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VAK(VisualAuditoryKinaesthetic)

Probablybecauseofitssimplicityandpracticality,VAKtheoryiswidelyrecognisedbyteachers particularly thosewhoadvocateAcceleratedLearning techniques but the idea that we receive information viadifferent modalities has been around considerably longer than thatand can be traced back to the work of Grace Fernald ("RemedialTechniques in Basic School Subjects") who promoted kinaestheticlearning techniques Samuel Ortons work on dyslexia AnnaGillinghamssubsequentworkondevelopingmultisensoryapproachesandtheholisticeducationalphilosophyofMariaMontessori.Normally,weeachhavefivesenses.Thereisanincreasingrealisationthatwerespondsubconsciouslytooursenseofsmell.Aromatherapyisbased on the principle that aromas can help to create mood. Moresimply,manufacturersofhouseholdproductsusuallytrytomakethem"smell nice". More subtly, perfumers make a living from concoctingalluringandenticingodours.Recentresearchhasshownthatmenandwomen produce pheromones (body odours) that enhance theirattractivenesstotheoppositesexinmyriadsubtleways.Similarly,oursenseof taste isvery important tousand isoneof thefirsttobedevelopedintheyoung.Itisoneofthereasonswhybabiesputeverythingintheirmouths(althoughtheyalsousetheirmouthsasakinaesthetic sensory organ). Nevertheless, we do not normallyassociate our senses of smell and taste as being useful forcommunicationpurposesleavinguswiththreemethods(ormodes)ofreceivingandprocessing information. This isoften referred toas theVAKmodel.

VISUAL

AUDITORY

KINAESTHETIC

Eachofushasanaturalpreferenceforthewayinwhichweprefer toreceive, process and impart information. This is largely geneticallydetermined but is also susceptible to development, particularly whenweareyoung(whilstourneuralpathwaysarestillbeingestablished).Therearevariouswaysinwhichpreferredprocessingmodesbecomeapparent and some simple ways in which we can enhance theeffectivenessofourcommunicationonceweareawareofthem.Oneway todetectaperson'spreferredprocessingmode is towatch their

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eye movements, particularly when they are thinking or answering aquestion.

VISUAL

thinkerstendtolookupwards

AUDITORY

thinkerstendtolookstraightahead

KINAESTHETIC

thinkerstendtolookdownwards

Ofcourse,inpractice,itisnotquiteassimpleasthis.Additionalfactorsaffecteyemovementssuchaswhether theperson is trying to recallrealorimaginarycircumstances(inotherwords,aretheytellinglies?)There are also vocabulary clues that can help to detect preferredprocessingmodes.

Visual thinkers willtend to use andrespond to termssuchas:

IgetthepictureIseethatnowFrom myperspectiveWhat's yourview?

Auditory thinkerswilltend to use andrespond to termssuchas:

I get themessageThatringsabell

That strikes achord

Sounds OK tome

Kinaestheticthinkerswill tend touse & respond totermssuchas:

How does thatgrabyou?

A grasp of thebasics

It certainlyfeelsright

I can relate tothat

Even a very basic understanding of different processing modes canhelpyou tocommunicatemoreeffectively. Understandingaperson'spreferredmodeenablesyoutotailorthewayyouaddressthemsothatitsuitstheir"style".

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Youcouldsketchadiagramforvisual

thinkers.

Youcouldstresskeywordsforauditory

thinkers.

Youcouldusea

"handson"approachforkinaestheticthinkers.

Whenaddressinganaudience,youcanensurethatyourmessagewillreach a greater proportion by using all three modes. A goodpresentationshouldincludeinputsthatare:

Visual

suchasdiagrams,charts,pictures.

Auditory

suchasstories,anecdotes,jokes,

puns.

Kinaesthetic

withactivitiesandopportunitytomove

about.

Ofcourse,onceyouhavedevelopedabasicunderstandingoftheVAKmodel and seen the effects of translating it into practice, you will bekeentounderstandtheprinciplesingreaterdepth.

Discoveryourpreferredlearningstylewiththissimplequestionnaire

FindouthowtoMakethemostofyourlearningstyle

ExploretheseTeachingandLearningActivities

FindoutaboutMindmappingforvisuallearners

"Letsgetphysical"anddevisesometechniquesforkinaesthetic

learners

Haveyoueverthoughtaboutusingtraininggames?

Simpletipsforusingdramaacrossthecurriculum

"WaysofLearning"AlanPritchard

LearningStylesandInclusionGavinReid

TheLearningStylesHandbookforTeachersandTutors

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