NRS 429V: My Learning Style Assessment Tool
"My Learning Style"
Grand Canyon University
NRS 429V
November 26, 2013
"My Learning Style"
Learning style? Why would one need to know a learning style? There is a way for you to find out what type of learning style you have. The VARK learning style assessment tool, developed by Neil Fleming, is an assessment that can be taken to discover ones learning style. There are several learning styles; kinesthetic style; those who learn from hands on experience, auditory learners; a learning style of memorization by retaining what is heard (Blasen, n.d., para.1), visual learners; individuals who retain best through written language such as reading and writing ("VARK Questionnaire," 2011, para. 1), and last multimodal study strategy; a learning strategy of …show more content…
several learning styles. Having two or more preferences account for 60% of the population. It has been found that when people know their learning style they are more effective in their study habits and perform better on exams. Reading and writing learners prefer to read a textbook to learn new information, they also take a great deal of notes during class at the same time they are reading the material. In order for a student to be successful in learning, they must know what learning strategy works best for them and how to adapt to all teaching styles they may be exposed to.
Kinesthetic learners, as mentioned before, learn by hands on and movement. The kinesthetic learners need stimulation and continued movement. These learners tend to use high lighters and take notes by drawing pictures, doodling and using diagrams (Cherry, 2012, para. 3). Some strategies for the kinesthetic learners are:
Use colored markers to emphasize key points on flip cards or white boards.
Use activities that get the learners up and moving.
Give frequent stretch breaks.
Provide high lighters, colored pens and /or pencils.
Give them something to do with their hands, Play-Dough or Koosh balls
Some study suggestions for a kinesthetic learner:
Your lecture notes may be poor because the topics were not concrete
You will remember the “real” things that happened
Talk about your notes with and another “K” person.
Use pictures and photographs that illustrate and idea. ("VARK Questionnaire," 2011, para. 3)
Although these learning strategies are similar to my learning strategies, there are some differences.
Some preferred learning strategies are, self talk, similar to that of the auditory learners, taking notes and the use of highlighters is a crucial when studying, constant movement of hands and stimulation to stay focused. Reading out loud and visualizing what is being read helps greatly, repetition works the best as well; going over and over the material aides in retention. Teaching the material to a fellow kinesthetic learner helps one absorb the material. The more one understand the topic the better one can do. A preferred learning strategies compared to the identified strategies after the VARK assessment preferred learning style is very close to learning strategies already in place.
Following the assessment, the preferred learning strategy was a kinesthetic learner, close to being a multimodal. The score was one point different between a kinesthetic learner and an auditory learner. I do tend to use my hands, use all my senses, talk out loud and repeat myself, I prefer doing experiments and hands on activities. I also have good hand-eye coordination that most kinesthetic learners tend to
have.
The changes that need to be made in my study habits would be to scan the material before I read it, as well as writing questions and answers regarding the reading would be beneficial to add to my learning strategy. Rewriting ideas and main points into other words is another learning strategy I could incorporate in my study habits. Learning how to take better lecture notes would be a good benefit to my learning strategy as well.
To summarize, my analysis of the VARK learning style assessment is right on the mark. It amazes me how close if not how exact the assessment is to how I learn and assess materials. From the assessment I learned that I could incorporate other styles of learning into my study habits; finding other ways of learning is a must. Because not all teaching is the same, one must be able to adapt to the learning styles and study strategies to fit the teaching and materials being presented. Finding other ways too adapt and learning to use other styles will help me succeed and future my education as well as career.
References
Blasen, K. (n.d.). Discover Your Learning Style with Vark. Retrieved from www.sophia.org/tutorials/discover-your-learning-style-with -vark
Cherry, K. (2012). VARK Learning Styles. About.com Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/about.com.phsychhology
“The VARK Questionnaire: How Do I Lean Best?”. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire
Grand Canyon University
NRS 429V
November 26, 2013
"My Learning Style"
Learning style? Why would one need to know a learning style? There is a way for you to find out what type of learning style you have. The VARK learning style assessment tool, developed by Neil Fleming, is an assessment that can be taken to discover ones learning style. There are several learning styles; kinesthetic style; those who learn from hands on experience, auditory learners; a learning style of memorization by retaining what is heard (Blasen, n.d., para.1), visual learners; individuals who retain best through written language such as reading and writing ("VARK Questionnaire," 2011, para. 1), and last multimodal study strategy; a learning strategy of …show more content…
several learning styles. Having two or more preferences account for 60% of the population. It has been found that when people know their learning style they are more effective in their study habits and perform better on exams. Reading and writing learners prefer to read a textbook to learn new information, they also take a great deal of notes during class at the same time they are reading the material. In order for a student to be successful in learning, they must know what learning strategy works best for them and how to adapt to all teaching styles they may be exposed to.
Kinesthetic learners, as mentioned before, learn by hands on and movement. The kinesthetic learners need stimulation and continued movement. These learners tend to use high lighters and take notes by drawing pictures, doodling and using diagrams (Cherry, 2012, para. 3). Some strategies for the kinesthetic learners are:
Use colored markers to emphasize key points on flip cards or white boards.
Use activities that get the learners up and moving.
Give frequent stretch breaks.
Provide high lighters, colored pens and /or pencils.
Give them something to do with their hands, Play-Dough or Koosh balls
Some study suggestions for a kinesthetic learner:
Your lecture notes may be poor because the topics were not concrete
You will remember the “real” things that happened
Talk about your notes with and another “K” person.
Use pictures and photographs that illustrate and idea. ("VARK Questionnaire," 2011, para. 3)
Although these learning strategies are similar to my learning strategies, there are some differences.
Some preferred learning strategies are, self talk, similar to that of the auditory learners, taking notes and the use of highlighters is a crucial when studying, constant movement of hands and stimulation to stay focused. Reading out loud and visualizing what is being read helps greatly, repetition works the best as well; going over and over the material aides in retention. Teaching the material to a fellow kinesthetic learner helps one absorb the material. The more one understand the topic the better one can do. A preferred learning strategies compared to the identified strategies after the VARK assessment preferred learning style is very close to learning strategies already in place.
Following the assessment, the preferred learning strategy was a kinesthetic learner, close to being a multimodal. The score was one point different between a kinesthetic learner and an auditory learner. I do tend to use my hands, use all my senses, talk out loud and repeat myself, I prefer doing experiments and hands on activities. I also have good hand-eye coordination that most kinesthetic learners tend to
have.
The changes that need to be made in my study habits would be to scan the material before I read it, as well as writing questions and answers regarding the reading would be beneficial to add to my learning strategy. Rewriting ideas and main points into other words is another learning strategy I could incorporate in my study habits. Learning how to take better lecture notes would be a good benefit to my learning strategy as well.
To summarize, my analysis of the VARK learning style assessment is right on the mark. It amazes me how close if not how exact the assessment is to how I learn and assess materials. From the assessment I learned that I could incorporate other styles of learning into my study habits; finding other ways of learning is a must. Because not all teaching is the same, one must be able to adapt to the learning styles and study strategies to fit the teaching and materials being presented. Finding other ways too adapt and learning to use other styles will help me succeed and future my education as well as career.
References
Blasen, K. (n.d.). Discover Your Learning Style with Vark. Retrieved from www.sophia.org/tutorials/discover-your-learning-style-with -vark
Cherry, K. (2012). VARK Learning Styles. About.com Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/about.com.phsychhology
“The VARK Questionnaire: How Do I Lean Best?”. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire