You may have heard that there are three types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
Visual learners learn best by seeing concrete examples or visual images — like video or slides.
Auditory learners learn best through hearing spoken words — like podcasts.
Kinesthetic learners learn by doing or feeling it in their bodies.
You can apply this model to any type of learning.
In a yoga class, for example, auditory learners respond best to verbal cues; they don’t even need to look up.
Visual learners need to see a demonstration of a pose.
And kinesthetic learners often need to be in the pose and receive an adjustment to fully understand the pose.
That said, the VAK model is an oversimplification.
The VAK framework speaks only to how we best absorb or take in information.
Learning is also about processing that information and digesting it so it becomes a part of you. The process of integration is what turns information into knowledge.
People process information in different ways.
Silent processors absorb the information and allow it to marinate. They process in the background.
Kinesthetic processors learn the information by making something with the information, or organizing it in some way. For example, taking the information you read and organizing it in a table turns a paragraph of words into a visual aide.
Verbal processors need to talk it out. They’re the ones more likely to come up with examples and metaphors as a way to fully own what they’ve absorbed.
When you’re learning new topics, it’s helpful to know how you best learn and process information.
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