How do you learn? Are there popular learning styles with as

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Also are there any tests you recommend online for finding your learning style?

I prefer learning independently.

I'm a visual learner--no question about it--and while it's not a test exactly, this link does have some good descriptions of learning styles.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifeha ... -test.html

I don't know what tests are available to ascertain one's learning style.

However, I've realised that my own learning style is more visually orientated. I learn more easily if I can read text or see graphical interpretations of information.

My aural processing is poorer than my visual processing. Therefore if a tutor tells me something, I am more likely to forget.

When I am recalling something, I can almost 'see' it in my mind's eye.

That applies for things like learning languages, learning vocabulary, mathematics and so on.

However, if I'm learning something relating to software, how to use computers, using functions on a mobile phone or whatever, I'm less inclined to RTFM, because it wastes too much time, although I can't follow verbal instructions very well, say, over a phone, via IT support. I prefer to actually watch someone doing it, to 'see one, do one.'

^^ I am not quite certain of my style. Thank you very much for the link Dark Red Beloved. ^^ Using this link, I believe that I perhaps use the logical style. I believe I also learn rather well by writing or thinking within my head repeatedly the topic when prompted (either by myself by looking at a question, or another individual when asked).

Definitely independently. I learn a lot less in a classroom than from a book.

I prefer to read and take notes. I love writing papers on subjects.

I have my learning style pretty much down, but it's kind of complex.

For anything long term memory related, I really need audio. I'll remember a melody and music long after I've forgotten lyrics. I have a decent vocabulary, but that information is all encoded in audio... I have difficulty pronouncing new words... and my spelling is atrocious... and I am always spelling relatively phonetically. Or my version of phonetically.

My thinking style is extremely logical, mathematics based. Plus I need to understand the system from the ground up, before I can ever hope to start knowing something. Which for many subjects is opposite the way it's taught, they teach the top level details and you need to memorize the details first... and then if you get that down then you move onto the real understanding. I just skip that first part and go to real understanding.

My short term/working memory is very poor. So while I'll forget and lose track of the details, my core understanding is rock solid and when I apply myself I'll have a core understanding that goes very deep. To aid this understanding I'm always looking for patterns, and to find patterns I'm looking at the visual. I don't think visually at all, I barely have images in my mind's eye.... but if I draw or see visual patterns I automatically grab onto them and extract the meaning. I studied music theory, and nothing made sense to me until I could see it in a more consistent systematic way on piano roll notation as opposed to conventional notation. I retain the patterns not the image... so I can't describe these pictures vividly.

I might have a minor kinesthetic learning process, I need to get hands on engage what I'm working with. Either just by writing or programing and getting my hands dirty with what I'm working with. Also because my memory is so fuzzy, I need things to jar my memory... so I can't recall stuff off the top of my head... but if I work with something for a little while it'll come rushing back. This is sometimes aggravating, because people expect me to know everything off the top of my head... but if they just let me think and work for even a few minutes I can appear to know a lot more.

As far as social learning... as expected the social aspect of learning is probably a detriment to me. A great teacher who breaks down the over-arching pattern in a clear concise way, cutting through the crap, is invaluable. But outside that, I get all serious learning done on my own. I don't have a problem reading a math text by myself, and processing the info. I actually prefer it to a class room if they teacher isn't great and working on my level, since I can get through the info in real time. I really need to process the core idea and express it in my own internal way before I can get to working. If I don't grasp it in my way, I'll always be poor at the subject.