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VARK Analysis: Learning Styles and Strategies
Grand Canyon University: NRS-429V

VARK Analysis: Learning Styles and Strategies A learning style is one’s distinctive method of learning depending on his/her strengths, weaknesses and choices. People are more receptive to learning through different modalities. Some people learn better through visual aids or listening. Others gain more knowledge through reading and writing or using more of a hands-on approach. Use of any of these methods will facilitate learning if it is your preferred learning style. VARK, which is an acronym for Visual, Aural, Read/Write and Kinesthetic, “is a questionnaire that helps your learning by suggesting the strategies you should be using” (Fleming, 2011). The VARK questionnaire asks a series of 16 multiple choice questions that you may answer with more than one choice. Upon completion of the questionnaire, a scoring chart is used to find the VARK category that each of your answers matches with. The score is then calculated by counting the amount of each of the VARK letters. The category with the highest score is the preferred learning style. Not one learning styles is better than the other. It is simply an individual preference that works best for different people. This paper will discuss the different styles of learning, including the preferred learning style and strategies, and how the awareness of one’s learning styles, preferences and strategies influence teaching and learning.
Learning Styles and Strategies
As previously mentioned, VARK is an acronym for the various types of learning methods. A Visual learner is one who gains knowledge by using symbols, such as images, diagrams, maps and graphs. These people tend to substitute words with symbols and may use different colors in order to highlight important information. Aural learners better comprehend new ideas through listening and discussion. Lectures and group sessions are more beneficial to them as they engage in discussion in order to grasp a better understanding of the subject. The Read/write learning style uses words printed on paper as the most essential way to express and collect information. These learners use dictionaries, essays, reference books, instructions and word-for-word notes to facilitate learning. Those who prefer the Kinesthetic learning style, are more hands-on learners. They thrive on discovering through doing and are frequently moving. Kinesthetic learners benefit from working on projects, learning on field trips or using real life experiences.
After completing the VARK Questionnaire and reviewing the score, a mild read/write learning preference was identified, with kinesthetic learning style only one point less than the read/write learning style. This can be recognized as a multimodal learning preference, which can be a combination of any of the four learning styles previously discussed. This allows the learner to integrate various styles of learning and adapt to any learning situation. Related research pinpoints the relevance of using multiple learning preferences to improve methods of learning. In the article, A Gallery of Multimodal Possibilities in a Graduate Course on Learning Differences in Education, it is stated that Short, Kauffman, & Kahn “emphasize that the use of multiple modes of expression encourages learners to think more broadly, to consider other ideas, to connect to memories, and to think through feelings” (p. 4). A slight disadvantage of being a multimodal learner is that in order to fully comprehend the same data, some people need that data taught in their various learning styles.
In comparing preferred learning strategies to the identified strategies of the multimodal learner (read/write and kinesthetic), the techniques were very accurate. The preferred learning strategies have always been rereading notes and writing material over and over again in order to help with memorization. The use of a blackboard and rewriting study material in different words always helped facilitate learning. Another preferred learning strategy was the hands-on approach to learning. Learning through experiments or trial and error has always given a better understanding of certain subjects. Although the preferred learning styles were identified as a combination of read/write and kinesthetic, visual learning strategies such as highlighting notes and underlining key points have been used in the past as well.
Influence of Learning Styles, Preferences and Strategies on Teaching and Learning
Being aware of an individual’s preferred learning style and strategies is vital in developing a teaching plan that will work and facilitate learning. Being unfamiliar with a person’s preferred learning technique can be frustrating for both the learner and the educator. “If you teach in a manner that favors a student’s less preferred learning style, you need to be aware that the student’s discomfort level may interfere with learning” (Jones and Bartlett, n.d.). For example, performing colostomy teaching on a kinesthetic learner who learns best by doing, would not be receptive to watching a “how to” video. He/she would be more open to using their hands to manipulate the colostomy supplies, trying to figure out how to use them by trial and error. Therefore, being aware of one’s preferred learning style will benefit both the teacher and learner, making each person’s goal easier to attain.
Teaching and learning occurs every day in many different settings. Whether you are a student or a teacher in a school, a coach or an athlete on the field, a nurse or a patient in the hospital, etc., there is a potential for gaining new knowledge all the time. The VARK Questionnaire assists in finding personal learning styles that will help in developing a the most

References
Fleming, N. D., (2011). The VARK Questionnaire. Retrieved from http://vark-learn.com/
Jones and Bartlett. (n.d.). Ascend Learning. The learning process. Chapter 4 (p.65). Retrieved from

Morawski, C.M., Hayden, K., Nutt, A., Pasic, N., Rogers, A., Zawada, V. (2014). A gallery of multimodal possibilities in a graduate course on learning differences in education.
International Journal of Education & the Arts, 15(18), 4. Retrieved from http://www.ijea.org/v15n18/.

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