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Ciao! 👋
Many times you hear that to learn Italian you need to listen to podcasts, watch movies or even take a trip to Italy to fully immerse yourself in the language. However, what happens if these techniques do not work for you?
It can be frustrating to find that the recommended strategies do not produce the desired results. But don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with you.
Each of us has a unique way of learning and absorbing information.
So if conventional methodologies do not seem to work for you, it is simply because you may be more inclined to a different learning style.
Don’t give up, there is always a way to learn Italian (or anything else), effectively and customized to your needs.
If you keep reading, you can discover it for yourself and thus create your perfect routine.
You may or may not already know this, but every person learns differently. There is no secret recipe that works for all students of Italian.
We are human beings, extremely different from each other, and as a result we absorb information in different ways.
If you have experienced or still experience this frustration in your journey of learning Italian, it is likely that you have been using a study method that is not suitable for you.
The truth is that everyone is born with a preferred learning style, and it can be a good idea to know your own in order to learn Italian intelligently and more efficiently.
Using the learning method best suited to you will allow you to make the most of the time spent on Italian (or any other subject you wish to learn) and make the journey to its discovery more enjoyable.
🧐 Small clarification before we continue: this test identifies your preferred learning style, this does not mean that if the result will be “visual,” you can only learn things with graphs or photos, absolutely not.
It’s just your preference, but that doesn’t mean that if you listen to a podcast or write in a diary, you’ll forget everything you listened to or wrote, okay?
It’s just a way to get to know yourself a little better, that’s all.
Most likely, the result for most people will be multimodal because, of course, we all use our senses to receive and process information, but “by nature” we prefer some channels (which is only natural, otherwise we would all be the same and this post would be pointless 😜).
Learning is a continuous test of oneself, and we must also seek to be open to all channels through which information comes to us, but knowing our preferred ones can facilitate our lives a bit.
Often you hear people say that books are better than movies, true, because in books there are more detailed scenes, but at the same time in books there is not the dynamism of the scene that we find in the movie.
As much as you can imagine the described scene, it can never be as dynamic as seeing it reproduced. In the end, after reading the book and watching the movie, you will have a richer memory both in the details and in the dynamism, a complete picture, in short.
So you see that all channels are important? 😊
Now enough with the introduction and let’s get started!
- How many learning styles are there?
- What are the characteristics of the four learning styles?
- For each personality type, what are the most productive activities?
- Why is it important to know your learning style?
- PDF Summary Table
How many learning styles are there?
Most likely, if you are interested in psychology, you may have already heard about it in NLP. This model is based on how each of us perceives information that comes through our five senses.
Neil Fleming, a New Zealand teacher, based on this, identified four different styles: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic.
These styles can coexist in the same person, or one or two may be predominant. So, it’s easy to understand how knowing your predominant learning style can pave the way for a more effective learning journey.
If you still don’t know what your learning style is, I recommend taking the VARK test, created by Fleming himself, to optimize your study time for Italian.
What are the characteristics of the four learning styles?
Let’s now examine the characteristics of the four main learning styles.
VISUAL STYLE OR SPATIAL
AUDITORY OR MUSICAL STYLES
On the other hand, auditory learners remember what they hear and therefore learn effectively through conversation and listening activities such as songs or podcasts (here the dedicated article) . They usually enjoy expressing their opinion (okay, not everyone, as there are also introverts who don’t express much, but I will dedicate a separate article on the best way to study a language for introverts 😉), and they remember interesting stories or jokes very well.
READ AND WRITE STYLE
Usually, this type of person prefers to absorb information by reading a textbook or any kind of book, and then inducing a general pattern on the various forms the language takes (how gender is expressed, number, verb tenses, etc.). When they feel confident enough, this type of learner prefers to put it into practice by writing a diary, a blog, or doing writing exercises found in textbooks.
KINESTETHIC STYLE
Finally, the style of kinesthetic, or physical, learning refers to those who may not remember what someone looks like or what they say, but remember people based on what they do. Kinesthetic learners tend to learn through direct experience. For them, action is much more important than listening or reading. Leveraging learning through movement, such as using role-playing or simulations, or going on field trips, is one of their strengths.
Recognizing the characteristics of your learning style will help you identify which methods and approaches are most suitable for you when it comes to learning Italian. This will allow you to optimize your learning process and achieve more satisfying results.
For each personality type, what are the most productive activities?
VISUAL LEARNERS
Visual learners can benefit from activities such as:
– Reading Italian novels or newspapers to expand vocabulary
– Using a textbook to acquire grammar
– Using images to describe situations
– Creating vocabulary lists
– Working in small groups
– A quiet study environment can enhance concentration
If you want to know more, I discuss it in more depth in this article.
AUDITORY LEARNERS
Auditory learners benefit from activities such as:
– listening to Italian podcasts, music, and YouTube videos
– methods like Assimil or Pimsleur, which rely on listening and repetition
– group learning
– using Italian TV series or movies
STUDENTS WHO READ AND WRITE
Students who read and write are at an advantage in these activities.
- Read books, manuals, textbooks, etc.
- Take detailed notes
- Look up definitions
- Rewrite the annotations
- Organize the information into lists
KINESTETHIC STUDENTS
Kinesthetic learners can benefit from activities such as:
- role-playing and simulations
- learning on the move through podcasts or physical activities while listening to lessons
- audio lessons
- writing new words in a notebook or flashcards
- storytelling.
Why is it important to know your learning style?
Simply put, knowing how your mind assimilates information allows you to design a personalized routine for learning Italian. By using an approach that adapts to your individual strengths, you are more likely to maximize your language learning potential and minimize the chances of getting bored with learning activities that don’t align with your style.
In my experience, the VARK test revealed that I have a predominantly auditory and kinesthetic learning style. This means that I prefer to listen to words rather than write them, that I ask others to listen to me to see if I have understood a topic.
For the kinesthetic side, it means that I listen to a lot of audio and podcasts while walking or doing things, that I will only remember things that have actually happened (such as simulations, role-playing), and that I need lots of examples, anecdotes, or stories to have a more complete picture.
Whatever your learning style, the secret to an exciting journey in learning the Italian language is to personalize, as much as possible, the study strategies based on your abilities.
I hope this article has been as helpful to you as it to me!
I will soon publish all the tools suitable for every learning style as well.
Now, I would recommend all my students to take this test, but I would love to know your learning style or your experience in the beautiful journey of discovering Italian. Write it in the comments! 😊
PDF Summary Table
A presto!! 👋
Dillo in Italiano 
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