Illustration by Alexandra Nelipa
By Cynthia M. Herrera
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
If 65 percent of students are visual learners, according to the website MindTools, how can they survive with only classroom lectures? The answer is, they don’t have to.
Visual learners have to supplement what is not being provided. Reading the textbook during the lecture and placing sticky notes to highlight important sections can help to retain some information, said Dehlia Wallis, student development coordinator and assistant professor.
Highlighting and note-taking break down information. Rewriting notes after class also helps to remember the lecture, she said.
“It’s not memorization, it’s learning,” she said.
Wallis suggests students consider their learning style and find what works best for them.
Mendocino College’s website recommends asking permission to record class lectures while also taking notes, getting to class n time and having materials ready before class starts.
Students can try apps for tablets or smartphones including Evernote, Penultimate and Google Keep, according to appcrawlr.com. These apps eliminate the need for different colored pens and highlighters while taking notes in class. Students must familiarize themselves with what works best for their specific learning style, but they should also be able to “balance” with other learning styles as well, Wallis said.
