Basics of How to Learn (Essay Sample)

Basics of How to Learn
A look into my learning styles reveals two different types of me; one version is for pre-nursing school while another is for post-nursing school. The two versions are completely different from one another. In pre-nursing, the girl was used to last minute study, cramming, and other learning styles that can only be described as ‘seat of your pants.’ This version of the girl knew nothing apart from recall and memorization.
It was not after nursing school that the girl suddenly realized that the previous learning style was no longer applicable in nursing school. I noticed a big difference between nursing school classes and others I had attended. Now I needed to understand things that I learnt before moving forward. Simply memorizing things was no longer enough. In nursing school, I had to comprehend and understand materials completely. It was now upon me to find ways of enhancing my understanding of materials.
In part of the first semester, I tried hard to understand what the instructor had given me in the form of guidelines. This was a very difficult task, and I could liken it to running. I had to read roughly ten chapters every week. Considering that each chapter consisted of 10-100 pages, this was a monumental task. Since the passages would be sometimes complex, I would find myself going through the passages more than once at times. I considered these tasks as time wastage yet I did not have the luxury of time in the accelerated pace of nursing school.
The second half of first semester came and I discovered another learning approach. I could just use the Nursing Made Easy books since the content is similar to that in Med Surg books. The only difference is that the latter are more condensed. After reading the Nursing Made Easy books, I would take part in discussion groups. Interestingly, the level of material retention was the same as when I studied alone. However, I noticed a difference in how I could remember conversations and discussions. Moreover, sharing my information with others helped me understand the material more. Through the interactions, I was also able to determine the kind of people to accept and detest in a discussion group.
Different Learning Styles
Every person has his or her best style of learning. While some people learning through repetition, others would prefer learning under pressure. The most important thing is for everybody to identify which style and suitable and avoid the agony of reciting material without much results. Grasping the logic and reasoning behind new material is the true measure of absorption. Through the VARK questionnaire, consumers are able to get an outline featuring preferences for learning. According to VARK, there are five learning styles namely: read/write, visual, kinesthetic, aural, and multimodal. A summary of description of each of these styles is:
Read/write-these are learners who prefer information that is presented in form of words. Text based learning materials are the main preferences for these learners (Cherry)
Visual-these are learners whose preference is learning by seeing. For visual learners, the relevant learning tools include handouts, charts, illustrations, diagrams, and videos (Cherry)
Kinesthetic learners-these learners are also referred to as tactile. The best learning tools for this group are doing and touching. The kinesthetic learners value hands on experience (Cherry)
Aural- the other name for aural learners is auditory learners. These learners are very good at hearing what is taught. Therefore, this group of learners is very comfortable in the lectures (Cherry)
Multimodal learners-these learners have more than one of the preferences listed here. This is where the majority (60%) of people lie. The majority of the population belongs to this style, which is considered varied and interesting. Multimodal learners are varied because they may strongly take preferences for two styles for example Read/write and Kinesthetic (RK) or Visual and Aural (VA).
Preferences for Learning Strategies
I have acknowledged that my best learning method is composed of several styles. This way I am able to retain information. While I really value reading information, I am not satisfied until I apply such information in real scenarios. There was this time during my nursing school days when I was learning about IVs insertion. First, I read about the procedure, and then observed as the instructor did it. This process gave me the opportunity to understand the available IV systems through familiarization and observation. After that, I was only left with the task of redoing and mastering the procedure. Today, people consult me when they have problems with IVs. During my classes, my assertive nature and lack of fear of venturing into new things led me to volunteer at any given opportunity. There are both VN and RN students in one of the jobs I am in now. Most of the students admit that it is impossible to think that I am a recent graduate. Although I am honest if I do not know something, I have the confidence and courage not seen in many graduates. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I m...