In the last blog post I described how to interpret your results of the Learning Styles questionnaire. Once you know about how you learn, you can
tailor your studying to try to maximize learning based on those styles.
In class, I
use a number of animations and videos to help demonstrate some of the
physiological processes that we are studying.
From the Interactive Physiology cd that I recommend on the syllabus to
the Wiley Plus online material that accompanies the textbook, there are a
number of animations that we view in class.
Added to that are videos and links posted in Blackboard, and there could
be hours of materials to view for each chapter or system.
Many times,
students who score more strongly as Verbal tend to steer clear of animations,
thinking that because they are not a Visual learner, that they might not be
able to benefit from the videos and animations.
In this post, I would encourage students of various different learning
styles to use the videos and animations, although the way you use them may
vary.
Active
Learners will likely benefit from animations or videos that are presented in a
step-wise manner. By being forced to
click to advance to the next step or screen, students remain engaged with the
process.
Reflective
Learners might benefit from animations or videos that are short and present a
single concept at a time. These students
can watch a single concept, and then take the time to process the information,
before moving on to the next concept. If
you are a Reflective learner and you find yourself watching an animation or
video that is long or covers several concepts, feel free to pause or stop it,
make notes or review the material in your mind, and then resume with the next
concept.
Sensing
Learners often enjoy learning from animations because watching and listening
cater directly to their learning style.
These students should be careful to understand the entire process,
rather than memorizing exactly what the animation displays.
Intuitive
Learners can benefit from animations that are part of a series. Because Intuitives like to look for
relationships between concepts, they enjoy hearing more than one animation
explain the same concept or demonstrate relationships between them.
While it is
obvious that Visual learners often use animations because of the movement and
visual effects, Verbal learners should not discount the use of animations and
videos in their studying. Many
animations and videos also contain narration that many Verbal learners find
just as useful as the visual effects.
Also, many Verbal students find that a static figure is too difficult to
decipher, but an animation that introduces just a section at a time, or that
gives verbal explanation alongside, is enough to help them understand the
visual aid.
Sequential
learners often benefit from animations and videos that present information in a
logical sequence. Because this is how
these students process information best, the stepwise sequence helps them to
understand the process they are studying.
As in the previous post, I encourage Sequential learners to stretch
themselves by summarizing to try to see the “big picture” and the connections
with other processes.
Global
thinkers often find animations tedious if they seem to be a series of details
that the Global learner has trouble fitting together. Check to see if the video or animation has an
overall summary – this might even be at the end. By quickly reviewing the summary, you can
have a kind of overview that might help you understand where the details fit
when you re-watch the video or animation from the beginning.
As you use
your learning style to get the most from animations and videos, keep track of
the kinds of animations or videos that seem to work the best for you. Is there a particular textbook publisher’s
animations that work well – because they give an overview, for example, or they
are short and focus on a single concept?
Bookmark their page, or look for other animations by the same
publisher. Is there are YouTube user
whose videos you found especially helpful?
See if that user has posted videos on other topics you need to learn
about.
I am of the
opinion that animations and videos can help every student learn new
concepts. Different learners might use
different ones, or might use them in different ways, but I encourage you to
give them a try, and see what works for you.
