Have you every asked yourself, or had a teacher ask you, “How do you learn best and what sparks your learning?”
Do you ever wish you could learn something by listening to it instead of reading? Or how about learning something that you are truly passionate about and having it count for your grade in a subject?
What about demonstrating that you’ve mastered something by doing a hands-on project instead of writing about it?
Or what about working with a group of students outside in the sunshine instead of by yourself in the library?
Learning Your Way with Personalized Learning
Learning your own way is one of the greatest advantages of personalized learning and you can quickly find out how you learn best and what sparks your learning.
Personalized learning allows your unique and special qualities to shine and makes learning easier, a lot more fun and engaging.
As part of learning your way, you can work with your teacher to learn in the environment you prefer, engage with the content at the time and pace you like, and use whatever tools and resources that spark your learning the most.
What would this feel like to you?
Do you think you’d be more motivated to learn because you have so much say over the process of how you learn and the way you like to learn the most?
Your Unique Learner Profile
The first step in the process of personalized learning is to set up your unique Learner Profile. Your teacher may have software to input this information or you may need to summarize it on the computer or in writing to share with your teacher.
You Learner Profile is a unique snapshot of who you are as a learner, how you learn best, what motivates you, what sparks your interests as a learner, what your goals and passions are, your strengths are and more.
It sets the stage for your Personalized Learning Plan which is the path you will use to reach your goals.
Here is What is Included in Your Unique Learning Profile
- Included in your profile is the question how do you learn best or the modality you prefer to use when you learn new things.
To find out whether you prefer to learn best by seeing, listening or doing hands-on activities, take the free Learning Styles Quiz at HowtoLearn.com.
You will receive information on your preferred learning modality, whether it is visual, (seeing), auditory (listening) or kinesthetic (hands-on) learning.
Once you know how you learn best, you can customize the way you learn as well as all the activities in your Personalized Learning Plan to your preferred learning modalities.
Answer These Questions About How Do You Learn Best and What Sparks Your Learning
Once you take the free Learning Styles Quiz at HowtoLearn.com, answer these questions.
My strongest learning modality is: ___________________________
My second preferred learning modality is: _____________________
My next preferred learning modality is: _______________________
Next, ask yourself these questions and check off the boxes when you complete them.
You’ll find you get to know a lot more about yourself and it enhances your learning abilities for a lifetime.
How Do You Learn Best and What Sparks Your Learning?
- Do I prefer to learn this material alone, in pairs or in groups?
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Do I prefer to learn indoors, outdoors, at home, in the library, talking with a local business person, interviewing students and community members,etc.?
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. What temperature suits me the most when I learn? Cooler, warmer, humid, dry, etc.
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. Do I like to sit in a chair, at a table, stand, or recline when I learn?
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. Do I like quiet, music playing, activity or no activity around me when I learn?
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. What type of lighting works best for me? Bright light, daylight, dimmer light?
_____________________________________________________________________________
(Helpful tip): If you like daylight, don’t like fluorescent lighting indoors, I always use what is called full spectrum lighting in my home and office. It mimics the full spectrum of daylight and is very calming.
This smart study desk lamp with full spectrum daylight lighting that I use and you can find this adjustable gooseneck lamp at Amazon here.
6. List all your subjects and place them, in descending order from the ones you like most to the ones you like least.
________________________________________________________________
7. Write some specific things you want your teacher to know about you. You can write anything you feel is important such as your talents, aspirations,learning strengths, challenges, etc.
________________________________________________________________
Reflect on Who You Are and What You Love As You Learn
There can be many more things on your Learner Profile including areas you are talented in, what you’d like to learn, whether you want learning to broken into smaller chunks, prefer to take notes on your computer with a mind-mapping program, etc.
You also want to talk with your teacher frequently about how you prefer to show what you know.
You’ll want to consider things like whether you feel you’re a good speaker, like to write reports, feel more comfortable putting on a play, want to work with a group of students to present what you know …
It’s very helpful to spend some time to reflect on who you are and the circumstances in which you prefer to learn. It is essential that teachers ask you, “how do you learn best and what sparks your learning?”
Connect all of the information and you will discover your dreams for the future.
The more you know about yourself and the more the teacher knows, the more fun school will be and the more effective your personalized learning journey will be as you design the future you want.
Once you and teacher ask the question, “How do you learn best and what sparks your learning?”, you’re on your way to remarkable learning success!
After you develop your unique Learner Profile, you and your teacher will work together to write a Personalized Learning Plan which is your pathway to achieving your goals, both now and in the future. Enjoy!
Pat Wyman is the founder and CEO of HowtoLearn.com and best-selling author of more than 15 books including Smarter Squared: How to Use Personalized Learning to Master School Faster and Create the Future You Want
She is also the founder and CEO of the How to Learn Academy with online courses to give you a competitive advantage in school or your career!
Career and Learning Assessments
Wyman provides learning and career assessments that show you how to design your life by choice and not by chance!
Each type of assessment is highly personalized and she will always ask you how do you learn best and what sparks your learning? Email her here to ask about these assessments.
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