Vark Analysis Paper
VARK Analysis: Results versus Perceived Learning Style
Debbie DeGroot
Grand Canyon University
March 27, 2014
VARK Analysis: Results versus Perceived Learning Style
VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) analysis of learning styles was developed by Neil D. Fleming in 1987 in an effort to assist learners to assess their own style of learning (http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp). Fleming’s contention is that education will be more effective if the learner understands how they learn best and seeks education programs that cater to their preferred learning style (Fleming & Mills, 1992). Awareness of the different learning styles can also help people in understanding each other and engaging in more constructive …show more content…
discussions or education sessions.
The learning style strongest in my questionnaire was the aural style. Aural learners are characterized by listening to process information the most effectively. They prefer to attend but not participate in lectures and simply listen as a way to learn. They respond best to real life examples and reiterations of important content to solidify the material and retain content. Aside from learning, the aural learner also enjoys listening to music (www.learningstyles.org).
It is noted as well that the Kinesthetic and Read/Write styles were also scored strong in the results. According to the questionnaire’s website (www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=multimodal), approximately 60% of any population fits into this multimodal category. The weakest learning strategy for the questionnaire was visual. As the information was reviewed, this author noted several learning strategies in each of the top three learning styles that are relevant to the preferred learning styles.
Throughout my education, my preference has been to listen to information and lectures and then physically complete the task as taught. It has never been a preference to participate in groups for projects or discussions. Note taking is not a strong skill either, as listening is preferable. Stories tend to solidify content for me. Lately I have discovered that if I have an object to handle (e.g. pen in hand) concentration is higher, which would be indicative of the kinesthetic learning style.
Several of the identified strategies for the aural learning style are familiar, as they have been utilized by this author through the years. In classroom, conference or meeting settings, discussions and storytelling or case review are the easiest way to learn new information. When it comes to test taking or recall of information to share with others, spending quiet time to reflect on the information and formulate how to put it into sequence for the situation works well. Instead of taking notes, I prefer to have the information handed out and to highlight the important items, sometimes in different colors to represent different areas of focus. For assigned reading material, a quiet environment is preferred. Sometimes I may read the material out loud as if listening to a lecture.
The hands-on approach to learning is also preferable to some of the other strategies. Most tasks are better learned and retained when they can be done as soon as the learner is told about how to perform the task. Because they relate to the real-life, case studies and stories are also a preferred style of teaching. It is noted that my preferred learning styles match pretty closely with the strategies noted on the website (www.vark-learn.com).
Being aware of one’s most prevalent learning style and preferred strategies can be either a positive or negative piece of information. As a teacher, one may only teach is the style that they learn best, which may hamper learning for learners with other preferred learning styles. On the other hand, knowledge of the teachers [referred learning style may serve to make the teacher aware that there are multiple ways that adults and children learn. If the teacher is cognizant that there are many different ways to learn, they can develop the most appropriate way to teach each patient or learner individually. However, that can become very cumbersome and time-consuming.
A more practical approach would be to incorporate several different strategies into the educational experience, so that all different types of learners can have a positive experience with the subject matter. Lecture combined with discussion will engage the aural learner. Providing written materials, brochures, and/or website information can satisfy the read/write and the visual learner. Role playing and demonstrations can be effective for the kinesthetic learner. By combining these different styles, the nurse as a teacher can provide standard content that appeals to several different types of learners.
Combining strategies also helps to satisfy the three domains of learning – cognitive, affective and psychomotor (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). Some of the strategies are more effective than others, for example verbal instruction (cognitive) followed by demonstration and practice (psychomotor) would be more effective for teaching a patient how to perform a skill such as changing a dressing. Discussion and providing audiovisual or printed materials would be preferred for educating a patient regarding a brand new diagnosis.
To assess for the effectiveness of the teaching style that is used can be best evaluated by using the teach-back method during teaching sessions (Winifred, 2013).
This method uses patient feedback to repeat what they have been taught so that the nurse can assess the patient’s level of understanding of the material. This method is non-confrontational and does not embarrass the patient if they are not sure of what was taught. This is a very effective way for the nurse to evaluate if their chosen teaching method was successful.
The VARK analysis questionnaire is a fairly accurate method for evaluating a learner’s preferred learning style. The strategies outlined in the specific styles – aural, read/write, visual, kinesthetic- are accurate and can serve the teacher well when developing an education plan for a patient.
References
Creasia, J. L., & Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5 ed.). Retrieved from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books/978-0-323-06869-7/pages/47247548
Fleming, N., & Mills, C. (1992). Not another inventory, rather a catalyst for reflection. Retrieved from http://www.vark-learn.com/documents/not_another_inventory.pdf
Winifred, T. (2013). Teach-back for quality education and patient safety. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=9c281d7f-f6ef-4d3e-ae4c-685d6cbea3be@sessionmgr114&hid=107
Questionnaire
Results
Debbie DeGroot
Grand Canyon University
March 27, 2014
VARK Analysis: Results versus Perceived Learning Style
VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinesthetic) analysis of learning styles was developed by Neil D. Fleming in 1987 in an effort to assist learners to assess their own style of learning (http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp). Fleming’s contention is that education will be more effective if the learner understands how they learn best and seeks education programs that cater to their preferred learning style (Fleming & Mills, 1992). Awareness of the different learning styles can also help people in understanding each other and engaging in more constructive …show more content…
discussions or education sessions.
The learning style strongest in my questionnaire was the aural style. Aural learners are characterized by listening to process information the most effectively. They prefer to attend but not participate in lectures and simply listen as a way to learn. They respond best to real life examples and reiterations of important content to solidify the material and retain content. Aside from learning, the aural learner also enjoys listening to music (www.learningstyles.org).
It is noted as well that the Kinesthetic and Read/Write styles were also scored strong in the results. According to the questionnaire’s website (www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=multimodal), approximately 60% of any population fits into this multimodal category. The weakest learning strategy for the questionnaire was visual. As the information was reviewed, this author noted several learning strategies in each of the top three learning styles that are relevant to the preferred learning styles.
Throughout my education, my preference has been to listen to information and lectures and then physically complete the task as taught. It has never been a preference to participate in groups for projects or discussions. Note taking is not a strong skill either, as listening is preferable. Stories tend to solidify content for me. Lately I have discovered that if I have an object to handle (e.g. pen in hand) concentration is higher, which would be indicative of the kinesthetic learning style.
Several of the identified strategies for the aural learning style are familiar, as they have been utilized by this author through the years. In classroom, conference or meeting settings, discussions and storytelling or case review are the easiest way to learn new information. When it comes to test taking or recall of information to share with others, spending quiet time to reflect on the information and formulate how to put it into sequence for the situation works well. Instead of taking notes, I prefer to have the information handed out and to highlight the important items, sometimes in different colors to represent different areas of focus. For assigned reading material, a quiet environment is preferred. Sometimes I may read the material out loud as if listening to a lecture.
The hands-on approach to learning is also preferable to some of the other strategies. Most tasks are better learned and retained when they can be done as soon as the learner is told about how to perform the task. Because they relate to the real-life, case studies and stories are also a preferred style of teaching. It is noted that my preferred learning styles match pretty closely with the strategies noted on the website (www.vark-learn.com).
Being aware of one’s most prevalent learning style and preferred strategies can be either a positive or negative piece of information. As a teacher, one may only teach is the style that they learn best, which may hamper learning for learners with other preferred learning styles. On the other hand, knowledge of the teachers [referred learning style may serve to make the teacher aware that there are multiple ways that adults and children learn. If the teacher is cognizant that there are many different ways to learn, they can develop the most appropriate way to teach each patient or learner individually. However, that can become very cumbersome and time-consuming.
A more practical approach would be to incorporate several different strategies into the educational experience, so that all different types of learners can have a positive experience with the subject matter. Lecture combined with discussion will engage the aural learner. Providing written materials, brochures, and/or website information can satisfy the read/write and the visual learner. Role playing and demonstrations can be effective for the kinesthetic learner. By combining these different styles, the nurse as a teacher can provide standard content that appeals to several different types of learners.
Combining strategies also helps to satisfy the three domains of learning – cognitive, affective and psychomotor (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). Some of the strategies are more effective than others, for example verbal instruction (cognitive) followed by demonstration and practice (psychomotor) would be more effective for teaching a patient how to perform a skill such as changing a dressing. Discussion and providing audiovisual or printed materials would be preferred for educating a patient regarding a brand new diagnosis.
To assess for the effectiveness of the teaching style that is used can be best evaluated by using the teach-back method during teaching sessions (Winifred, 2013).
This method uses patient feedback to repeat what they have been taught so that the nurse can assess the patient’s level of understanding of the material. This method is non-confrontational and does not embarrass the patient if they are not sure of what was taught. This is a very effective way for the nurse to evaluate if their chosen teaching method was successful.
The VARK analysis questionnaire is a fairly accurate method for evaluating a learner’s preferred learning style. The strategies outlined in the specific styles – aural, read/write, visual, kinesthetic- are accurate and can serve the teacher well when developing an education plan for a patient.
References
Creasia, J. L., & Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (5 ed.). Retrieved from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books/978-0-323-06869-7/pages/47247548
Fleming, N., & Mills, C. (1992). Not another inventory, rather a catalyst for reflection. Retrieved from http://www.vark-learn.com/documents/not_another_inventory.pdf
Winifred, T. (2013). Teach-back for quality education and patient safety. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=9c281d7f-f6ef-4d3e-ae4c-685d6cbea3be@sessionmgr114&hid=107
Questionnaire
Results