Bakersfield Dressage
www.bakersfielddressage.com
  • Home
  • About Me
  • My Horses
    • G Ima Starr FA
    • Imperioso
    • Sunshine
    • Nakota and Gideon
    • Corky
    • Sassy
    • Montoya DSA
    • Mickey Dee
    • Sydney
  • My Show Results
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
  • Showing Dressage
    • Upcoming Events
    • Dressage Organizations
    • Membership
    • Documents & Forms
    • Judges & Scores
    • Dressage Videos
  • Educational Stuff
  • Local Stuff
    • Bakersfield Vet Hospital
    • Veterinarians
    • Farriers
    • Feed and Tack Stores
    • Facilities
    • Saddle Fitting & Boot Repair
  • Photo Gallery

How Do You Learn?

4/2/2015

12 Comments

 
I am an auditory learner. That means I learn by listening and discussing.
Picture
Which one are you?
I know what kind of learner I am because I get paid to make sure people, namely very small people, are learning. I've spent the past twenty five years learning how to make whatever material I am teaching accessible to all types of learners. I am a teacher after all.

Every lesson I teach includes visuals, lecture, hands-on opportunities, small group consultation (I actually tell my 5th graders to consult with a neighbor), experimentation, physical movement, and so on.

The fancy name for how we learn is called a "Learning Modality." There are many learning modalities, but they are all variations, or permutations, of three basic styles; visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (which can become tactile).
Picture
Do you see yourself?
I know you're wondering what this has to do with dressage or riding in general, but bear with me for a moment as I explain. When we know what type of learner we are, we can maximize our learning opportunities by searching out experiences that meet our learning needs. Check out these four descriptions of learning preferences and see which one seems most like you.
Picture
Do it myself to learn.
Picture
See it to learn.
Picture
Write about it to learn.
Picture
Hear about it to learn.
And before you worry about choosing just one type of modality, know that most of us do best when we utilize more than one type of learning style. I am an auditory learner who learns best by discussing what I've heard or by writing it down later - hence the blog!

The lucky thing for us as riders is that our lessons or clinics are learning experiences that naturally incorporate all the learning modalities! Think about it: it's kinesthetic as we search for the right "feel," it's visual when our trainer shows us, and it's auditory as the instructor calls out corrections or directions.

I love lessons because they always involve auditory learning. The trainer talks while the student listens. And if the trainer uses an earpiece/speaker system, I am really in heaven as the the lesson is then piped directly to my brain. If you are not an auditory learner, you might find all of the trainer's "talk" distracting.

Lessons or clinics also involve a lot of kinesthetic learning as the rider must DO what the instructor says. This works best for me when the instructor gives a lot of oral directions, but for a true kinesthetic learner, you probably just figure it out the longer you ride. Maybe you get better and better at seeing that distance just by riding it over and over. Those naturally gifted riders are probably very much kinesthetic learners. Alas, I am not.

In many cases, a clinician or trainer will also demonstrate visually what they want you do by moving their own body in a sort of pantomime of what we should be doing. My trainer does this all the time as I watch from the saddle. If you are a visual learner, you probably like your trainer to show you by having them demonstrate from the ground like my trainer will do, or you like her to hop on and show you. You probably like to watch others take lessons too. 

If you are a tactile learner, someone who needs to take notes or doodle while learning, you probably learn best by attending clinics or watching others participate in a lesson. I don't know if Sarah of Eventing in Color is a tactile learner or not, but I have been amazed before by her note-taking skills.
Picture
Have you figured out your strongest learning style yet?
I'd love to know more about your strongest learning modality and how knowing this helps you maximize your lessons or learning without an instructor. Take the poll if you'd like to see where you are compared to other people, and please leave a comment explaining how you use (or will use!) your knowledge of your learning style to maximize your lesson time.
12 Comments
Amanda link
4/2/2015 12:06:21 am

Definitely auditory for me. I replay things I've heard in my mind, and capturing the tone helps me remember more of what was said or heard. Things I read don't stick quite as well. I can handle something a hundred times, but when I go back to it a year later it's like starting over. I think my auditory tendencies always served me well in school - I was the odd kid out who really liked long lectures.

Reply
Bakersfield Dressage link
4/3/2015 10:01:56 am

Everyone's answers are so fascinating - thank you for sharing. :0)

Reply
Hannah
4/2/2015 12:40:10 am

Ahaha. Bane of my existence right here: I am strongly, strongly, strongly kinesthetic and tactile. Serves me really well in life-in-general; I'm kickass at pattern-recognition, learn really quickly and well when I'm allowed to do it my way, and information synthesis is basically my jam. But wow, are most specific learning situations nnnnnnot geared towards me.

Reply
Bakersfield Dressage link
4/3/2015 10:04:35 am

So fascinating! I am with Amanda - I definitely talk myself through things. In fact, when I think about it, I actually refrain from touching things a lot of the time (fear of cooties first of all). Touching and moving parts just doesn't do it for me. Even when I do puzzles, I just lay them all out and look for matches without "trying" out the pieces. Interesting share - thanks!

Reply
EquiNovice link
4/2/2015 01:34:52 am

I find this type of stuff super fascinating! I really wish I had identified this sooner and taken more steps to use my learning styles to my advantage during school...

I'm both visual and tactile. During tests, if I could remember/visualize <i>where</i> in my notebook I wrote about a specific topic, then almost every note I took about that topic was suddenly available to me. So my recall on a subject is heavily tied to the visual aspects. And the doodling...yes.

It is interesting to think about learning style in the context of riding. Apparently I should keep watching good riding and attend more clinics!!

Reply
Bakersfield Dressage link
4/3/2015 10:07:25 am

I've tried so hard to see the answers before, but it doesn't always work for me. I can remember a conversation about the topic though. I wrote this post because many people don't know how they learn. Once you figure out your best learning modality, a lot of "stuff" falls into place. I don't get as much from watching good riders, but I do get a lot if I hear a trainer or clinician talking about the rider! :0)

Reply
Austen
4/2/2015 04:11:57 am

Really interesting to think about, especially as I'm wading through grad school work right now too! I think I'm a combo between kinesthetic and tactile learning. I learn activities best by doing them. I learn directions by going somewhere once, and then I can alway find that place again. It's much the same with riding. I learn a feeling, and I can find it again. In the classroom I learn best by taking concepts and reconfiguring them, or restating them. I like to take the concepts and figuratively pick them up, take them apart, and put them back together. I do this through my notes, usually. I make charts in my notes, and my pages are filled with arrows and bullet points and outlines. If I don't write something down, though. It's gone forever.

As I've gotten older, my ADHD has gotten much stronger and harder to deal with. It's made my auditory learning almost completely vanish. If I don't reinforce something a couple of sensory ways, it's gone forever. In addition, the vibration of thoughts in my head can make concepts difficult to keep straight, even if I know them. Presentations are hard for me because I get off track very easily. Outlines are how I survive life.

Really interesting!!

Reply
Bakersfield Dressage link
4/3/2015 10:11:20 am

Thanks for sharing!!!! I am of course already interested in the topic as making sure people learn is what I do all day long. I try really hard to address all of the learning modalities in my classroom so that every kid has a chance to learn. How frustrating to be a student in a classroom that employs only one type of learning (auditory comes to mind). Adults, like you, can compensate in their own way (taking notes, diagrams, etc.), but most kids don't recognize how they learn best.

Reply
Mia link
4/2/2015 06:13:08 am

I'm more tactile. When I watch a clinic, I take notes. I'm not quick enough at jotting the points down most times, but it's usually enough to jog my memory. I don't know if I learn best that way, but if I don't write it down I forget it. I like blogging about it later. It really highlights what I know and what I don't know.

Reply
Bakersfield Dressage link
4/3/2015 10:13:15 am

It's so interesting what works for each person. I am too slow at taking notes, but even if I just write down one word, I can go back and fill in the blanks quite easily based on what I heard. And I am definitely one who likes to write it all down afterward - like you!

Reply
Val
4/2/2015 10:53:35 pm

I have a really tough time choosing one modality, or even two. I love to learn by doing, I like to take notes, l can study a diagram many times and keep finding new things from it, and I am also an avid question asker and responder.

As I have gotten older, I do think my auditory learning has gotten weaker, though. I still love to talk and discuss, but I am not as good at focusing when I am being taught by lecture. I have so many things running around in my head that my brain just starts going and I forget to listen. This was never a problem when I was a full-time student and didn't have adult responsibilities yet.

Reply
Bakersfield Dressage link
4/3/2015 10:15:58 am

I know I learn through a variety of modalities, especially as the subject changes, but even so, I am a listener. Sometimes I just want to shout to the world, JUST TELL ME ALREADY! The only problem with being an auditory learner is that too much noise makes it really hard to focus. :0)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    About the 
    Writer & Rider

    I am a lifetime rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
    ​Welcome to my dressage journey.

    Picture
    Photo by Lori Ovanessian
    Email Karen

    About Speedy G

    Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse and occasional trail horse. He is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

    Picture
    July 2017 - Photo by Sue Dockweiler

    About Izzy

    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are schooling the dressage basics. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand Zweibrücker gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
    Picture
    Second Show - July 2016

    Picture
    Bakersfield Dressage approved!

    National Awards

    • USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
    • USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

    Stuff I'm Working On ...

    Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Scores
    Second Level Scores:

    Score 1: 63.485%
    Score 2: 61.282%
    Score 3: 62.879%

    CDS Championship Qualifying 
    Second Level Scores:

    Score 1: 63.485%
    Score 2: 61.282%
    Score 3: 62.879%
    Score 4: 
    Score 5: 
    ​
    CDS Ruby Rider Award
    Training Level Scores:

    Score 1: 70.179%
    Score 2: 
    72.600%

    First Level Scores:
    Score 1: 
    66.093%
    Score 2: 
    68.750%

    Second Level Scores:
    Score 1: 63.485%
    Score 2: 62.879%


    USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award
    Score 1 - 62.879%
    Score 2 - 
    Score 3 - 
    Score 4 -  

    2018 Show Season

    Show Rating
    (***) CDS/USDF/USE 
    (*) CDS
    (s) Schooling
    (c) Clinic
    (t) Ride-a-Test Clinic
    (Q) Must Qualify

    2018 Pending …
    5/27/18 Tehachapi (*)
    6/16-17/18 El Sueno (***)
    ​
    6/24/18 Tehachapi (*)
    7/22/18 Tehachapi (*)
    8/11-12/18 RAAC (Q ***)
    ​8/26/18 Tehachapi (*)

    ​2018 Completed …
    1/14/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
    2/10/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
    2/24/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
    3/17/18 Hurtado Clinic (t)
    3/18/18 GEAHS (*)
    3/31/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
    4/14-15/18 El Sueno (***)

    Stuff I Read

    • A Collection of Madcap Escapades
    • A Enter Spooking
    • A Horse Crazy American in Germany
    • A Horse for Elinor
    • A Work in Progress
    • Avandarre in Dressage
    • Codex Dressage​
    • DIY Horse Ownership
    • Equestrian at Hart
    • 'Fraidy Cat Eventing
    • Fly on Over​
    • Guinness on Tap
    • Hunky Hanoverian
    • Journey with a Dancing Horse
    • Poor Woman Showing​
    • She Moved to Texas
    • SprinklerBandits
    • Symphony Dressage Stables
    • Tales From a Bad Eventer
    • The $900 Facebook Pony
    • Wyvern Oaks
    • Zen and the Art of Baby Horse Mangement

    By Topic

    All
    Art
    Awards
    Books
    Cabin
    California Barn Life
    Captain Awesome
    Centerlinescores
    Championships
    Chiropractor
    Clinics
    Clothing
    Defeating The Demon
    Dogs
    Double Bridle
    Dressage On The Trail
    EHV-1
    Endurance Photos
    Farrier
    First Level
    Fluphenazine
    Fox Hunting
    Freedom Feeder
    Frustration
    Gizmos
    Grooming
    Headshaking
    Horse Maintenance
    Horses Are Expensive
    Horses Are Expensive II
    Hunter/jumper Stuff
    Imperioso
    Introductory Level
    Izzys Leg
    Just For Fun
    Lessons With Chemaine
    Lessons With Lois
    Local Stuff
    Memberships
    Micklem Bridle
    Mt. Self Doubt
    Musings
    My 5 Things
    My Horses
    Nesting
    On The Levels
    Photos
    Platinum Performance
    Poles
    Polls
    Pulley Rein
    Raac
    Rider Fitness
    Riding Figures
    Right Lead Canter
    Road ID
    Saddle Fitting
    Schooling
    Score Sheets
    Second Level
    Shopping
    Show Costs
    Showing
    Sitting Trot
    Sliding Side Reins
    Soldier
    Speedy's Leg
    Tack
    The Elephants
    The Jar
    The Warm Up Ring
    Third Level
    Toys
    Trailering
    Training
    Travel
    Vet Care
    Videos
    Weird But True
    Year In Review


    Archives

    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011


    Picture
    Visit their site by clicking the photo. I wear one every time I ride!
    Picture
    Sydney wearing the Riders4Helmets dressage pad I won for a helmet story.

Website and Blog by Karen Sweaney
✕