Listen to Learn.

 If you know you learn best through the Aural Learning Style, then you will also want to know what to do next.

Making your learning easier through the Aural style does not just mean listening harder. It means actively using your listening skills and incorporating sound to benefit your learning.

Characteristics of the Aural or Auditory Learning Style:

• Prefer oral information (spoken word, lectures, podcasts)
• Enjoy explaining things verbally and telling stories
• Strong at giving spoken presentations and speaking in class
• Exceptionally good at understanding oral instructions
• Excellent at noticing changes in mood and tone in sounds and voices
• Tend to be musical or attracted to rhythm and beats
• Often process ideas by thinking out loud.
• Remember things based on sounds or conversations.
• How to Maximize Your Auditory Learning Style

The best way to take advantage of your Auditory Learning Style is to incorporate sound into your learning. The use of sound will help you not only remember more easily but help you process information better.

IN CLASS

Use your phone to record a lecture: Auditory learners are often distracted by having to take notes while listening. Unless you happen to have a secondary visual learning style, aural learners sometimes struggle to both write and listen. By recording what you hear, you can focus your energies on listening to content, and then take notes later from your recording.

Talk in class: Most students remember being told to be quiet and listen. Auditory learners though benefit from actively participating in class discussions and question/answer sessions. So, raise your hand and share your ideas with your class!

Sit up front: Just like Visual Learners, you should near the front of the class to make sure you can hear clearly, and to avoid distractions from listening (from peers or other stimuli). This way you won’t miss a single word of the lecture.

STUDYING

Listen to instrumental music while studying: Many students say they focus better while listening to music. The key here is to study to lyric-free music that is also calming, like classical or smooth jazz. Music with lyrics tugs at the listening part of your brain and can be too distracting.

Study with someone: Auditory learners need to study with sound, and one way to do that is to speak with and listen to someone else while studying. A study partner, or even a small study group, can help you process details more efficiently and remember content better.

Read out-loud: Reading a text or even your notes out loud can make a big difference in how you understand written text. Find a quiet place where you can speak comfortably (maybe where no one else can hear you). You may find that by turning your reading into sound, you understand the content better.

Download audio versions of textbooks or novels: Look up audio versions of class required reading. Many of these are free on sites like youtube. Or, you can look for text to speech conversion apps to “read” the text out loud for you.

Talk to yourself: Much like reading out loud, talking to your self about what you just read or heard can be even more effective than taking notes. Don’t be afraid to ‘tell” your self the main ideas you just read or, even pretend that you’re explaining the ideas to someone else.

Record and Repeat: Record yourself stating key ideas so you can listen to these later. Also, repeating facts and key concepts out loud over and over improves retention.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

If you are primarily an Auditory Learner, remember that you also have at least one more secondary learning style. Practice combining the different tactics for each style to see what works best and improves your learning success.-