Learning flourishes with many styles

January 29, 2020 | Alisia Oliver | reporter
Photos by Christian Garza/The Collegian. NE student accessibility coordinator Kimberly Eason and academic adviser Carey Miller talk to students about learning styles and how to embrace one’s own quirks.
Photos by Christian Garza/The Collegian. NE student accessibility coordinator Kimberly Eason and academic adviser Carey Miller talk to students about learning styles and how to embrace one’s own quirks.

Students were given stress balls as rewards if they answered questions about resources on NE Campus posed by an academic adviser at the Back on Track event Jan. 22. 

“If you get a question right, you’ll receive a stress ball. I want everyone to be able to get one of these. We’ll make the resource paper into a fun game,” adviser Russell Cave said.

Carey Miller, also an academic adviser on NE Campus, provided the students with two handouts — “Studying In Style” and “What Is Your Style?” The handouts listed kinesthetic, visual and auditory learning styles. 

Those with an auditory learning style like to speak as well as hear other people speak to comprehend and learn the material.

However, they may have trouble reading in silence or staying engaged in a completely quiet classroom. 

Visual learners tend to prefer images, pictures, colors and maps to organize and remember information and then communicate that with others. 

Kinesthetic learners tend to learn based off touch and movement. Kinesthetic aspects usually get added to both visual and auditory aspects while elaborating and comprehending. NE academic adviser Russell Cave leads the attendees in a learning game where students are rewarded for answering questions regarding how to find resources on NE Campus.

Students filled out a questionnaire to learn how they learn. Depending on the total number of points each column had, they then identified with the type of learner they are.

Then, the students picked up the “Studying In Style” sheet to figure out which type of studying skills, styles and habits are right for you. 

“I’m glad that my adviser whom I met up with, as well as my teacher of STSC, mentioned this workshop to me,” NE student Alex Santiago said.

Santiago said he originally planned on attending this event only for extra credit. 

“But, not only did I receive extra credit, I also managed to get a free pen, a stress ball, snacks, as well as insight on how to boost my GPA,” he said. “I suck at math, so hearing that TCC provides a grade replacement in case I manage to fail, I’m chilling.” 

Note: The reporter for this story thought she was a visual learner, but after attending this presentation she learned she was also a kinesthetic learner. She noted the study skills and plans to apply them to her everyday life.  

Doodling, tapping her feet and her pen in class is something she now embraces. It’s a part of her learning style.