A learning style will vary from person to person. It's helpful to know yours to figure out the best way to learn and achieve your goals.

What is your learning style? Do you learn best through reading, watching videos, or hands-on experience? Knowing your learning style can help you achieve goals and meet daily challenges because it helps you find a way that works for YOU. We all have our own unique needs when it comes to education and training. This blog post will review the seven different types of learners so that we can better understand them!

Auditory learners, listen up!

Auditory learners tend to learn best when they hear the material being presented. They often enjoy listening to music, podcasts, and audiobooks - or any type of audio-based content. In the classroom, an auditory learner might need noise reduction headphones because his/her ability to focus is decreased with background noise. Auditory learners excel in arts subjects.

If your learning style is auditory, you will likely need to hear about what you are trying to process. You might talk aloud what you are writing down, read what you write back to yourself, or have someone read information to you. To learn something new, watching a YouTube video, listening to a podcast, or having someone verbally explain the steps to you will help you the most.

Wondering if your learning style fits into the auditory learner category? Some characteristics of being an auditory learner are having a good memory for spoken information, strong listening skills, being distracted by either background noise or silence, and enjoying conversation. Check out this post for more information on having an auditory learning style.

Are you a linguistic learner? Let's talk about it

Linguistic learners are the talkers in the group. Their learning style learns best through written and spoken word. If your learning style is linguistic, you find it easy to express yourself in writing and verbally. In addition, you love to read and write and love a good rhyme, tongue twister and limerick. Vocabulary is key for linguistic learners; you have a fabulous vocabulary, are continually adding to it and use your new words frequently.

Often linguistic learning styles blend with auditory learning styles. You tend to talk things out when you are learning and lean heavily on words, as opposed to visual representations of things.

So what makes you a linguistic learner? This learning style tends to ask questions and participates in discussions. You receive knowledge well through verbal lectures, spoken instruction or repeating terms aloud. This also shows the connection with an auditory learning style. While you love language, spelling may not be in your skill set. Writing might also be a challenge; you prefer to talk about a subject instead.

Spacial learning style explained

A visual or spatial learner is someone who learns best if there are visual aids around to guide the learning process. For example, a person with this type of brain function would be better able to learn how to build an engine from diagrams and pictures more than they could by reading about it on paper alone. A spacial or visual learner is often technically-oriented and does well in fields such as engineering.

If you enjoy technology and computers, chances are spacial learning is your jam. Most things having to do with computers is conceptual and relies heavily on graphics and visual representations of components that cannot be seen.

If you are someone who understands the entire picture at once, doesn't like step-by-step instruction, learn quickly through visual materials, and/or thinks in pictures, this is likely your learning style.

Kinesthetic learners keep it moving

You like to move it, move it! Kinesthetic learners learn best when they are moving, they need to do, not just see. If you want to follow along and do something when learning, chances are you are a kinesthetic learner. This type of learner needs to be actively engaged in the learning.

Some traits of a kinesthetic learner are understanding more when learning through hands-on experiences, enjoying sports and physical activity, likes building things and working with your hands, and is restless when sedentary. People of this learning style also tend to be hand talkers and expressive in nature.

The logical learning style

If you like solving problems, enjoy working with numbers and find logical ways to answer questions, logical learning suits you well. Logical learners tend to be mathy, enjoying pursuits in math, computer science, technology, chemistry, and design. In addition, logical learners also have a great memory, strong visual analysis abilities, as well as awesome problem-solving skills.

Logical learners also tend to have some kinesthetic leanings. Tinkering and building come naturally to them; they get joy from bringing a conceptual idea into reality. Computer-assisted design, using computer applications, and programming computers are all in the wheelhouse of someone with a logical learning style. Logical learners also learn visually, showing that many of these learning styles tend to overlap.

How do you know if you are a logical learner? This learning style is successful using order, steps, and logic. You make connections, work well with numbers, and have a gift for recognizing patterns. Also, you are organized and tend to have a systematic approach to learning.

Interpersonal learners are people who need people

If you were one of those students in school who was always getting moved around to different seats because you were always talking, this is likely your learning style. As an interpersonal learner. you love group projects and thrive when working with others. Someone who is an interpersonal learner is usually uncomfortable learning alone or learning at their own pace.

Interpersonal learners are stimulated by dialogue, good at reading people, do well with both giving and receiving feedback. You are the social butterflies of the group and have strengths in leadership, organizing and understanding others.

If you have an intrapersonal learning style, you are good on your own

The flip side of an intrapersonal learner is an interpersonal learner. If you are someone who is self-motivated, likes to set individual goals, prefers to study and work alone, you are like an intrapersonal learner. An intrapersonal learner is very self aware of your strengths and weaknesses. While you may be an introvert, that's not always the case.

Characteristics of an intrapersonal learner are disliking group projects and class discussions, having high self-management skills, being independent, and often not a people person.

Can I have more than one learning style?

The short answer is YES! Most of us don't fall solely into one of these categories. Personally, I learn in a few of these styles. And what you are learning can also affect what learning style works best for you. Generally speaking, if you are an intrapersonal learner, you won't be an interpersonal learner. So the learning styles that are opposites of each other, you will usually pick one.

Learning styles and goal setting

So how does all this information help you set your goals? Well, goal setting often involves some kind of learning and/or time management. If you are struggling to learn something, knowing the best way for you to learn will make it easier. And learning goes beyond learning a new skill. Perhaps you want to find out more about time management and how to schedule your day. You decide to pick up a book on the topic but you are struggling to get through the material. But if you know you are an auditory learner, you are more likely to pick up an audiobook or listen to a podcast.

Knowing how you learn can also help you set your goals. If you are working towards a goal of journaling every day, but you struggle with writing in a journal, knowing that you are a logistic learner might lead you to using a computer instead of a notebook or drawing instead of writing.

So which learning style are you? Find out with this fun quiz! Comment below with what you discover!