6 How to Be a Successful Student
Take a short quiz to discover your personal learning style • Figure 0.2a. You visualize the number in your mind by imagin-
ing what it would look like written on a piece of
paper or which numbers you would dial on your
phone’s keypad.
b. When you get back to the locker room, you can
recall the sound of your new friend’s voice as she
spoke the digits to you. You distinctly remember
her pauses between numbers and the inflection of
her tone.c. While your new friend is telling you her number,
you type out the numbers on an imaginary keypad
in the air to help remember them later.- You are about to purchase a new digital camera to
take with you for your summer abroad program. How
do you decide among the many different choices
available?
a. You scan the displays and find your perfect match
from across the room. You love the color, body style,
and, of course, coolness factor. Your decision is set
when you see the color-coordinated matching case.b. The first thing you do when you get to the electronics
store is find the camera department salesperson.
You love chatting with him about your trip and your
needs for the camera, and you listen intently to his
recommendations. You are focused more on the
specifications he is telling you than on the physical
camera.c. You have cleared your Saturday morning and set
off for the store. You want to get in early so you can
tinker and play with all the different camera floor
models. You have an idea of what type of camera
you want, but it has to be something that feels
perfect in your hands.- A new vegetarian café has just opened up across from
campus, and you are there on opening day. How do you
decide what to order? - You’ve just made a new friend while jogging around the
campus track. Neither of you has a phone or paper with
you, but you want to exchange numbers. How do you
commit that phone number to memory?
a. While waiting for the server to come to the table, you
look around at what others in the restaurant are eating,
and your eyes immediately go to the snapshots of the
dishes scattered throughout the menu.b. You wait until the server tells you about the specials
of the day. You then listen intently as she describes
some of her favorites. You spend very little time
actually looking over the menu since what she has
just described sounds delicious.c. You don’t even need to see the menu. You decided
that you wanted the self-service, build-your-own-
gourmet-salad bar as soon as you walked in.- As a college soccer player, you are accustomed to
having aches and pains. However, you decide to go and
see the campus sports doctor about the knee pain that
just won’t go away. She tells you that you have chon-
dromalacia. How would you most prefer to learn about
your condition?
a. Have the doctor give you some handouts on what it
is and how to treat it. You then go home to watch some
colorful video animations explaining the anatomy of the
knee and the details of the condition.b. Spend time in the doctor’s office, listening to her explain
the condition and asking many questions. You prefer to
listen and converse with a real live doctor.c. Have the doctor explain the condition using a color
diagram and a life-size plastic model of the knee. You are
able to remove the patella from the model and with your
finger you can trace where the ligaments and tendons
connect on the poster.- You want to cook a special dinner for a special someone
and want to make something new and exciting. How do
you go about learning to make this new dish?
a. You go online and peruse videos of different chefs
making things that look good to you. Once you have
chosen your dish, you play the video first to get the
hang of things and then again while you are actually
preparing the meal and reference the recipe print
out often.b. You download a world famous chef’s podcast to
your MP3 player and listen to it on the way to
school.c. Having a general idea of what you want to make,
you collect your ingredients and jump right in.
Through a little trial and error, you create your own
masterpiece meal.In the abov e questions, if you answered predominantly a then you’re more visual. If you answered mainly b, then you’re more
auditory, and if you answered mostly c, then you’re more of a kinesthetic learner. However, don’t forget that humans are very
complex and can be a combination of all three.