LEARNING STYLESPART 1

What is Learning Style?

Learning style is an individual's

natural or habitual pattern of

acquiring and processing

information in learning

situations.

It is “Neil Fleming's VAK model”, one of the most common and widely-used categories of the various types of learning styles.

According to Fleming, learning style is broadly defined as one of the three primary ways, those include visual (sight), auditory (sound), and kinesthetic (actions/touch) in which a person can learn.

Fleming's VAK Model

The VAK model (VAK learning style) uses three main sensory receivers- vision, audio, and movement to determine the domination of learning style.

Its use in pedagogy (the study of the methods and activities of teaching) allows teachers to prepare classes that address each of these areas.

Students can use the model to identify their preferred learning style and maximize their educational experience by focusing on what benefits them the most.

Visual learners have a preference for seeing

(think in pictures; visual aids such as overhead

slides, diagrams, handouts, etc.).

Auditory learners best learn through listening

(lectures, discussions, tapes, etc.).

Kinesthetic/tactile learners prefer to learn via

experience—moving, touching, and doing (active

exploration of the world; science projects;

experiments, etc.)

Fleming claimed that:

Visual learners have two subchannels–

linguistic and spatial.

Learners who are visual-linguistic like

to learn through written language, such

as reading and writing tasks. They

remember what has been written down,

even if they do not read it more than

once.

A. VISUAL

STYLE

Learners who are visual-spatial usually have

difficulty with written language and do better with

pictures, charts, demonstrations, videos, and

other visual materials.

In addition,visual-spatial learners are able to

easily visualize faces and places by using their

imagination and seldom get lost in new

surroundings.

B. AUDITORY

STYLE Auditory learners often talk to

themselves. They also may move their

lips and read out loud;

they may have difficulty with reading

and writing tasks; and they often do

better talking to a colleague or a tape

recorder and hearing what was said.

C. KINESTHETIC

STYLEKinesthetic

learners do best

while touching and

moving.

Kinesthetic learners tend to lose concentration if there is little or external stimulation or movement; when listening to lectures, they may want to take notes.

In doing activity, such as reading, kinesthetic learners like to scan the material first, and then focus on the details (get the big picture first). They typically use color highlighters and take notes by drawing pictures, diagrams, scheme, and so on.

HOW TO INTEGRATE THE STYLES

INTO THE LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT

VISUAL1. Use graphs, charts, illustrations, or

other visual aids.

2. Include outlines, handouts, etc. for

reading and taking notes.

3. Emphasize key points to cue when

taking notes.

4. Supplement textual information with

illustrations whenever possible.

5. Show diagrams and then explain

them.

AUDITORY1. Begin new material with a brief explanation

of what is coming, and after all, conclude

with the summary.

2. Ask more questions to draw as much

information from them as possible.

3. Include auditory activity, such as

brainstorming (activity in which a group

of students are given some new ideas

very quickly before considering some of

them more carefully)

4. Ask questions in details (debriefing).

This allows the students to make

connections of what they have learned

and how it applies to their situation.

5. Develop an internal dialog between

yourself and the students.

KINESTHETI

C

(TACTILE)

1. Use activities that involve the students’ physical

movement.

2. Play music, when appropriate, during activities. This can

help them to enjoy the activities.

3. Give frequent stretch breaks (brain-breaks).

4. Allow them to keep holding and playing something they

enjoy with, such as pen, pencil, paper, etc. during

learning activities.

5. To highlight a point (emphasize something important),

provide gum, candy, scents, etc. which provides a cross

link to the topic at hand. (NOTE: scent can be a powerful

cue).

6. Guide the students through a visualization of complex

tasks.

7. Have them transfering information from the text to

another medium such as a keyboard, tablet, etc.

VAK Learning Style

Inventory

This questionaire help you to determine your learning

style; read the statement and choose one of the three

options to see how you respond to each situation.

Your answer may fall into all three options, but one

option will likely contain the dominant answers. The

dominant option indicates your primary learning

styles.

1. WHEN I SPELL,

V• I try to see the word.

A

• I sound out the word or use a phonetic approach.

K• I write the word down to find if it feels right.

2. WHEN I TALK,

V• I dislike listening for too long. I favor words such

as see, picture, and imagine.

A• I enjoy listening but are impatient to talk. I use

words such as hear, tune, and think.

K• I use my gesture and use expressive movements.

I use words such as feel, touch, and hold.

3. WHEN I CONCENTRATE,

V

• I become distracted by untidiness or movement.

A• I become distracted by sounds or noises.

K• I become distracted by activity around me.

4. WHEN I MEET SOMEONE

AGAIN,

V

• I forget names but remember faces or remember where we met.

A

• I forget faces but remember names or remember what we talked about.

K• I remember best what we did together.

5. WHEN I CONTACT

PEOPLE ON BUSINESS,

V

• I prefer direct, face-to-face, personal meetings.

A• I prefer talk by phone.

K

• I prefer talk to them while walking or participating in a particular activity.

6. WHEN I READ,

V

• I like descriptive scenes or pause to imagine the actions.

A

• I enjoy dialog and conversation or hear the characters talk.

K

• I prefer action stories or are not a keen reader.

7. WHEN I PUT

SOMETHING

TOGETHER,

V• I like at the directions and the picture.

A

• I prefer verbal instructions or talking about it with someone else.

K

• I ignore the directions and figure it out as I go along.

8. WHEN I NEED HELP WITH

A COMPUTER

APPLICATION,

V• I seek out pictures or diagrams.

A

• I call the help desk, ask a neighbour, or growl at the computer.

K

• I keep trying to do it or try it on another computer.