extinguisher (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep)
- Build an easy-to-remember sentence where each word is a cue to something you must remember – for example, Every Good Boy Deserves Fun represents the order of G-clef music notes (E, G, B, D, F)
- Use key words in a rhyme or song – for example, I learned a song in elementary school to recall the order of the planets
How do you know if you’re a tactile learner?
Tactile learners tend to learn best through movement and hands-on experience. If the majority of the statements below are true about you, you’re probably a tactile learner.
- You more easily recall information from activities you’ve done, than information you’ve heard or read.
- You tend to get fidgety in lectures or while reading.
- You enjoy games and role playing.
- You were a big fan of science labs when you were in school.
- You try to recall difficult-to-remember information by simulating a related movement (for example, you might remind yourself of a phone number by pretending to press the keys).
How can you leverage tactile learning in an online course?
If you’re taking an insurance continuing education course with in-depth scenarios and simulations, immerse yourself in these activities. You can also try the suggestions below.
Apply newly learned information immediately.
If you’re in your office, apply newly learned knowledge to your job. For instance, if you learn a formula for calculating something, take a moment to apply it to work you’re doing for a client.
Take frequent breaks.
If you find yourself fidgeting during an online course, roll with it if you can. Personally, I have a habit of tapping my fingers on my desk or playing with my bead-filled wrist rest (much to the dismay of my cube neighbors). You might find that it actually helps you stay focused.
If your fidgeting becomes distracting, then take a break. Studying in shorter blocks, with “fresh eyes,” can actually be a more productive use of your time.
There’s more than one way of learning.
Although most of us have a preferred mode of learning, we all generally have the ability to learn through all three modalities – visual, auditory, and tactile. In fact, leveraging two or even all three modalities as part of your learning experience is likely to strengthen your ability to recall what you’ve learned.
What’s your preferred learning modality? And do you have any learning tips to share (if so, please do!)?
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Shelley A. Gable is an instructional designer and freelance writer. She has developed training for functions such as financial services, call centers, and engineering education. Shelley has written articles on topics related to training and management for print and online publications. Visit Shelley’s website at http://shelleygable.webs.com.
By Shelley A. Berg
As you may have read in an article posted last week, many learning researchers suggest that we learn through three sensory modalities:
- Visual (learning through seeing)
- Auditory (learning through hearing and/or speaking)
- Tactile (learning through doing)
The article from last week introduced the concept of learning modalities and dug into the visual modality. This week, we’ll take a closer look at the auditory and tactile modalities.
How do you know if you’re an auditory learner?
Auditory learners tend to learn best by listening to information or by saying information aloud to themselves. If the majority of the statements below are true about you, you’re probably an auditory learner.
- You prefer to listen to a story or a good lecture rather than read about it.
- You often read aloud or whisper to yourself as you write.
- You remember names but forget faces.
- You tend to talk through problems and complex situations.
- You try to recall difficult-to-remember information by attempting to remember how it sounded when you first heard it.
How can you leverage auditory learning in an online course?
The most obvious way to leverage your auditory learning strength is to listen to audio narration, if it’s available. However, not all courses have audio narration. Regardless, the suggestions below can also help you get the most from your auditory strength.
Narrate the course yourself.
This can involve more than just reading text aloud. Verbally explain any diagrams and flowcharts to yourself. Talk through formulas, articulating what various numbers and symbols represent. State concluding remarks after each slide or cluster of slides.
Discuss your learnings with others.
Talking with others (colleagues, clients, friends, family – anyone!) helps reinforce what you’ve learned and may even deepen your understanding of the topic. A previous post on this blog explains why this works and how to make it work for you.
Play with mnemonics.
You probably learned some mnemonics in school when you were growing up. Mnemonics are memory techniques intended to help you recall information more easily – and many of these techniques tend to be most effective when verbalized.
Here are a few examples…
§ Create an acronym for steps in a procedure – for example, PASS represents the steps for using a fire extinguisher (pull, aim, squeeze, sweep)
§ Build an easy-to-remember sentence where each word is a cue to something you must remember – for example, Every Good Boy Deserves Fun represents the order of G-clef music notes (E, G, B, D, F)
§ Use key words in a rhyme or song – for example, I learned a song in elementary school to recall the order of the planets
How do you know if you’re a tactile learner?
Tactile learners tend to learn best through movement and hands-on experience. If the majority of the statements below are true about you, you’re probably a tactile learner.
- You more easily recall information from activities you’ve done, than information you’ve heard or read.
- You tend to get fidgety in lectures or while reading.
- You enjoy games and role playing.
- You were a big fan of science labs when you were in school.
- You try to recall difficult-to-remember information by simulating a related movement (for example, you might remind yourself of a phone number by pretending to press the keys).
How can you leverage tactile learning in an online course?
If you’re taking an insurance continuing education course with in-depth scenarios and simulations, immerse yourself in these activities. You can also try the suggestions below.
Apply newly learned information immediately.
If you’re in your office, apply newly learned knowledge to your job. For instance, if you learn a formula for calculating something, take a moment to apply it to work you’re doing for a client.
Take frequent breaks.
If you find yourself fidgeting during an online course, roll with it if you can. Personally, I have a habit of tapping my fingers on my desk or playing with my bead-filled wrist rest (much to the dismay of my cube neighbors). You might find that it actually helps you stay focused.
If your fidgeting becomes distracting, then take a break. Studying in shorter blocks, with “fresh eyes,” can actually be a more productive use of your time.
There’s more than one way of learning.
Although most of us have a preferred mode of learning, we all generally have the ability to learn through all three modalities – visual, auditory, and tactile. In fact, leveraging two or even all three modalities as part of your learning experience is likely to strengthen your ability to recall what you’ve learned.
What’s your preferred learning modality? And do you have any learning tips to share (if so, please do!)?
You just completed an insurance continuing education course and you learned loads of new information. Now what?
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While hopefully there were memorable highlights from throughout the course, you can probably also recall how the it started and ended. This is because of primacy and recency effects.
