You’re never too old to learn something new. Many seniors pick up hobbies in their retirement that require study or practice. Learning a new language, auditing college courses you always wanted to take, or simply pursuing an interesting subject on your own are all enriching, rewarding experiences. However, they require a bit of hard work and dedication to find success. Many people avoid the idea of studying and learning, especially if they had a hard time during their school years. Fortunately, picking up an interest in your free time means you can approach it in your own unique way. There are many learning techniques, each with its own pros and cons. It’s important to find a learning style that captures your interest and helps you pick up and retain new information. As you pursue new hobbies and interests, try experimenting with these different learning techniques for students of all ages.
Visual Learning
Visual or spatial learners do best when they can see the information they are trying to process. Pictures, diagrams, and other images are essential to success in visual learning. If you’re a visual learner, you might benefit more from watching a video essay than reading a report. You’ll also likely enjoy sketches, mind maps, and other forms of note-taking that involve images as well as words.
Auditory Learning
If you enjoy listening more than watching, you might be an auditory learner. These individuals respond best to speech, music, and other auditory experiences. As an auditory learner, you might consider lectures, podcasts, and speeches to be some of your greatest educational tools. Music might also play a huge role in your learning experience. Do you listen to music while you study? Do you still remember some of the songs you learned to remember multiplication charts or verb conjugations? Try experimenting with rhymes, beats, or melodies to help retain or recall information.
Verbal-Linguistic Learning
Verbal learners work best with words. Reading and writing are two skills these types of learners excel at. As a verbal-linguistic learner, you probably want to gather books and articles about your preferred subject. It’s also important that you take effective notes, as writing things down helps you understand and remember information. Verbal learning can also include the spoken word. If you enjoy asking questions or discussing concepts out loud, you’re probably an excellent verbal learner.
Physical Learning
Some people don’t fully understand an idea until they try it for themselves—these people are physical learners. Unlike many of the different learning techniques for students of all ages, physical learning calls for hands-on experience. Physical learners prefer to jump in and give things a shot rather than watch or listen to someone else do it. If you enjoy doing something more than observing it, make sure you look for chances to practice or perform your interest early in the learning process.
