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Sensory Learning Preferences

Because our senses are involved in the acquisition of new information, learning preferences are named accordingly: visual, auditory, verbal, and kinesthetic. We use our visual sense to see written words and images, our auditory sense to hear information, our verbal sense when we speak aloud, and our kinesthetic sense when we include movement of the body. We often receive input from multiple senses at the same time. For example, we use both the auditory and verbal senses when we have discussions with others. We use all four senses when we speak aloud while pointing to a structure on an anatomical model. Receiving input from multiple senses helps our brain create additional pathways for retrieving the information we need later. In the past, experts identified sensory learning preferences as “learning styles” that could guide instructors’ teaching methods and facilitate student success. Research has recently shown this is a myth, however. Instead, successful stu- dents take the information provided by the instructor and apply their learning preferences to specific study strategies. Your current learning preferences have likely been determined by past achieve- ment of good results when studying a certain way. However, being comfortable with a particular studying style does not necessarily mean it is the best or the most efficient way for you to study all subjects. It is best to experiment with a variety of tools that engage multiple senses and potentially create multiple path- ways for retrieval. Table 1-1 contains a list of study tools and activities that align with the four senses. Note that some study tools, such as simulation, can utilize all four senses in one activity! Learning Tips Ideas for study activities are scattered throughout each chapter of this book. Each Learning Tip uses the icons to identify which senses are utilized in the activity. You can use the icons to determine which tips align with your sensory learning preferences; however, it is to your benefit to read them all! Visual Learning If you have a visual preference for learning, you are most comfortable if you can see words, images, and actions (Figure 1-2). You may recall information by “seeing” it in your minds’ eye, whether it is a picture or diagram or a fragment of written text. You may find mnemonics (memory aids) especially helpful for remembering lists or sequenced pieces of information. Generally speaking, the more creative, whimsical, funny, or absurd they are, the better you will remem- ber them. There are many different types of mnemonics. Some examples follow: • Children use the well-known alphabet song, a musical mnemonic, to learn their ABCs. • Students in anatomy classes use one of several mnemonic variations to remember the 12 cranial nerves (olfactory, optic, oculomotor, trochlear, trigeminal, abducens, facial, acoustic, glossopharyngeal, vagus, spinal accessory, and hypoglossal). One example is “ O n O ld O lympus’s T ower T ops, A F inn and G erman V iewed S ome H ops.” Note that the first letter of each word is the same as the first letter of each cranial nerve’s name. • When spelling, most people use this rhyming mnemonic to remember where to place the i and e in a word: “I before e, except after c.”