They can work with sections of material without fully understanding the whole picture. Choose highly structured courses and instructors. If you have an instructor who jumps around from topic to topic, spend time outside of class with the instructor or a classmate who can help you fill the gaps in your notes. If class notes are random, rewrite the material according to whatever logic helps you to understand it. Outline the material.
Holistic thinkers progress in fits and starts.
They may feel lost and unable to solve problems, until they can see the big picture and the relationships between ideas. They need to make sense of details. They tend to be creative. Recognize that you are not slow or stupid. Before reading the chapter, preview it by reading all the subheadings, summaries, and any margin glossary terms.