Learning involves the critical analysis of information and interpreting it to get the intended meaning. Different people have different ways of learning depending on their abilities. The best way is that which involves the learners and enables them to remember what they have learned. Most people find theoretical learning boring and monotonous and will need some field work to break the monotony. With the guidance of the lecturers, the students are able to learn the best ways of gathering information, together with analyzing and interpreting the information correctly. This paper aims at studying the best methods of learning that will boost the students’ understanding.
Note taking is the best learning style where one will have to be involved in learning as it occurs. It can also be referred to as experience learning where the students take part in the learning process. Students should take notes chronologically and arrange them in a systematic manner to ease understandability. It involves the physical and psychological awareness of the issue at hand. In class, it involves the practical part of the curriculum to supplement the theory. Yates (2007) asserts that when learning how to read, the students should read loudly so that they can be corrected when they do not pronounce the words in a right manner. This way, they will understand the concepts and will not forget them. They will be able to apply what they learned in school to their daily experiences. Although it is not the best way to learn as one may have the worst experience, it gives a lesson that a person may never forget. Once the event has occurred and the results are negative, that person will avoid a similar experience and will know how to deal with the situation. There is a saying that once beaten is twice shy; the saying means that usually people do not repeat the same mistakes twice. They already had the experience and felt the pains or the advantages of the actions they did. If the experience was good, then the person would advice other people to do the same. Suarez (2006) affirms that the advantage of having to experience is that you will always be prepared whenever there are signs of a catastrophe. For instance, a student who fails exams will have to retake a class. He will know the importance of hard work and will study hard so that he is not forced to repeat the same class. The experience of seeing his classmates advance and the stigma of having to learn with people of a lower grade will force him to improve his learning skills to pass his exams. It also gives him an advantage of understanding the units better than the rest of the students. People who go to several interviews have the experience of how to answer questions before a panel. They will exhibit more courage than those who attend an interview for the first time. They may also have the knowledge of how to respond to specific questions. Note making is a combination of the physical and psychological availability of an individual in a certain circumstance. This means that the person was affected by the event both physically and emotionally and will have a deeper understanding of the matter at hand.
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The learning strategies include reading for comprehension. This means that students should be taught how to read between the lines. By getting the practical details of any information and interpreting them correctly, the students will understand the texts they read and learn better than just reading for the sake of it. Another strategy is the visual part of learning; this is the graphical representation of facts to ease understanding. Prashnig (2006) confirms that by including this in the theoretical part of learning, the students are able to understand better. The graphics stick in the minds of the learners and they are able to remember the pictographs easier than the written facts. Another strategy is the critical and creative thinking. Students should be equipped with the skills of thinking creatively. They should not just take things for granted but to question why they are the way they are. They should be able to think of better ways to handle situations as opposed to what they see and hear. As they learn, they should think of the possibilities of inventions and innovations and strive to put them into practice. Taking notes is the other learning strategy where the students should take notes, search for information, organize the data and produce comprehensive information on the research topics. By doing this, the students will have a good mastery of the researched work and will not forget anything they researched and wrote notes. This will also boost their writing skills and the ability to analyze a situation to determine the most important information.
The strategies for experienced learning combine most of the identified strategies, which include visual, oral, read and write, kinesthetic and multimodal. Learning through experience means that the students will have to visualize what they are reading; the graphics and pictorials give them the physical evidence of what they are learning. It could include the mixing of chemicals in the laboratories or the use of pictures to make the stories more real. Learning through experience also includes the oral part of the lesson. In a reading class, the students should participate in reading to improve their pronunciation and speed. This facilitates the ease and gives them the courage to read in front of their fellow students. Haggart (2004) confirms that note taking is another strategy for learning through experience. This uses the students’ writing skills. As they are in the field doing research or when the teachers are dictating to them, the students should note down the most important points and arrange them in a systematic manner that will enable the reader to understand the notes; this helps them to learn better. Learning through experience is a form of kinesthetic learning as they both involve the physical participation of the students rather than the theoretical classes conducted by the lecturers. They involve the students going out on fieldwork and harnessing all the information on their own with the guidance of their lecturers. They facilitate the deeper understanding of the subject as they are involved in the activities. All these activities are partially represented in the experience part of learning.
To improve understandability, learners have to facilitate note taking using kinesthetic mode of learning. This will enhance the practicability of the subject matter. It will help the student to understand and remember the things learned and will be in a position to think critically and creatively. Prashnig (2006) asserts that learning becomes easier and more interesting through the involvement of the students and this reduces the monotony of class. Depending on the subject matter, the students should be guided on the best ways to do their research and to organize their reports.
In conclusion, note taking and kinesthetic mode of learning are the best ways of learning that involve the students’ participation and help them to understand the material. They will also help the students remember what they learn in class and be able to improve their creativity. This also breaks the monotony of class as most subjects are theoretical and may be boring. By going out and carrying out their research, they are able to internalize the concepts and find learning more interesting. The strategies involved include critical and creative thinking, visual learning and note taking to facilitate the understanding of the students. Note taking includes the visual, oral, written, kinesthetic and multimodal strategies of learning.