I tried various methods on myself.

What works:

1. having a lecture on a chalkboard

2. taking notes by hand. Yes, by hand. Something about the act of writing it by hand fixes it in my brain

3. using pencil and paper to do the problems.

4. and what really works is giving an in-person lecture on how to do it

What doesn't work:

1. everything else

I've watched many instructional videos. Poof, none of it sticks. I've audited classes. Poof, none of it sticks, because I didn't do the homework.

I've never known anyone who learned arithmetic from a calculator.

It's like wanting to be strong. You have to do the work to get strong. There is no substitute.

What you've discovered is your learning style. It's not the same for everyone so it's an important thing that everyone should discover about themself.

There are visual learners out there. Being a visual learner doesn't mean you don't need to do the work, it means you typically need some visualization for things to click, and then you practice applying it like everyone else. Some people can even manage with just lectures.

This causes some students trouble in school because their needs may not be met by every teacher. It's especially worse if the student hasn't learned what their learning style is yet.