Study Skills and Learning Styles Flashcards

Multiple Intelligences and Applied Study Strategies

• Overview of Intelligences:

  • Visual Spatial Intelligence: Learners visualize three-dimensional objects well and prefer to write out information in an organized fashion.
  • Auditory Intelligence: Oral learners learn through listening. Outside noises easily distract them, and they tend to be quite chatty.
  • Naturalist Intelligence: Natural learners can differentiate between items, such as distinguishing between different plant species or types of animals.
  • Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence: Kinesthetic learners absorb concepts best through movement and active physical modeling.
  • Intrapersonal Intelligence: Intrapersonal learners primarily like to study alone, minimizing group work because it may distract them.
  • Interpersonal Intelligence: Interpersonal learners prefer studying in groups and benefit from teaching tested material to others.
  • Logical Mathematical Intelligence: Learners excel at identifying problems, analyzing cause-and-effect relationships, reasoning through difficult concepts, and understanding underlying logic.
  • Musical Rhythmic Intelligence: Musical learners excel when writing study information into songs or studying with background music.
  • Verbal Linguistic Intelligence: Verbal learners excel by turning study material into stories, prose, or poetry, or by delivering oral presentations.

• Hands-On Study Strategies by Intelligence Type:

  • Bodily Kinesthetic: Play a game of charades with classmates to review topics, create visual diagrams of notes, or build physical model concepts.
  • Intrapersonal: Focus on solo study sessions and limit group study activities to prevent distraction.
  • Interpersonal: Form study groups and practice teaching test topics to peers.
  • Logical Mathematical: Identify core problems, map out cause-and-effect chains, and analyze the logic behind complex ideas.
  • Musical Rhythmic: Set study facts and information to a song, or listen to background music while studying.
  • Verbal Linguistic: Rewrite notes as stories or poems, pretend to teach concepts by writing an email or letter, or choose to deliver an oral presentation instead of a written paper.
  • Visual Spatial: Diagram notes, and picture real-life objects or events that directly relate to the study topic.
  • Auditory: Record class lectures and listen to the recordings while studying. If an instructor teaches the same course twice, attend both lecture sections.
  • Naturalist: Relate study information to concepts in nature, and systematically identify similarities and differences between ideas.

• Self-Assessment Action Step:

  • Perform an Internet search for "multiple intelligence inventory" and complete at least two separate inventories to identify personal intelligences.

Core Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic

• Visual Learners:

  • Learning Characteristics: Learn best by seeing. Require visual observation of the teacher's body language and facial expressions to fully comprehend lesson content. Prefer sitting at the front of the classroom to prevent visual obstructions. Think in visual pictures.
  • Effective Mediums: Instructional videos, printed handouts, overhead transparencies, flip charts, and detailed written notes.
  • Specific Strategies:
  • Pay close attention to visual charts, illustrations, and diagrams displayed in class.
  • For new English vocabulary words and phrases, both read them and write them down.
  • Utilize graphic organizers such as charts, outlines, and diagrams to visually represent study content.
  • Watch instructional videos, read textbooks, pamphlets, and supplementary books on the topic.
  • Highlight text while reading.
  • Request written course objectives and study the content outline.

• Auditory Learners:

  • Learning Characteristics: Learn best by hearing. Respond best to lectures, discussions, talking concepts through, and listening to others. Interpret subtle meaning by analyzing tone of voice, pitch, speed, and audio nuances.
  • Specific Strategies:
  • Read text aloud while studying and use an audio recorder during class.
  • For new English words and phrases, hear them spoken and repeat them aloud.
  • Review study materials out loud with peers, explain concepts to others, and work actively in study groups.
  • Talk directly with the instructor.
  • Read written class notes out loud.
  • Personalize information by converting facts into songs or mnemonic devices.
  • Record audio summaries of class notes and listen back to the recordings.

• Kinesthetic / Tactile Learners:

  • Learning Characteristics: Learn best by touching and doing. Use a hands-on approach to actively explore physical environments. Find it difficult to sit still for long periods and become easily distracted. New information holds little real meaning until physically applied.
  • Specific Strategies:
  • Apply theoretical classroom knowledge directly in clinical settings.
  • Learn new English vocabulary words and phrases by actively engaging in conversation.
  • Construct hands-on models or visual physical displays of key concepts.
  • Utilize tactile, hands-on learning tools to build conceptual understanding.

• Self-Assessment Action Step:

  • Perform an Internet search for "Learning Styles Inventory" and complete at least two distinct inventories to determine individual preferences among auditory, visual, and kinesthetic/tactile styles.

Question-Driven Information Processing Categories

Research indicates individuals fall into four distinct categories based on how they process information. These categories correspond to the primary question an individual asks most frequently:

• "Why" People (Reflective Concrete Thinkers):

  • Primary Question: Why?
  • Characteristics: Imaginative, skilled at brainstorming ideas, deeply interested in people, emotionally attuned, and drawn to subjects in humanities and liberal arts fields.

• "What" People (Reflective Abstract Thinkers):

  • Primary Question: What?
  • Characteristics: Enjoy inductive reasoning, less interested in socializing, work exceptionally well with abstract concepts, but show limited interest in practical theoretical applications. Drawn to research and planning fields.

• "What If" People (Active Concrete Thinkers):

  • Primary Question: What if?
  • Characteristics: Excel at adapting to changing situations, enjoy taking calculated risks, and prefer solving problems via trial and error.

• "How" People (Active Abstract Thinkers):

  • Primary Question: How?
  • Characteristics: Prefer working with physical objects rather than people, and enjoy fields such as physical science.

Study Strategies by Question Type and Kolb Learner Profile

• Strategies for the "Why" Person / Diverger:

  • Brainstorm diverse ways of conceptualizing material, making as many connections as possible to enhance learning retention.
  • Study with peers to capitalize on strong interpersonal working skills.
  • Enroll in humanities and liberal arts courses, which align with natural strengths.

• Strategies for the "What" Person / Assimilator:

  • Dedicate significant study time to independent learning, using solo sessions to process abstract concepts.
  • Consciously focus on the practical applications of theories, ensuring knowledge can be applied on tests and real-world scenarios.
  • Enroll in courses that feature a significant research component.

• Strategies for the "What If" Person / Accommodator:

  • Use trial-and-error experiments to master concepts, leveraging successful experimental outcomes to cement long-term memory.
  • Maintain patience and focus on the immediate task; avoid distraction by answering one "what if" question before launching into another.
  • Enroll in probability and statistics courses as well as laboratory courses that feature repetitive trial-and-error experimentation.

• Strategies for the "How" Person / Converger:

  • Build physical models using manipulative materials such as boxes, strings, or cans to demonstrate concepts.
  • Select courses with strong practical laboratory components, such as chemistry or engineering courses.

• Self-Assessment Action Step:

  • Perform an Internet search for "learning styles inventory plus Kolb" and complete at least two inventories to identify concrete vs. abstract and active vs. reflective processing preferences.

Felder's Learning Style Model Dimensions and Strategies

• Sensory vs. Intuitive Learners:

  • Sensory Learners: Absorb information through the physical senses, rely less on intuition, act as practical problem solvers, work carefully but slowly, and feel uncomfortable with symbolic language.
  • Strategies: Relate new concepts directly to real-world contexts; request real-world examples, diagrams, or physical models during lectures; construct personalized examples, diagrams, or physical models.
  • Intuitive Learners: Highly imaginative, enjoy variety and complex problem solving, work quickly, but are prone to careless mistakes.
  • Strategies: Link individual facts into single unified concepts; read assignments and test questions thoroughly without rushing; explicitly allocate time to check work to prevent careless errors.

• Active vs. Reflective Learners:

  • Active Learners: Prefer physical activity while studying, learn by doing, and thrive in group environments.
  • Strategies: Seek hands-on applications for theoretical information, enroll in laboratory classes, and actively review and discuss concepts with peers.
  • Reflective Learners: Prefer working alone, processing information internally without physical activity.
  • Strategies: Read study materials at least twice to absorb deeper detail, schedule quiet reflection time rather than rushing tasks, and rewrite or take comprehensive notes while studying to promote internal processing.

• Sequential vs. Global Learners:

  • Sequential Learners: Absorb information systematically, one piece at a time in linear order, requiring time to piece together the overarching big picture.
  • Strategies: Follow a structured step-by-step reading and study process:
    • Step 1: Scan chapter headings.
    • Step 2: Skim the chapter for main ideas.
    • Step 3: Read the chapter once straight through.
    • Step 4: Reread the chapter for detailed comprehension.
  • Maintain notes in a strict logical and chronological order (dating all notes), and outline or rewrite disorganized notes into sequential steps.
  • Ensure full mastery of sequential steps required for step-by-step problem solving (e.g., mathematical formulas).
  • Global Learners: Absorb information in disjointed bits and pieces to assemble a holistic visual picture; struggle with specific details initially until the overall context is understood.
  • Strategies: Ask instructors directly for the overarching "big picture" framework before diving into details; extract main broad concepts from detailed text; preview reading assignments by reviewing major headings and skimming for general context before reading detailed text.

• Self-Assessment Action Step:

  • Perform an Internet search for "learning styles inventory plus Felder" and complete at least two inventories to determine specific placement across sensory/intuitive, active/reflective, and sequential/global dimensions.

Class Attendance, Reading Strategies, and Text Outlining

• Importance of Class Attendance:

  • Direct attendance is critical because instructors clarify complex information and explicitly signal exam content through verbal emphasis and repeated examples.
  • Common instructor statements indicating exam questions include: "I don't know how anyone got this question wrong. I gave the exact example in class," or "I stood right in front of the room and told the class to study this chart because I will be asking questions about it on the test."
  • Review sessions offered by instructors provide direct insights into essential test topics.

• Text Processing and Reading Strategies:

  • Connect new information to prior knowledge and personal experiences.
  • Scan readings systematically for core keywords and take structured notes.
  • Review assigned readings by scanning the introduction, chapter summary, key terms, formal definitions, and learning objectives.
  • Outline reading material on a separate sheet of paper or directly within text margins using standard hierarchical notation:
  • Use Roman numerals for major headings/divisions.
  • Use capital letters for minor divisions.
  • Use Arabic numerals for granular details.
  • Underline topic sentences in every paragraph to stay focused and streamline future reviews.
  • Write vocabulary words, core concepts, and key dates directly in text margins, drawing an arrow from the margin note to the exact location in the text.
  • Determine reading expectations early (whether responsible for granular details or broad conceptual overviews).

Memory Strategies, Mnemonic Devices, and Word Cues

• Class Note Review Timeline:

  • Review class notes within the first 24 hours of taking them to ensure high retention of critical lecture points.
  • Pay explicit attention to rationales behind facts, as exams evaluate critical thinking and understanding rather than plain recognition.

• Specific Memorization Techniques:

  • Pattern Recognition: Analyze factual data to locate structural patterns.
  • Word Sayings & Memory Tricks: Construct memorable rules (e.g., distinguishing "desert" vs. "dessert": remember that "you are alone in a desert, but you eat dessert with people" to recall that desert has one 's' and dessert has two).
  • Categorization: Group related facts together rather than memorizing isolated items.
  • Narrative & Rhyme: Create narrative stories or rhyming poems incorporating unrelated facts to make them memorable.
  • Practical Application: Practice using formulas repeatedly to learn them inside out.
  • Flashcards: Write terms or formulas on the front and definitions or calculations on the back. Review cards multiple times daily and retain them for final exam preparation.
  • Folded Paper Method: Fold a piece of paper vertically in half; write terms or facts on the left side and definitions or answers on the right side to view multiple items simultaneously (e.g., listing the first 13 states to join the Union on the left and their respective accession years on the right).
  • Multisensory Engagement: Speak facts aloud to engage multiple physical senses.
  • Peer Teaching: Explain facts directly to a classmate.
  • Acronyms & Memory Phrases:
  • HOMES: Mnemonic acronym for the five Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior).
  • PEMDAS / "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally": Mnemonic acronym and phrase for the mathematical order of operations (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction).
  • Custom Acronyms: Create original sayings using the first letters of a custom factual list.
  • Musical Adaptation: Set facts to a familiar tune or rhythm.
  • Visual Mental Imagery: Associate abstract facts with pleasant, concrete visual images (e.g., visualizing a daisy or a character named Daisy, or a heart for Valentine's Day).
  • Internal Word Cues: Search for memory cues hidden within words (e.g., "Mr. Abraham Lincoln" contains exactly 16 letters, matching his status as the 16th President of the United States).
  • Daily Writing Repetition: Write complex definitions or facts out multiple times a day over several consecutive days.
  • Prior Knowledge & Etymology: Apply known word roots to decode new words (e.g., knowing that "bio" means life allows one to deduce that "biostatistics" refers to statistics related to living organisms).

• Commonly Misspelled & Confused Word Cues:

  • Principal vs. Principle: "Principal" ends in "pal", reminding that a principal is a person/friend; "principle" refers to a foundational concept.
  • Then vs. Than: "Then" rhymes with "when", indicating time sequence or if-then statements; "than" contains "man", indicating a comparison.
  • Lead vs. Led: "Led" is short, representing the past tense of the verb to lead; "lead" is heavier, referring to the heavy metal.

Instructor Engagement, Office Hours, and Effective Study Groups

• Utilizing Instructor Resources:

  • Ask instructors directly when clarification is needed. Instructors provide alternative explanations and targeted guidance to optimize exam preparation.
  • Take full advantage of scheduled instructor office hours.

• Guidelines for Effective Study Groups:

  • Study groups foster peer camaraderie, boost morale, and allow students to address questions collaboratively.
  • Group Size Limit: Restrict study group size to a maximum of four people; exceeding four members hinders efficiency.
  • Prerequisite Solo Study: Every group member must study independently and master the material prior to attending group sessions.
  • Execution: Establish clear focus and agreed-upon direction, using group time strictly to answer specific questions and discuss complex topics.
  • Caution: Members who attend study groups without reviewing material beforehand severely deter the learning efforts of the entire group.