The Beginning of My Journey with Learning Styles

About a year ago, I began exploring learning styles and personality. What started as simple curiosity soon grew into a deep interest in how people learn best—and why some struggle despite trying so hard. But to truly understand why this topic became so meaningful to me, I need to take you back a few years, to my own school days. Where It All Began. In primary school, I did fairly well. That changed when my family moved from the Transvaal (now Gauteng) to the Free State, where academic standards were significantly higher. The transition was tough, and I struggled to keep up. I made friends, but it didn’t last long. I was told I wasn’t “clever enough” to be part of the group and was excluded. When the same thing happened with another group, I spent several months alone during break time. Eventually, I met one friend who accepted me for who I was—and that friendship meant everything.

Carrying the Label

High school brought more of the same challenges. Reading took me longer than it did my peers, and I often needed extra time to grasp concepts. Yet, interestingly, I could recall certain details with remarkable clarity.

Mathematics was particularly difficult. In the end, I had to drop the subject—something that was still allowed at the time. Once again, I was labelled as “not clever” simply because I didn’t take maths.

A Turning Point at University

Despite everything, I made it to university by pure grace. My marks were just enough to qualify, and my results were mostly average. Except for one subject: Psychology. Psychology consistently stood out, and to my surprise (and my parents’), I was accepted into Honours in Industrial Psychology. It was during this year that everything finally made sense. The light went on. The penny dropped. For the first time, I understood how I learn best. From Personal Struggle to Purpose Looking back, my own experiences inspired me to help other students—those who struggle the way I did, as well as high-achieving students who are quietly heading toward burnout. During my research, I came across Kolb’s Learning Style Model, and I immediately knew this was the approach that resonated with me. But before diving into Kolb’s model, it’s important to understand what learning styles really are—and how they differ from popular study methods.

Learning Styles vs. Study Methods

Learning methods are the actions and techniques learners use to learn. We focus on learning methods as they assist us to:

• Summarising our work

• Flow charts

• Writing down keywords

• Testing ourselves

• Writing key ideas in your own words

When we focus on learning styles, it provides us with tools for reflection and self-understanding and help you to think about learning. Which, in turn, can assist in the development of critical and strategic thinking.

Note to the reader: Although no proof exists that knowing one’s learning style improves learning outcomes, I believe it can help individuals adapt their learning approach, especially when the suggested techniques are actively applied. Furthermore, it can assist in the development of critical and strategic thinking.

Why Kolb?

I chose Kolb’s Learning Style Model because it aligned perfectly with how I naturally learned—long before I had the language to describe it. From there, I began developing my own questionnaire with motivation from colleagues and a report to help students identify their learning style and use it to study more effectively and with less frustration. What makes my approach different is its practical application. It doesn’t box students into a single learning style. Instead, it explores how different styles can be used across various subjects and focus areas. The focus is always on the “so what?”—how this understanding can be applied in real, meaningful ways.

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