WHAT KIND OF A LEARNER ARE YOU?

Printable Self-test

Highlighted words are explained at the end of the passage. We suggest you to print out these test and do them at home.
Las palabras resaltadas se detallan al final. Sugerimos imprimir estos dos tests y completarlos fuera de tu ordenador.

Knowing more about how you take in information can help you learn faster. People take in information through their five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. The three we use most frequently are sight, hearing and touch. We refer to these here as V (visual), A (auditory) and K (kinaesthetic). Many people prefer to take in information more through one or two of these senses than the other.

Do you already have a sense of any preference?
Try our quiz to see if you are right.

Which statements are true of you? Put a number in each box.
4 = always;  3 = usually;  2 = often;  1 = occasionally;  0 = never

1. When you contact people do you prefer ..?

a) meeting face to face

b) talking on the phone

c) getting together to share an activity (e.g. walking, sports)

2. When you close your eyes to imagine something, do you naturally hold your head ..?

a) up high

b) slightly on one side

c) down

3. When you close your eyes to imagine something, do you ..?

a) see clear, detailed pictures

b) think in sounds or words

c) get a feeling, perhaps with blurred images

4. How is your memory? Do you tend to ..?

a) forget names, but remember faces

b) remember names, words and numbers

c) remember the best things you've done

5. In your leisure time, do you prefer to ..?

a) watch TV, read

b) listen to music or a radio programme

c) do something physical (e.g. go for a walk)

6. When you are reading, do you ..?

a) enjoy descriptive passages, imagine scenes clearly

b) enjoy dialogue, hear the characters speaking in your head

c) prefer action stories (e.g. with little description)

7. In conversation do you ..?

a) dislike either talking or listening for too long

b) enjoy listening, but get impatient to talk

c) use a lot of gestures

8. When you have to sit and wait, do you ..?

a) look around and watch things

b) talk to other people, or yourself

c) fidget, bite your nails, tap your feet, etc.

CHECK YOUR SCORE AND IMPROVE YOUR LEARNING ACTIVITY

In the quiz you have just done (a) relates to Visual, (b) relates to Auditory,
and (c) relates to Kinaesthetic. Add up your score for each letter.

... and now do you know the sorts of  learning activities
which relate to each sense? Try this little test.

CLICK HERE FOR SUGGESTED ANSWERS

Different learners have different preferences. Good teachers take account of all kinds of learners in their classes, but if you know how you learn most effectively, you can make sure that you use your study time most effectively. The best learners use all their senses. Just remember: LOOK, LISTEN and ACT !!! Happy learning.

Source: New English Digest - Authors: Jane Revell & Susan Norman
This article has been adapted from a new book called "In Your Hands", Saffire Press, London.

GLOSSARY

to take in: to absorb, to assimilate (asimilar)
auditory: auditive (auditivo)
kinaesthetic: relating to kinesthesis, the ability to feel movements of the limbs and body (sentido muscular, percepción de los movimientos musculares propios)
a sense of: a feeling about or an awareness of something (sensación de)
quiz: test, short examination (examen, test)
to share: fashion (compartir)
to hold: to keep in position (sostener)
blurred: not clear, fuzzy (borroso)
leisure time: free from duties (tiempo libre)

to dislike: not to like (desagradar)
too long = for an excessive time (demasiado tiempo)
to fidget: to move about nervously (impacientarse)
to bite: to grip with one's teeth (morder)
to tap: to make clicking sounds with one's feet (dar golpes con los pies en el suelo nerviosamente)
shape: visual appearance (forma)
rhyme: poetry, verse (poesía, rima)
mime: to communicate by gestures (gestualizar)
roleplay: to perform as in a stage or theater (actuar)
to take account of = to take into account: include in one's plan (tener en cuenta)