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Study Skills & Learning Styles

With January just around the corner, many students will have exams of some sort to be preparing for over the Christmas break. Amidst the celebrations, it’s vital to get your head down and do some revision. We’ve put together the following advice based on learning styles.

What is my learning style?

Knowing your learning style may help you to find the ways of studying and revising that work best for you. Most people are a combination of different styles, so different methods may help you in different circumstances.

When you have to remember a phone number and type it into your phone, do you:

a. Imagine how the number is written on the screen?

b. Hear the number out loud in your head?

c. Feel how you would type the number into a phone? (i.e. remember the movement of typing it in)

If you think a then you are a visual learner, b indicates an auditory learner, and c gives a kinaesthetic learner. Remember – you could be a mix of 2 or even all 3!

Visual learners

General characteristics and habits of visual learners include:

– Tend to be fast talkers and may interrupt others

– Learn by seeing charts and diagrams

– Need quiet study time

– Take detailed notes which may include pictures

– Learn best when sitting at the front of class

Tips for visual learners when studying and revising:

Use maps, charts, graphs, diagrams, videos, and anything visual to create revision aids that will really help. Flashcards are a great option for definitions of words in languages, or learning equations in science and maths. With important information that is essential to remember, make this stand out by colour coding, highlighting, circling, underlining, or anything that works for you. In class, copy down what is on the board, take notes, and make lists to help your revision process.

Auditory learners

General characteristics and habits of auditory learners include:

– Tend to be natural listeners, speak slowly and explain things well

– Prefer to hear information rather than read it

– Read slowly

– Like to repeat things aloud

Tips for auditory learners when studying and revising:

Record lectures and lessons, or even yourself reading notes, on a voice memo or recorder and listen back to them later. This will help to reinforce the information that’s being put across. Read material aloud when you’re revising or going through the topic after learning for the first time. Explain concepts aloud in your own words, either to yourself or within a group discussion. If you are able to tell someone else about a topic, chances are you already know it well yourself. Use word associations or mnemonic devices to help you to remember.

Kinaesthetic learners

General characteristics and habits of kinaesthetic learners include:

– Tend to be the slowest talkers and have a short attention span

– Learn by doing and solving real life problems

– Like hands-on approaches

– Can’t sit still for long, get fidgety

– Need to take breaks when studying

Tips for kinaesthetic learners when studying and revising:

Make and use flashcards or memory games to give a dynamic aspect to your revision. These could be to remember definitions, equations, historical eras, anything you like. Study with others and exchange ideas. Study in short blocks with regular short breaks or rewards between topics. In school, subjects that involve lab classes, practical activities and field trips will help you with learning. Doodle while studying or reading, or keep active by bouncing a ball or walking around while you read notes.

Feel free to try out any of these techniques, and remember to try different things to find out what works best for you!

Post-16 Options: Advice for GCSE students

With Year 11 students around the country beginning to look at their options after they finish GCSEs, we look at some of the advice and guidance that is available to young people and offer some thoughts from a university perspective.

Sometimes it can feel a little bit daunting when you have to make big decisions about your future when you don’t really know exactly what you want to do. It’s important to think carefully about the different options but also, not to panic! We see students come through the doors at Goldsmiths who have taken many different routes to get here. There are many more people out there who have become successful in all walks of life without following a ‘traditional’ path.

There’s lots of information available online offering advice on what you can do after 16 but we’d always advise talking to a trained careers advisor at your school who can talk you through the different options. Other places to look for top-notch advice include the UCAS further education website, where you can look into the many different post-16 routes and qualifications. You may also want to have a look at the National Careers Service website, where you can get advice on all aspects of employment, from CVs to course searches, and take part in web chats with trained advisors.

If you are considering university in the future, we would recommend looking into A levels and BTECS, which are the most traditional route to university. People are increasingly taking combinations of qualifications and that’s absolutely fine with most universities (although you may want to have a quick check as some universities will still prioritise A levels). For many courses, it doesn’t usually matter what subjects you choose to study at post-16, but, you may want to check beforehand by looking at university websites. Courses that often look for a particular subject are Medicine, English Literature and Engineering, though there are plenty more.

Good luck, and remember it’s never too early to start planning for your future!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

GCSE choices are one of the first key decisions for students in education. Our Pre-16 Widening Participation Coordinator, Marlyee Copeland, gives her advice for your students.

Choosing your GCSEs is a really important and exciting part of your journey in education, as it is the first time you properly get a say in what you are studying. As you progress onto college or sixth form, and potentially university, you get even more choice, from a wider range of subjects.

Here are some top tips for choosing your GCSEs:

1. What’s compulsory? Maths, English and Science are compulsory subjects in every school, however some schools also say that their students have to study other subjects for their GCSEs such as Religious Education or a language. So, to begin with, find out what subjects are compulsory at your school.

2. Make sure it’s your choice! Lots of people, including parents and teachers, will have their own opinions on what you should study. Listen to what they have to say, however, make sure the final choice is yours, and choose subjects you enjoy as you will be the one studying them!

3. Choose the subject, not the teacher (or the friend). Some people may have a teacher at school that they aren’t so keen on, but don’t let this put you off choosing a subject that you love. There will always be people that you prefer over others, don’t let this stop you from learning or getting involved in something you enjoy or are good at. This works the other way as well, don’t choose a subject just because you really like the teacher. Sometimes teachers leave, but you will still be studying that same subject through to the end of year 11. The same goes for friends – don’t choose GCSE subjects because your friends are choosing them. The subjects they find interesting may be different to what you find interesting and this is ok because you can hang out at break and lunch times and after school!

4. Future studies…? Remember that what you choose to study for your GCSEs may have an impact on what you study in the future. Usually students end up studying A-levels or vocational courses that relate in some way to their GCSE subjects. Whatever you study at college or sixth form can also have an impact on what may you choose to study at university, or what job or apprenticeship you decide on. So even though that may all seem really far away, it’s worth considering what you really enjoy learning about now.

5. Keep your options open. If you really love creative subjects such as art or drama, maybe pair these subjects with a humanities subject such as history, geography or a language. This is a good idea as it keeps your future options open (see point 4). The more you learn about a subject (even if it’s not your favourite right now), the more you may discover you have a hidden talent or a new passion!