Different Learning Styles

by Travis Rocha

From a very young age, I’ve always known that I am a kinesthetic learner. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means that I learn by doing and experiencing. Two of the other major types of learning are visual and auditory (seeing and hearing, respectively).

During high school wrestling practice, my coaches would call us over and demonstrate a new move for us to learn every few days. I never once learned the move by simply watching them do it. I always had to try it out with my partner a few times and then I’d get it, whereas my partner would often have the move ready to perform as soon as the coaches finished showing us. My partner was definitely a visual learner, but I was not.

At Christopher Newport, there are all kinds of different learning styles. I love theater and labs because I get to “do” as opposed to listen or watch. Other students, prefer to just listen to lectures and take notes. One thing that I’ve noticed about our school is that there is a little bit of every learning style in each classroom. Yes, we listen to lecture and watch instructional videos, but we also have assignments and activities that allow us to try things for ourselves. No matter what style of learning you prefer, you can rest assured you’ll find it here.

We are a small college, but that doesn’t mean there is any shortage of academic opportunity. Everyone can succeed here because we pride ourselves on putting students first and ensuring they have the best tools at their disposal for a satisfactory education. The Office of Student Affairs specifically works with students for this purpose. The education at Christopher Newport is so high in quality because of all the different tactics, perspectives, and views you, as a student, are exposed to when you take a class here. There’s nowhere I’d rather be!