Category: Cram Session
So talk about structure, how one teacher,
Visually, hands on, and listening
Difficult and Easy
Organization
sSkipping around or in order
Turning papers in
and other class room stuff.
Well, I think I personally learn better thru hands-on/doing. Even when I'm reading, I actually prefer either Braille or using a computer with screenreader rather than CD or tapes I guess because with the computer I'm actually needing to keep pressing the keys to keep it reading. Also with both, I'm needing to pay direct attention to what I'm reading whereas with portable audio stuff, it's too easy for me to stop paying attention to it after awhile when I'md doing something else at the same time or get distracted by something else. I also prefer models, charts, and diagrams when possible rather than just a discription, as it is easier for me to visualize what I'm learning. When I take written notes, I try to take down most of it and then go thru it to see which parts might be the most important and simplify my notes to that.
One of the best teachers I've had for some of this type of learning was in college with Biology class, as she had moddles of plant and animal cells and models of things like an insect, a starfish, an earthworm, etc, and that made it easier to learn because I could visualize and then remember the stuff. Also although I still couldn't seem to do well in it, when I took math in college, writing down the problems and/or using Math Window (that metal board with math tile sets) did help me learn it a little better than if someone were just to explain it or have it written in words.
I don't know how it would work, but I honestly think that all classes should have/allow different ways of learning because not all students can learn well thru just lecture and reading.
As for the skipping around/in order thing, I like when there's an order, especially when it's a heavy reading class. Skipping around sometimes makes it hard to read ahead, which I like to do because I like to delete or know what to ignore for all the stuff we would not be going over anyway. One of my classes was hard to get thru for that reason And I didn't do well at all in that specific one. Although we went in order in general and didn't back up or skip around on chapters, they were long chapters, and you had to pretty much read everything to anser the questions because the ansers were pretty much burried in them, and on top of that, the questions were given week by week and I had other classes. So yeah, that one was hard for me personally. I think I do better with shorter reading assignments as far as the reading-type classes, as they're usually more to the point and it's usually easier to make sense of everything.
As for organization and structure, most of my teachers have been pretty organized, and the work handed out seems to be a repetitious cycle. A few of my teachers did skip around a little bit, but I handled it very well. College might be more difficult though, especially since readings are prone to be much longer. I'm pretty good at handling my work load though.
As for other stuff, I can't stand diagrams, maps, and charts. Yes, I do agree that they are necessary for some things, but not always. I just don't like looking at them, that's all.
Concerning format, I don't care too much about whether readings are in braille, on CD, or on the computer. I would much rather read something electronically or auditorily if it's longer than ten pages, although I do still receive braille books for a select few of my classes. When it comes to format, I'm pretty flexible, though I've got my preferences.