How do you like to learn?

Anyone who came to see us at our stand during BSAVA congress 2022 will undoubtedly have heard me enthusing about the ‘A day in the life of…dramas’. This stream took a different, and very welcome approach to learning with short film clips of actors, interspersed with lectures, panel discussions, and live actor dialogue, breaking the subject matter into an easy to watch and interactive learning experience that lasted the whole day.

It is often claimed that after 10–15 minutes our attention in a lecture is likely to decline. However, studies do not support this ‘fact’. Instead, it is recommended that lecturers should develop ways to maintain students' attention — changing the format in which information is delivered certainly seems to be an effective way of doing this. The ‘Day in the life dramas’ encapsulated this philosophy perfectly.

Different people like to learn in different ways, and it has often been considered that an important part of learning is to understand the way that you learn best. It has been said that there were two types of learners — visual and auditory. Added to this is the kinesthetic learner, who learns best when shown simulations, presentations and videos or when moving around in a hands-on environment. There are also reading and writing learners, who process information best when they put pen to paper. However, the theory of learning styles appears to have been debunked — studies have found that students who thought they were visual learners, did not necessarily do better when presented with more visual learning materials.