Let me ask you a question: have you ever taken a knitting/crochet class and felt like you weren’t quite getting the most out of it? Other students said it was great… but it just wasn’t clicking for you?
Well, I’ve got a little secret. There’s one thing you can do that will magnify what you get out of any class, no matter who is teaching. But… it’s something that YOU have to do. You have to do a little self-exploration. Are you ready?
What’s your learning style?
How do you learn best?
Do you need a picture? Does a step-by-step review of a technique really make something click for you? Do you like learning by reading books? Or, would you prefer a teacher grab your hand and guide you through the motions?
Some of us intuitively know how we learn best. These people say, “I’m a visual learner” or “I need someone to show me how to do it”. But, others of us have no clue. If you’re feeling clueless about how you learn best, think about classes or experiences that you really connected with and got a lot out of. This is a clue into your learning style.
My learning style
I want someone to tell me the basics, and then I want to be left alone to try it out for myself until I internalize my new skill. This is because I have a very hands-on learning style: I need to discover the technique for myself as a way of learning it.
That’s just how I am. Doing is what makes a new skill click for me.
Spend a minute thinking about what makes learning a piece of cake for you. Write it down.
How your learning style works in classes
Now, here’s the key part of my secret: once you know your learning style, you can make that work for you in a class.
Every teacher, even if they’re the best teacher in the world, has their own teaching style… which may or may not line up with your learning style. A teacher may like to show lots of pictures, or walk around and demonstrate… which is good for some students (who have visual learning-styles), but not great for others.
My learning style (and I know this from experience) annoys a number of teachers. Many teachers (particularly newer ones) teach you step-by-step how to learn a skill, exactly the way they do it. And they think that their job as a teacher is to make sure you’re ‘doing it right’ every step of the way. This drives me nuts. It’s not how my learning style works.
I’ll give you an example. A couple weeks ago, I went to a Native American festival. A man there was teaching firestarting. Of course, I wanted to give it a try.
My teacher was very keen to make sure I held it exactly as he would, and put my foot right where he would… but that’s just not how I roll. I just wanted to hear the essentials, and then experiment on my own.
The result? A less-than-stellar learning experience.
Action plan: voicing your learning style
My firestarting tale isn’t complete. But you can see how I stopped there, I would have walked away being very unhappy with my ‘class’. Here’s where my secret comes in.
Your teacher can’t read your mind. If you can clearly voice your learning style, you are more likely to get exactly what you need out of class.
To get the most out of a class you’re in, it’s helpful to do two things. One, say your learning style aloud (describe). Two, make a suggestions about exactly what the teacher can do to help you (ask).
Here’s a chart of suggested ‘describe/ask’ combos for various learning styles:
Imagine… getting exactly what you personally need from every class you take!
Back to my firestarting tale… as I said, my teacher and I weren’t clicking. So I said, “I need a minute to play around to get it right. Do you mind if I just try it on my own?” And he did. And I learned better!
Use with caution
I have to say, on behalf of all teachers everywhere, this doesn’t give you license to turn every class into a personal lesson. Keep in mind that if you’re in a classroom with 30 other people, each of those people has their own learning styles.
So, I don’t intend for you to ask more questions (and monopolize the teacher), but instead ask better questions, so that you can get exactly what you need. You’ll be happy, your teacher will be happy. Everybody wins.
And, I’m not going to fib… every once in a while, you’ll come across a teacher who can’t accommodate your learning style. They won’t be able to explain why they’re doing what they’re doing or guide your hands. In my opinion, these are the not-so-great-teachers. It happens. Acknowledge that they’ve tried, and move on.
So, what’s your learning style?
And do you think you can use this information to get more out of classes?
This was very well written – and so true! Teachers can’t always read students’ minds.
Now how, as a teacher, do I get students to think about this? Do you think there is a good way to say to a class, please verbalize if you need a moment to process?
@Jennifer- thank you!
You ask a really excellent question… and that’s one I’d like to think more about. Just off the top of my head, I try to make it a point in my own teaching to present the material in different ways. For example, I often say, “I’m going to show you the whole process at once, so you can see where I’m going [great for experiential folks]. Then, I’m going to walk around to each one of you and help [giving the chance for another visual or hands-on].”
Just doing different methods covers a lot of bases, and in general, makes people feel more comfortable about asking for a specific kind of help.
Also, having a gentle/positive attitude towards students asking for help and emphasizing that there’s no right way to learn makes people feel more comfortable.
In my opinion, I think there’s no surefire way to make sure your students walk into the classroom with the insight about their learning style. The best you can do is set a constructive learning environment.
Great topic, Stacey! There are a variety of ways to describe learning styles and sometimes we don’t just have one. Regardless of what we label the styles, I fell you are bang on in encouraging folks to gain insight into their learning style so as to take responsibility for their learning. We are all lifelong learners – it’s a significant aspect of being human , IMHO.
It’s also important to keep in mind that just because someone is an expert doesn’t mean s/he will be a great teacher. Folks who teach their craft haven’t necessarily learned what it means to be an effective teacher. If we as learners can provide info (like the describe/ask chart that Stacey provides) to our instructors, they can use this to improve themselves in their teaching role. It’s win-win :)
Thanks as always, Stacey, for your insight into this important topic.
@Cindy- Spot on. Not all experts are good teachers… and honestly, not all good teachers have to be experts! I’ve met a number of people with a gift for teaching, and as long as they’re ‘one step ahead’ of their students, it works out alright :)
I greatly appreciated this post. Most of the time in school, teachers only talk about Visual, Auditory, and a mix between the two learning styles. Those never really described the way I learn best, so I never took much from those lessons.
Reading this gave me insight into *my* type of learning style (experimental!!) Thank you for the extra insight. :)
What great post – I teach basic crochet at my local wool shop and I find that many of my students are retirees and need a refresher. My teaching style is very visual but over time I’ve leant to pick up on those learners who need the written word to understand and those who need to watch what I’m doing and then be left alone. Thats why I give out detailed class notes which have pictures and written descriptions and I run my class over two weeks (so they can go home and nut it out themselves).
This post has confirmed that I’m doing the right thing and that it is okay to hold a students hands to help them get the stitch – I’m hesitant to do this and always ask first (but sometimes its the only way for some students to get it).
Thank you.
This is a fascinating blog post! I’m often asked to give mini lessons so this goes hand in hand with that. Thank you for keeping it so well organized and cheerful! :)
Definitely, Visual and experimental! Finding out that I have learning disabilities made my life much easier, because now I know I just need to keep trying and I’ll figure it out. Give me an overview, a picture and turn me loose.I’ll ask for help at the specific point where I get stuck.
Absolutely more important! ENJOY what your teaching – I’ll catch your enthusiam and it will carry me through the baffling parts.
Great post! As a crochet and knitting teacher, I try to get clues from my students about how they learn best (and I’ve been lucky to have some consistent students over a series of classes), but I agree, we’re not mind readers! I think you are right that there is a balance between advocating for yourself and domineering the class. Thanks for sharing.
Appreciate this – if you don’t mind I will use this to help me with an assignment I have due (to get qualification to become a qualified adult tutor)
Go ahead :)