vark learning guide 201110712144385

A VARK Personal Learning Learning Profile for Andrianne Restifo

You have a four-part VARK Learning Profile: VARK Type Two

Visual, Aural, Read/Write and Kinesthetic

You have a four-part (multimodal) set of preferences because your four scores are very similar and no single mode stands out. Being

multimodal (V, A, R and K) means that you have choices in your learning and you can use a variety of strategies for your learning.

The differences between your scores are not large enough to make a single preference.

Those who are multimodal, approach their learning and decision-making in different ways .

TYPE ONE Some learn using each mode as a single preference - except that they have four "single" preferences! They look at the information

that has to be learned or conveyed to another person and choose the mode that they believe is the best one for each situation. For

example if they have to learn a physical skill they will use their Kinesthetic preference to work with it, to try it, and to apply it. If they

have to learn about, or sign an important legal contract they will use their Read/write preference to help them with that situation. They

switch from one preference to another and they have the flexibility to adapt to a number of different modes both incoming and

outgoing. They are like other people who have a single preference because they usually act on each single mode. Those with a

single preference may miss other perspectives on a problem or contribute in only one way but they can switch. You may have heard

people say "But I told him," or "But I wrote it down." which may signal that they believed one mode was enough. We define members

of this group as contextual or situational learners because they switch to the mode that is being used. From the VARK

questionnaire this group tends to have a lower total score (V+A+R+K=Total) - somewhere between 12 and 25. You are outside this

group with a total score for all your modes of 47 so your best strategies are described for Type Two below.

TYPE TWO Those in this second group use all their modes in combination to make decisions and to learn and present materials to others. They

are uncertain about any learning that comes in only one mode and they want to reinforce it by adding other modes of input or output.

For example in a college or university they may gather some of the ideas from the teacher's oral explanations and some from

discussing and questioning their friends/peers. They may add to this by using the textbook or by thinking about some practical

applications of the new idea they have learned. They may also use their Visual preference to draw a diagram of the material to be

learned. Together these choices use V, A, R and K. Only by using all their preferred modes are they satisfied that they really

understand something. If they choose just one mode they may regret that decision. Some people criticize them for taking a long time

to make a decision or to learn. That is because they are being careful and gathering a wider view before accepting that learning is

Visual Score Aural Score Read/Write Score Kinesthetic Score

10 9 14 14

complete. They have total VARK scores above 30. As stated above, your total score of 47 places you in this group.

Those in this second group take longer to become confident about their learning because they have to gather information in many

modes to really understand something fully. The payback is that, when they do so, their understanding of their new learning is more

versatile and more certain than those with only a single preference. This is an advantage if they have to express their learning to

others because they will have a deeper and wider understanding of it (they are often teachers, trainers or coaches). Their

disadvantage is that they may not be able to gather in the many ways that would be satisfying, and they often half-learn new material

so it is not fully understood. If their teacher, coach or colleague uses only one mode to explain something - say Read/write (a teacher

who often uses only a text book) they may have difficulty learning in that subject. In one study of students who asked for help from a

Learning Centre, a high proportion were four-part, multimodal V, A, R and K. Some complained that they did not get enough teaching.

Others said there was not enough variety for their learning.

Another clue to your multimodality might be in the order in which you gather information. Maybe you always begin with something

written or maybe you always start by trying it yourself before you ask for help from others. This may indicate that within your VARK

multimodality there is a primary mode and that you use the others only as support. You may want to redo the questionnaire and

select only one answer per question. It may indicate a primary preference within your multimodality but you should not base your

learning on that alone as you need all four.

I suggest that at this point in your reading you go to the end of this profile and look at the four Helpsheets. You should underline or

check the strategies that you use regularly. That may give you a better idea of the strategies for learning that you find helpful and it

may clarify which, and how many, strategies you find most helpful. Return here when you have finished with the Helpsheets.

YOUR VARK LEARNING PROFILE You can imagine what it would be like to have a strong single preference (say in your Read/Write mode) and to be able to rely on

that all the time. That is not you. The fact that you chose 47 answers to the 16 questions is interesting because it signals that you use

more than one mode for learning. You may occasionally be flexible when you sense that a particular task requires one mode but you

like variety in the ways you receive information and in the ways in which you learn. As you are a good example of a Type Two learner

above, it means that if one mode (e.g. Read/write) is missing, you may have difficulty learning. If somebody wants to explain a new

idea by choosing an example or case study that will be OK as it is in one of your most preferred modes (Kinesthetic). If they also

email or phone you about it (A), or give you an article on it (R/W) that may also be necessary for your effective learning.

You are strongly advantaged when you meet a teacher or colleague who can teach using all four modes (not all at once, of course,

but spread over a week is fine for you). You like flexibility and variety in your learning and get bored with a teacher who emphasizes

only one way of learning. Students with several preferences can make choices in class. They can match the modes being used by

their teachers or the modes used in a particular discipline. They may switch modes. For example, there are large amounts of

Read/write material in higher education and that suits your preferences. Universities and colleges are strongly oriented to handouts,

textbooks, articles, essays, journals, websites, and PowerPoint. Their assessment techniques use written formats almost exclusively.

There are few oral examinations or opportunities to demonstrate your learning through diagrams, discussion, case studies or practice.

ALL FOUR MODES - V, A, R AND K: NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGESVARK Females Males Total

Numbers 10550 5555 16105

% of VARKdatabase

35.0% 36.0% 35.4%

In our VARK database for January 2011, (n=47649), 61% of respondents were

multimodal with two, three or all four modes (V, A, R and K) preferred. Within

that number were 35.4% who preferred all four. It is the largest profile as you

can see in this graph.

There are however, some disciplines and some teachers that use more Visual, Aural, or Kinesthetic techniques and they will make it

easier for you. (They may be difficult for those who have single preference.) This is why those who have your Type Two VARK

preference should learn to switch modes in different classes. The diagram below shows how a concept can be represented in four

different ways. Each of them would add something to your understanding.

You chose 9 for the Aural mode. This preference helps when you choose discussion, email, phone conversations, asking questions

and texting as well as listening to lectures and teachers. People with this preference like oral stories and anecdotes that provide

examples of learning. Finding somebody to listen and respond is a useful strategy for this preference. You use this mode when you

seek experts to get advice. You can learn by talking things through, and that includes self-talk.

Your Visual mode has a score of 10 and it provides useful learning strategies necessary for you. You use this mode when using

graphs, charts, diagrams, color, mind maps, highlighting, patterns and formats as symbols or self-made abbreviations for your

learning about principles and concepts. It helps when there is a big picture, or an overview, that shows where any topic fits into the

overall scheme. You may want to "map out" a plan for your learning using a large diagram showing how things link together. This

mode also makes people more aware of space, formats, position and directions. Your question is usually, "Yes! But where does this

fit in?" This is an important mode for you, so study the Visual helpsheet carefully. This is a page of "notes" from a student with a

strong Visual profile.

Your score of 14 was for the Read/write mode. It offers more strategies for you to use. Having Read/write as a part of your profile of

preferences is very helpful because formal learning in educational establishments has many opportunities to use that preference.

Many teachers have Read/write as their highest preference. You should put details into written form and use lists, PowerPoint,

textbooks, diaries and the Internet for your ideas. You are sensitive to word order and word usage and you like to have things in print

(handouts). You are also careful about recording your notes in written form and you like to use dictionaries and other text aids. Please

make full use of the strategies from the Helpsheets for Read/write learners.

Your score for the Kinesthetic mode is 14 and it is obviously important for your learning. You use this preference when you learn with

case studies, examples, laboratories, practical sessions (clinical sessions), demonstrations, videos, simulations and things that are

concrete and real. In this mode you do well when learning is about things that are within your experience or the experience of those

you know well. You want reality rather than abstract notions to be part of your learning. For complex concepts you want

demonstrations before you try them. The "real" fish in the first square above is a Kinethetic representation.

NOTE TAKING When you take notes you need to decide on one mode otherwise your notes can get messy. One student who was multimodal told

me that it was difficult to read through his notes because he never knew what mode he was in when he took them. For example

making notes in a Visual mode means that you frequently use pictures and diagrams to illustrate ideas whereas in Read/write mode

you merely write things down (using bullet points) and try and catch all the important words. Those with an Aural preference often get

"hooked" into listening and forget to take notes when they should. Your Read/write preference may get you into trouble as it may trap

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you into verbatim note taking. Be wary of taking too many notes. The solution is to adapt your intake modes to those of your teachers.

In that way you may use a different set of strategies in each class. For example, if the Biology teacher uses laboratories and

examples and "real" stories you can use your Kinesthetic preference to take and make notes in those formats. If your history teacher

uses Read/write strategies you can switch to that mode. When you do note-making for further study you will be able to use a variety

of strategies.

IS MY VARK PROFILE HARD-WIRED FROM BIRTH? No. We believe that it is modified through the nurturing and the experiences you have had in your formative years. With a four-part

set of preferences you may have been exposed to a variety of situations and experiences, which used different modes. Some, in the

18-25 age group, with scores like yours, were taken to dance, theatre, art, a variety of inside and outdoor experiences, including

experience of other cultures and states or countries - i.e. what is often called a "rich" upbringing (not in a $ sense). It seems that

parents may "make" their children more multimodal. We used to have an hypothesis that people became more multimodal with age

but the website data does not confirm that.

WORKING WITH OTHERS In everyday activities, one distinguishing feature of those who have multimodal preferences is that they may be able to match those

with whom they are interacting. Matching is an important skill to learn. Doctors, K-12 teachers, counselors, nurses, lawyers and police

receive training in how to match themselves to their "clients/patients" in speech, body position, language and even breathing so they

can be more effective. The theory says that matching somebody's modes will encourage effective communication. Those who have

almost equal preferences for V, A R and K may choose to "get on the same wavelength" as others to help communicate and you may

know of some superb communicators who use this skill of matching.

In a working relationship you may have difficulty with those who have a single, strong preference. That may conflict with your flexibility

where you believe you should be able to select the mode that best suits those with whom you work and the learning task. One person

with preferences like yours said that he was also capable of being quite annoying by deliberately choosing a mode that was not well

represented among his employer's preferences. This behavior can sometimes be heard in oral arguments where one person will ask

for written evidence (R) from others, or for examples (K) to prove or disprove something that has been said.

In one person's experience he was told by his employer to speed up his decision-making and his work output. The employer liked the

methodical way that he went about gathering information but was concerned that it took too long. The danger for such a person is that

if she chooses only one or two modes, and makes decisions based on those, she may get an incomplete understanding of the

problem, the issues and the solutions.

If you are employed in the retail trade and you are an empathetic person, you may be able to switch into the mode that best suits your

customers. You may detect in your customers, a sense of misunderstanding or miss-connection and that should mean that you switch

to an Aural or a Visual or a Read/write or Kinesthetic approach. Each of these modes has ways of selling. No one way will suit all

customers. For example, those working with customer/clients who have a Read/write preference may want you to provide written

information - manuals, brochures, or contracts. If you wanted to learn about the new release of a product or service, because you are

multimodal, you would not be satisfied until you had:

read something about it, and

heard about it from a friend or authority that you trust, and

tried it yourself, and

seen a detailed diagram of how it worked, and

learnt about how it is applied or worked.

Each of these uses a different mode in your V, A, R or K set of preferences. You need more inputs, whereas those with a single

preference can often get the message with input only in their single preferred mode.

A STUDENT CASE STUDY

I have provided a case study from a student with a VARK profile similar to yours. You may get some ideas from this.

While I'd never encountered a term to describe the way I learn up until now, I believe I've always instinctively known that I was

"multimodal". I have always loved school simply because I need to be constantly learning. However I have never been able to

decide on a "favorite subject", as most people seem to do. I have always done equally well and also enjoyed equally well all subjects,

from history to physics. This was a rather large problem when, after high school, I was told I had to "choose a career". For someone

who is multimodal, this is almost impossible. I believe the reason for this is because any particular subject emphasizes certain

"modes". For example, English class, which I have always loved, tends to be R/W while Physics class, which I love equally well,

requires someone who is strongly K. While this means that I could probably do equally well in a variety of careers, it also means that

actually making this choice is quite hard. After all, choosing an area of concentration can mean, "leaving" a particular mode.

One rather large disadvantage of being multimodal is that I need to receive information in more than one way in order to fully absorb

it. For example, while studying for exams I will often simply read the material several times. This is sufficient for me to do reasonably

well on an exam but to feel confident that I know the material I must also study using other modes, be it writing the information out

several times or recording my class notes on tape and listening to them as I fall asleep that night. This means that it can take me

twice as long to study as someone who has a definite single preference in his or her mode of learning.

Another disadvantage is that I often suffer from "over stimulation". This becomes a problem when I'm trying to study - I find it

necessary to virtually isolate myself and my books or I would end up absorbing all of the information in my environment rather than

concentrating on the task at hand. This makes it necessary to learn to block out a particular form of information if that information is

boring or annoying me i.e. if I'm trying to read and my roommate is listening to the radio; I can block out all audio information. This

explains why, as a child, I virtually lost myself in novels - my mother says she could stand directly in front of me saying my name and I

wouldn't hear her unless she actually touched me or raised her voice.

I think one advantage of being multimodal is that I can take in information in any form and at least understand most of it. In fact,

depending on a particular professor's chosen mode of instruction (i.e. slides, handouts or discussion) I find that I actually "switch

modes". I will then attend the class expecting to learn in that particular form and will study for exams for that class making the most of

my ability to learn in that mode. However to fully understand I still find it helpful to convert the information to another form after I

attend the classes so that I can understand it better.

LASTLY, SOME GENERAL POINTS ABOUT WHAT VARK INDICATES AND WHAT IT

DOES NOT. 1 VARK is not a definitive measure. With only 16 questions, it indicates your preferences for the ways in which learning is "taken in"

and expressed (as in examinations, trials and tests).

2 VARK provides information about your Preferences that may not be the same as your Strengths. Although you may be a skilled

artist you may not choose "Visual" as your way to learn new information. Similarly there are skilled athletes who prefer not to

learn using their Kinesthetic mode although they will use that mode extensively when performing/playing.

Strengths, Ability and Preferences?

HELPSHEETS I have provided the four VARK Helpsheets for your easy reference. I suggest that you go through the lists and tick or underline or

color (!) the items that suit your learning preference and then look at some of the other strategies to add to your repertoire of skills.

Start with the Read/Write one.

3 VARK is about learning not leisure. For example, most learners can read, and many may read quite widely - on the web, in

magazines, in text messages and other print media. That reading may be done for leisure rather than for learning and the

difference is important. Your VARK scores indicate how you like to take-in and express information in learning situations.

4 Similarly VARK is not informative about mundane and routine tasks, where the emphasis is on mere maintenance or performance

of regular duties not learning something new.

5 It is important that you answered the questionnaire for yourself and without considering others. VARK is best when it records how

you respond when you learn. It is not as helpful when you consider other people's needs before your own. While empathy is an

admirable trait it clouds your own preferences.

6 Nobody works in a single mode and very little of our communication is possible in a single mode. For example, when a person is

describing orally, they are most certainly gesturing and using language that may be visually interesting or have an example that

would suit a person with a Kinesthetic preference.

7 The use of the word "Visual" confuses many users of VARK. When used in connection with VARK it is carefully and differently

defined to mean learning from symbolic information (graphs, charts, diagrams, maps...) The word "graphic" is probably a better

term for this mode. It does not include visual information that is real e.g. photographs, movies, and video are more helpful for

those with a Kinesthetic preference.

VISUAL HELPSHEET

If you have a strong preference for Visual (V) learning you should use some or all of these to take in information:

INTAKETo take in information use some of these:

maps

overviews, flowcharts

charts, graphs, diagrams

designs, patterns, posters, ...

symbols, highlighters, underlining

different colors, colorful brochures

textbooks with diagrams, models, maps, ...

word pictures - e.g. "marching up the slopes"

different spatial arrangements on the page (like this list)

listening to teachers who use gestures and picturesque language.

whitespace that makes the blank areas around text more significant.

colorful language e.g. "crashing out of space", "circling like vultures"...

SWOT: STUDY WITHOUT TEARSTo make a learnable package:

Convert your notes into a learnable package by reducing them. Make three pages into one page using your diagrams.

Turn tables into graphs.Draw pictures to show ideas.Logos, designs, WordArt, symbols.Read the words and convert them into diagrams.Make complex processes and lists into flowcharts.Redraw your newly designed pages from memory.Replace the words with symbols, pictures or initials.Look at your pages. Remember their shape and format and color.Use all the techniques above to make each study page look different

Reconstruct the images in different ways - try different spatial arrangements on the page.

OUTPUTTo perform well in the examination:

Practise turning your visuals back into words.You still have to practise writing exam answers.Recall the "pictures" made by your study pages.Draw things. Use diagrams to answer the questions.

Recall the interesting and different formats of the pages you made.

You like to see the whole picture so you need some overall diagram to make sense of complex material. You like to see where

you are up to. You are often convinced by the look of an object. You are interested in color, layout and design. You are probably

going to draw something.

AURAL HELPSHEET

If you have a strong preference for learning by Aural and Oral methods (listening and speaking) you should use some or all of

the following:

INTAKETo take in information:

use email and cellphones.explain new ideas to others.explain what happened to others.discuss topics with other students.discuss topics with your teachers.use a tape recorder so you can listen again and again.text a summary of the main points of the class to a friend.attend as many classes and teaching sessions as you can.leave spaces in your class notes for later recall and 'filling'.attend discussion groups and other opportunities to share ideas with others.describe the overheads, pictures and other visuals to somebody who was not there.

remember the interesting examples, stories, and jokes... that people use to explain things.


Convert your notes into a learnable package by reducing them (three pages into one page) into memorable ways for you to hear.

Read your summarized notes aloud.Explain your notes to another 'aural' person.Ask others to 'hear' your understanding of a topic.Talk about your learning to others or to yourself.Put your summarized notes onto tapes and listen to them.

Your notes may be poor because you prefer to listen rather than take notes. You will need to expand your notes by talking

with others and collecting notes from the textbook.


Practise speaking your answers.Listen to your voices and write them down.Tune into your teachers talking about the topics.Spend time in quiet places recalling the big ideas.If the system allows it, choose an oral examination for your learning.You may still have to practise writing answers to old exam questions.

Imagine you are talking with the teacher as you write your answers.

You would prefer to have this entire page explained to you. The written words are not as valuable as those you hear. You will

probably go and tell somebody about this. You want to discuss some issues in it.

READ/WRITE HELPSHEET

If you have a strong preference for learning by Reading and Writing (R) you should use some or all of the following:


lists.notes.essays.reports.contracts.textbooks.glossaries.definitions.quotations.dictionaries.PowerPoint.printed handouts.wordy mind maps.readings - library.laboratory manuals.websites and webpages.pay attention to the meanings in headings.taking class notes (verbatim).computer and other mechanical manuals.

listening to teachers who use words well and who have lots of information in sentences and notes.


Convert your notes into a learnable package by reducing them. Three pages down to one page.

Write out the words again and again.Read your notes (silently) again and again.Do the "extra" reading requested by the teacher.Rewrite the ideas and principles into other words.Organize any diagrams, graphs... into statements e.g. "The trend is...".Use a wordprocessor to arrange your ideas and to 'play' with words.Turn reactions, actions, diagrams, charts and flow diagrams into words.

Imagine your lists arranged in multiple-choice questions and distinguish each from each.


Write exam answers.Re-order your lists into priority order.Practice with multiple-choice questions.Refer to publications - citing references.Use your word processor to prepare answers.Write your notes into lists (a, b, c, d, 1,2,3,4,).Write paragraphs; their beginnings and endings.Arrange your words into hierarchies and bullet points.

Search the Internet for new ideas and confirmation of old ones.

You like this page because the emphasis is on words and lists. You believe the meanings are within the words, so talk is OK, but

books are better. You are heading for the library for more books to read or you are going to write to somebody about this.

KINESTHETIC HELPSHEET

If you have a strong preference for Kinesthetic learning you should use some or all of the following:


field trips.case studies.trial and error.applied opportunities.examples of principles.do things to understand them.exhibits, samples, photographs...laboratories and practical sessions.teachers who give real-life examples.hands-on approaches (e.g. computing).recipes - solutions to problems, previous exam papers.use all your senses - sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing.videos and pictures, especially showing real things.National Geographic and the History channel.collections of, signatures, plants, shells, grasses, stamps, or letters.

listen for the examples. They hold the key to understanding the abstract bits.


Convert your notes into a learnable package by reducing them - three pages down to one page.

Remember the "real" things that happened.Talk about your notes with another "K" person.Search for the reality and the applications in any ideas.Go back to the laboratory or your lab manual or your practical notes.Use case studies and applications to help with principles and abstract concepts.Find pictures and photographs that illustrate an abstract idea, theory or principle.Your class notes may be poor because the topics were not "concrete" or "relevant".

Recall the experiments, field trips... from which you learned the applications and turned them into principles.


Role-play the exam situation in your own study room.Put plenty of examples into your notes and your answers.Write practice answers, paragraphs. You cannot avoid writing.You want to experience the exam so that you can understand it.

Recall previous examinations especially those where you did well.

You like the ideas above because they emphasize examples and real, concrete things. You enjoy learning by doing things and

trying things out for yourself. Practicing and experimenting is your way of trying things. You are probably going to try some of the

ideas mentioned above to see if they really work.

vark learning guide 201110712144385

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