Learning Styles
Reading through the handbook I've come across Kolb's learning cycle which I came across often when I was at school but never put a name to it. It was always in a survey from the school to see how many of their students learnt better in different ways. I never really thought about it much at school but now, I think back to how I made my blog (something I'd never experienced before) I simply googled blogs using my already learnt knowledge of Google, and this site was the first available to me. It seemed quite familiar to me with easy to use tools as it looks like Microsoft Word which I've used often throughout my life, therefore I was able to manoeuvre through the site mostly with ease and publish my first blog. This, I believe is known as concrete experience, where I learnt best my simply just getting on and doing it.
I find this pattern throughout different areas of my life. The most recent experience of this was at my new job where I was learning how to scan things into the system (thrilling I know.) She showed me what to do and what to fill out on the computer, did I take this in? absolutely not, I just nodded along. It wasn't until today when I had to do it for myself that I learnt what it actually was that I needed to do and that was by doing it myself and using what was familiar to me or what made the most sense, to work it out, and now I'll probably remember it forever!
Within my professional practice I noticed that I also learn best with concrete experience, most noticeable in learning lines. I can read my lines in my head over and over again and I will take them in eventually, but if I want to learn something quickly and accurately I simply have to get up, read it aloud and 'perform' it as best as I can and I find that this allows it to stick in my brain.
Now I've discovered my best learning style I can use this going forward to learn things quicker and better.
What a delightful thing to learn on a Monday evening.
Diary of a Performer xx
I enjoyed the part of your blog about your current job! I can totally relate, the first time I was explained how to pull a pint or use the till I just watched and nodded but it wasn't until I was thrown in the deep end and had to do it in front of a customer that I actually understood what I was doing! Just think of all these new transferable skills you are learning too! ;)... But on a more serious note I feel like I learn best by doing as well! I think as performers we are strong kinesthetic learners as our practise is so physical! You've really made me think about my learning style! Thank you!
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ReplyDeleteI was going to write about this in my first ever blog, but got a bit off track talking about something else. But actually its something that has always interested me. I think im a visual learner. I generally can see something and pick it up (dancing wise) and when I was a waitress, it really didn't take me long to learn the menu or the till to allow me to get the job done quicker. Think ill write another blog tomorrow on this after a bit of research. xx
Hi Laura, I really enjoyed reading your post. At school I often used to hear about the 4 types of learning, but they never really spoke too in depth about learning for experience. I suppose it falls under the category of 'kinesthetics'. As performers, I feel that we mostly prefer learning 'visually' or as the way you have described - I can relate to you in many ways. Maybe our interests and training (from young ages) have affected the way we learn best today? Great post x
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