As genealogists we are always
learning. There is continually something
new to see, hear, or do which could aid us in our research. See, hear, or do. Did you know that those are the three main
ways people learn? People are visual, auditory,
or kinetic learners in general. Do you have an idea which one fits you the
most? If you do, then it should be easy to figure out what is the best way for
you to digest complex information for your genealogical research.
For example, I am
mainly a visual learner with a small kinetic portion. I know that I do not do well with auditory
learning. This means I like to draw
things out, make color coded diagrams, and sometimes act things out. When I read a journal article, attending a
lecture, or read an educational text I actually write and draw in the margins
with different colored pens or pencils and draw pictures or diagrams. These are the tricks I learned in college
(you know when most of us actually learn how to study) that helped me. They were the same techniques I used when I
read the new book by Thomas W. Jones Mastering
Genealogical Proof.
This is a great
book. If you don’t have it, you should.
However, I had a difficult time getting through it. There was a significant amount of information
combined with a number of terms that I was only vaguely familiar with. However, when you really want to know
something you will figure out a way to learn it. So I did. Out came my colored pens, sticky tabs, and
highlighter. Writing things out in my own
words, drawing diagrams that I created, and making it colorful was exactly what
I needed to do.
However, what if
you are struggling with a concept and you are not a visual learner like
me? Never fear, you have options
too. Kinetic learners like to learn
through doing. Make sure you take
breaks, build a physical model, or use flash cards. Auditory learners do best when they hear
things. You should read passages out
loud to yourself, explain the problem to someone else, or get involved in a
study group.
Let’s look at how
three different learners could approach learning a concept in the Genealogical
Proof Standard (GPS). How about creating
research questions? Stating a good
research question is the key to conducting excellent research and keeping us on
track. While the concept is simple to grasp
for most people, it is also made up multiple parts that lock together which
then create the perfect question. Think
about it for a second, how would you break apart this concept into usable
chunks? If you have the book, look through chapter 2 of MGP to get some ideas on what you would do.
I created a flow
chart on paper with colored pens, shapes, and arrows. This not only helped me remember the
concepts, because I wrote them all out, the diagram also gave me a picture to
remember when I wanted to recall the concepts later. It was simple, not overly complicated, gave
me the main ideas, and fit on one page.
Cheat sheets should be also be compact since you want to keep them
handy. I am a bit, well, compelled to
take my chicken scratches and turn them into flow charts on my computer. Nice, neat, and ordered; just the way I like
it. Then I can carry them on my iPad and
have them with me when I need them.
For kinetic
learners I would suggest creating a fill-in chart, like a memory game, to help
learn the concepts. You can create one
on your computer; print it out, laminate it, and then using a dry erase marker
practice filling it in. Flash cards that could be fit together in the correct
order like a puzzle would also be good.
Both ways puts the information in front of you so you can learn the
concept through creating it. Some
kinetic learners also have success with flowcharts. The act of creating it helps you remember
what you are trying to internalize.
Auditory learning
is more challenging but not impossible.
To learn these concepts I strongly encourage you to join a study group,
even if it is one or two friends you get together with over coffee every couple
weeks. Or heck, call them on Google+ and
chat if your genealogy friends are scattered!
Talk it out with your friends and colleagues or take turns teaching a
concept to each other. Creating a
mnemonic that will aid you in remembering the key elements of the concepts
would also be good.
Most of all don’t
be afraid of recreating the wheel. Sure,
there are tons of cheat sheets and aides out there, but they may not be the
right one for you. If you have one you
like, great! You are lucky and you should use it until it falls to pieces.
However, if the one you get the best use out of is scribbled on the back
of a napkin from your favorite café, keep the napkin in a safe place and use it
instead.
Bio:
Shannon
Combs-Bennett is a writer for the In-Depth Genealogist and the Youth Education Chair
for NGGN. In addition she has her own
blog, Trials and Tribulations of a Self-Taught Family Historian [http://tntfamilyhistory.blogspot.com/], where she talks about her family
research, interesting items in the genealogy world, and anything else that
interests her. You can also follow Shannon on
Twitter @tntfamhist and on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TntFamilyHistory].
Links
Visual, auditory,
or kinetic learning: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/homeworkhelp/a/learningstyle.htm
Editor's
Note: This is the first in a planned series of periodic posts by Shannon on tools/approaches to learning
important for genealogists and family historians.
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