Life is multimodal.

Today, I’ve been asked what kind of learner I am. I honestly find it very hard to specify. I feel it depends on what, where and with whom I am.

I have to see information in order to remember it. I have to pay extreme attention to body language and gestures and aesthetics are very important to me. But I also prefer to listen to class lectures rather than reading from textbooks and I create songs to help retain information. Moreover, I really enjoy doing activities that involve manipulating objects and materials. I am a very enthusiastic person who finds it very hard to sit still for long periods of time. And I usually have to actually practice doing something in order to learn it (Cherry, n.d.). Hence, I am a visual and auditory learner, as well as a kinesthetic one.

I always thought I had a really good photographic memory. For instance, a method that usually helps me when I have to remember something is to write sticky notes all over my house so I can memorize names or specific information, such as dates or names. Furthermore, I can remember a face much more easily than the name of that person. Nevertheless, while researching about it, I found out that there are studies that prove photographic memory does not actually exist. When we think we have a very good photographic memory, we are just combining visual memory with dedication to that subject and familiarity with its contents (‘Does Photographic Memory Exist?’, n.d.).

So, in conclusion, what kind of learner am I? I learn from living. I learn from watching things, smelling, feeling, hearing noises and voices and I learn from taking risks and making mistakes. “Life is multimodal” (‘The VARK Modalities | VARK’, n.d.) and I believe it is very hard to learn only using one technique. We have to adapt ourselves to what surrounds us in that particular contest.

Cherry, K. (n.d.). Are You a Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, or Tactile Learner? Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/educationalpsychology/a/vark-learning-styles.htm

Does Photographic Memory Exist? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/i-developed-what-appears-to-be-a-ph/

The VARK Modalities | VARK. (n.d.). Retrieved 22 March 2015, from http://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/the-vark-modalities/

WeAreTeachers. (n.d.). 27 Awesome Straight-Talk Quotes About Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.buzzfeed.com/weareteachers/27-awesome-straight-talk-quotes-about-teaching-h0xt#3435164