How do I adjust my learning strategies as a kinesthetic and visual learner during Covid-19?

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” — Sun Tzu.

This excerpt from the book of Sun Tzu entitled The Art of War sticks in my mind throughout the years. In our present time, COVID-19 or the coronavirus disease is widespread, adjusting to the new normal as a college student is tough, most notably to kinesthetic and visual learners like me.

Kinesthetic learners learn best when we process information while being engaged or through learning activities that involve active participation, while visual learners learn best when we see pictures or videos. I am both. I enjoy doing experiments and adventures. I am good at remembering when I did the procedure. I become uneasy and bored when sitting for a long time of reading pure text from books. I love doing something when studying or watching videos with a lot of illustrations. In that way, I understand the lessons better.

The following are my learning strategies during Covid-19:

KEEP A ROUTINE AND SET SCHEDULES. I usually keep a routine every day. Every time I begin my day, the first thing I do is that I pray, then followed by my morning routines like taking a shower, eating my breakfast, toothbrushing, and 30 minutes jog in our backyard. I usually set schedules for the rest of the day after the morning routine to keep me on track. I plan these a week before. I use a short bond paper and make it like a planner.

CREATE A WORKSPACE. As a visual and kinesthetic learner, my workspace is a bit different. I am currently residing in our province, and I usually study on our farm. There is an open hut there near the riverside. I love learning while viewing the scenery and the sound of the river. It helps me to focus on what I am studying. At home, I usually study in the studio room or in the living room.

TURN OFF DISTRACTIONS. AVOID DISTRACTIONS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Distance learning is a bit difficult, most especially when we need online resources to learn better. Having our phone, tablet, consoles, or laptop near us can affect our productivity. What I usually do is that I take them away as much as possible. It helps me to stay focused while learning.

USE OF MAPS, DIAGRAMS OR OUTLINES. As a visual and kinesthetic learner, I am learning well when there are diagrams or outlines. It is difficult to go out of the province during this pandemic. In my country, there are various guidelines and requirements to enter every region. Thankfully, I can utilize the internet on watching videos or searching up for diagrams or outlines. What I usually do is that I draw the diagrams or outlines as well while studying it. In that way, I remember the lesson better.

CONDUCTING SIMPLE EXPERIMENTS AT HOME. I have a laboratory course this summer semester. Thankfully, there are simple experiments on the learning modules that the school provided for us. These simple experiments help me to learn the lesson better since Biochemistry is a real deal. I am having a hard time studying it.

INCORPORATE MOVEMENT INTO STUDYING. I usually take frequent breaks in my daily routine. I typically water our plants when I am at home during my morning breaks, but when I am on our farm, I usually go to the riverside and dip my feet into the water. These help me to engage with and remember the information I just studied.

DON’T RUSH. IT’S DEFINITELY FINE TO FEEL ANXIOUS. I usually take things day by day to stay focused and on a good phase. If I have questions, I reach out to my instructors and friends. It is tough to study by myself during this pandemic. But I always remind myself that I am still with my family, friends, and instructors to help me out.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP. I always have 8–10 hours of sleep every day to keep my body on track. This helps me to be productive for the whole day. When I do not have enough sleep, I always feel sluggish, and I feel like I am not functioning the entire day.

LEARN TO SAY NO. It is hard to say “no” to our family and friends when we are at home, but we need to learn to say “no” to stay focused on our set schedules.

KEEP IT BALANCED. Even though we are studying and learning. During this pandemic, I usually do that I divide my time with myself, my family, friends, and my studies. Having a daily plan and weekly plan will help you to keep on a balanced track.