Describe Your Learning Style
Running head: How Do I Learn Best How Do I Learn Best Kelli Powell Grand Canyon University: NRS 429V September 30, 2012 What is a learning style? Well a learning style is the way a person tends to learn best. It involves your preferred method of taking in, organizing, and making sense of information, Lake Washington Institute of Technology (2012). Some people prefer to learn by doing and touching, others prefer to learn by seeing, or by hearing the information. Still others learn using more than one learning style.
If a person was interested in finding out what their particular learning style is would be to take the VARK questionnaire for learning styles. The most common learning style is the multimodal, but the learner can switch from one type of learning style to another depending on what the subject is being learned and or their mood, Fleming (2011). After taking the VARK questionnaire, Multimodal learning styles was assessed as the learning style of choice. The multimodal learning environments allow instructional elements to be presented in more than one sensory mode (visual, aural, written, and kinesthetic), Sankey, Birch & Gardiner (2010).
In this particular case visual and kinesthetic were the dominate methods of learning. Strategies of learning that this person uses are highlighting and underlining notes, grouping subjects together with a certain color highlighter, use of charts, graphs and images to help them learn the subject matter. They would also make graphs or note cards with the information placed in sequenced that they can take with them, listen to music while studying and try to make the material personal to them and others that they know.
They would also break their study time up into smaller sections so that it would not seem so overwhelming. As a multimodal learner they would be very adaptable to the different learning styles as they could adapt more easily to different situations and learning environments. For example if their instructor was only doing a verbal lecture an auditory learner may want to sit towards the front of the room away from windows and doors so that there was less distractions.
As a visual learner they would try to take notes during the lecture, would color code their notes, and pay attention to any visual aids that were being used. Where a kinesthetic learner would ask questions and participate in discussions, take a laptop for notes so that they are doing something actively with their hands during lectures, consider taking a three hour class versus one three hour class, Student Development Centre (2009). As a multimodal learner, it is easier to learn when doing more than just reading a textbook as it harder to understand than when doing something that is interactive.
As a multimodal learner some adjustments that they would need to make in their study habits would be to not to try and do the assignment all at the end of the week. By starting at the beginning of the week they would be able to break the assignment down into smaller sections so that it would not seem so overwhelming when typing a paper. Other changes that they would need to make would be finding an area and time to study where there were fewer interruptions. The use of more visual aids, for example outline of topic in chart or diagram format.
This would help them keep track of where things fit together in their subjects and projects. The major benefit of having a multimodal learning style is that it “allows students to experience learning in ways in which they are most comfortable, while challenging them to experience and learn in other ways as well”. Someone who is a multimodal learner, that learners on more than one level tends to have a deeper processing of the information, maintains their attention p longer, making the information easier to understand and remember. Sankey, Birch & Gardiner (2010).
The VARK Questionnaire Results My scores were:
- Visual: 11
- Aural: 6
- Read/Write: 9
- Kinesthetic: 11| | You have a multimodal (VRK) learning preference
Reference
- Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Learning Styles: Why do They Matter? , Retrieved from http://www. lwtech. edu/trio on September 26, 2012 Sankey, M. , Birch, D. & Gardiner, M. (2010) Engaging students through multimodal learning environments: The journey continues. In C. H. Steel, M. J. Keppell, P. Gerbic S. Hopusego (Eds. ), Cirriculum, technology transformation for an unknow future.
- Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010 (pp. 852-863). http://ascilite. org/au/conferences/sydney10/procs/Sankey-full. pdf Student Development Centre, The University of Western Ontario (2009), Learning Skills Services, Handouts & Advice, Learning Styles & Preferences, Retrieved from www. sdc. uwo. ca/learning/index/html? styles on September 29, 2012 Fleming, N. D. , (2011), VARK: A Review of Those Who Are Multimodal, Retrieved from http://www. vark-learning. com/english/page_content/multimodality. htm on September 23, 2012
