William Glasser, American psychiatrist and developer of ‘Reality Therapy’ famously wrote, “We learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience, and 95% of what we teach others.” Knowing how we learn can be the biggest gift we can give ourselves when it comes to learning languages.
According to the theory of multiple intelligences espoused by Howard Gardner, we all have a preferred method of learning, and many of us use more than one when we develop new skills. What is language learning, but learning new vocabulary and grammar, and then developing the skills to put what we’ve learned into a cohesive pattern for communication? In order to do this most efficiently, we should determine how we best learn.
Some pedagogues believe in only three styles of learning: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Essentially, this means that you learn by seeing, hearing or touching. A visual learner would learn best by reading books and looking at images and films. An auditory learner would learn best by listening to lectures, music, or sounds associated with new ideas. Finally, a kinesthetic learner is able to associate information through touch or movement.
Still others believe that there is a much larger and more specific range of learning styles that if tapped into and understood, can lead to much better and more efficient learning. These learning preferences can be a strong aide to learning languages. They include the three styles mentioned above, and explore intrapersonal, interpersonal, linguistic, mathematical and naturalistic methods of learning. Later, in other blog posts, we’ll explore how each of these methods of learning can be used by a person learning new languages.
For now, however, how can you determine your learning style?
· The Internet is littered with many sites that offer you quizes and self assessments to help you determine your learning style.
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Ask your parents or early teachers to help you remember how you best learn new things.
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Follow your intuition. You probably already have a strong understanding of how you best like to learn. Do you like to read with music playing? Do you really understand things better when you teach others, or do you prefer to reread your own notes quietly absorbing information? Do you learn best with a ball, tossing it from one hand to another?
Follow your intuition. You probably already have a strong understanding of how you best like to learn. Do you like to read with music playing? Do you really understand things better when you teach others, or do you prefer to reread your own notes quietly absorbing information? Do you learn best with a ball, tossing it from one hand to another?
Do you agree with Glasser’s assessment of the percent we learn through various activities? Maybe the percentages are different for you. Look for future blog posts to discuss specific tips on how we can use different learning styles to our best advantage. In the meantime, consider how you best learn, especially when considering language acquisition.
Keep learning –
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