Forstudymode2
VARK is an acronym which represents the different sensory modalities involved in learning new information. It stands for the Visual, Aural, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic methods to acquire and process information. While there are certain people who learn primarily in one fashion, the majority of the populus assimilates new information using multiple modalities.
According to the VARK Guide for Learning Styles (1), approximately sixty percent of any population, cross-culturally, fits into the the “multimodal” category. That is to say, that if the VARK questionnaire were administered to any ten people, at least six of them would prefer using more than one VARK method to learn. Interestingly, this could be many different combinations of learning modalities, one person might prefer to learn using both visual and aural methods (VA), while another prefers linguistic (read/write) and kinesthetic (RK) learning. A third person may evenly balance all four (no clear preference, balanced scores), while a fourth person may utilize only three of the four modes to learn and communicate (VAR), and entirely forgo a method of learning. It goes to show, that any given “multimodal” learner could encompass a wide variety of people who actually learn quite differently on an individual basis. For the sake of this exposition, the focus will be applied to a multimodal person of VARK score 6,14,10,9. The subject prefers to learn first by listening to an explanation, then watching the new task being learned be performed, and finally trying their own hand at the task.
Someone with a clear preference for Aural learning (ie: 14) is said to learn best by attending didactic lectures and participating in discussions on the topic of interest. This certainly applies to our subject, as they assimilate new information best by hearing about it and discussing the main point. However, considering the multimodal nature of the subject, it appears this is merely the first step in processing this new
According to the VARK Guide for Learning Styles (1), approximately sixty percent of any population, cross-culturally, fits into the the “multimodal” category. That is to say, that if the VARK questionnaire were administered to any ten people, at least six of them would prefer using more than one VARK method to learn. Interestingly, this could be many different combinations of learning modalities, one person might prefer to learn using both visual and aural methods (VA), while another prefers linguistic (read/write) and kinesthetic (RK) learning. A third person may evenly balance all four (no clear preference, balanced scores), while a fourth person may utilize only three of the four modes to learn and communicate (VAR), and entirely forgo a method of learning. It goes to show, that any given “multimodal” learner could encompass a wide variety of people who actually learn quite differently on an individual basis. For the sake of this exposition, the focus will be applied to a multimodal person of VARK score 6,14,10,9. The subject prefers to learn first by listening to an explanation, then watching the new task being learned be performed, and finally trying their own hand at the task.
Someone with a clear preference for Aural learning (ie: 14) is said to learn best by attending didactic lectures and participating in discussions on the topic of interest. This certainly applies to our subject, as they assimilate new information best by hearing about it and discussing the main point. However, considering the multimodal nature of the subject, it appears this is merely the first step in processing this new
References: 1.Fleming, Neil. (2011). Multimodal study strategies. http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=multimodal, accessed 9/21/2014. 2. Rosetti, Anna & Meed, John. (2011). Improving own learning and performance. http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7642/1/Improving%20Own%20Learning%20and%20Performance.pdf, accessed 9/21/2014. 3. Bryant, Amelia Delk. Low health literacy affecting client 's ability to receive adequate health care education. JOCEPS: The Journal of Chi Eta Phi Sorority (JOCEPS), 2011 Dec; 55 (1): 7-11. (30 ref).