The VARK Questionnaire is one of the most commonly used learning style questionnaires (VARK Learn Limited; 2022). It helps the teacher and the student learn more about the student’s learning styles.
Introduced by Fleming and Mills (1992), VARK refers to the four sensory modalities involved in learning. “V” represents “visual”, “A” represents “auditory”, “R” represents “read/write”, and “K” represents “kinesthetic”. These four modalities not only reflect the learning styles among students but also provide the basis on which the teacher builds their classroom activities. More often than not, the four modalities are used simultaneously.
A VARK Questionnaire template for teachers can be found on the “Data Management Platform” (DMP). The teacher can ask students to complete the questionnaire and learn about their own learning styles and preferences. With this knowledge, the student can then customise their study plan. Over time, the student’s preferences may change; or they may become more familiar with a specific learning style which dominates their learning process. The student can therefore reassess their preferred learning styles periodically, such as at the beginning of each learning cycle.
VARK Learning Styles: Different Learning Modalities
1. The Visual (V) Learner prefers receiving information through graphics, such as shapes (e.g. arrows and circles), patterns, charts, and diagrams, which all facilitate their understanding of the key messages. For the graphics to be effective, they must convey meaningful connections for the visual learner.
2. The Auditory (A) Learner learns best when they can reiterate what they have learnt through sounds. It is important for them to partake in group discussions, online chats, or emails – they need interactions that come up in the day-to-day life.
3. The Read/Write (R) Learner loves to learn through written texts, such as manuals, reports, lists, and essays. Compared to the Visual Learner and Auditory Learner, the Read/Write Learner prefers learning activities that involve reading and writing a lot more. They can learn best with the help of PowerPoints, the internet, dictionaries, and other reference sources.
4. The Kinesthetic (K) Learner prefers to learn through personal experiences, demonstrations, case studies, applications, experiments, or any activities that directly involve their senses. In the learning process, they must feel connected to the real world or its simulation. Videos and movies are therefore helpful learning materials for them. The Kinesthetic Learner also favours hands-on learning, instead of any learning that is based on secondary materials.
5. The Multimodal (MM) Learner has no single preferred learning style. There are two types of the Multimodal Learner: the first type is highly flexible, in the sense that they will vary their style according to the learning materials; the second type uses all four styles to fulfill their learning needs.
Facilitate Learning with VARK
The VARK Questionnaire is meant to help the learner identify not only their preferred learning style(s), but also the ones that are effective. Students are encouraged to try and explore all four styles to have a better understanding of their learning needs. Students, teachers, and parents can make use of the VARK results to improve teaching and learning in the following ways:
(a) Students
Students can complete the VARK Questionnaire to learn about their preferred learning styles, then improve their learning by adopting the corresponding learning strategies. Students are advised to choose the style with the highest score in their result and establish a learning pace that would help them stay motivated in the learning process.
Students can ask themselves: “Are the results an accurate reflection of my learning preferences?” If the answer is yes, how specifically does the preferred learning style help with your learning? What can be done to turn the preferred style into your learning advantage? Does the preferred style apply to all the subjects that you are studying? (For example, if you are a Visual Learner, does using maps, labels, and colours in Maths classes help you to the same extent as in Music classes? Does using Mind Maps, one of the visual strategies, also help with your Chinese writing, content-wise and organisation-wise?)
(b) Teachers
Using the VARK Questionnaire, teachers can learn about the preferred learning styles among their students. Based on the learning needs, teachers can then design their lessons and teaching activities with reference to the “Differentiated Instruction (DI) Inventory” (“DI Inventory”), which provides a list of DI strategies that cater to learner diversity. For instance, strategy “B7. Multi-sensory pedagogical design” and strategy “C3. Multi-sensory teaching” can both be helpful when teaching a class full of Visual, Auditory, and Read/Write Learners, who rely on visual and verbal cues when learning.
One example is introducing “Running Dictation” in English classes. In this activity, one student plays the “Writer” while the other plays the “Runner”. At each turn, the “Runner” goes to read a sentence written on a cue card across the classroom, then returns to the “Writer” to tell them what they have read. The “Writer” then jots down what they have heard. A game activity, this task enhances not only students’ interest in English, but also their listening, reading, and writing skills.
On the other hand, strategy “B6. Scenario-based teaching” and strategy “B8. Use of real-life examples to illustrate content” are the best fits when teaching a class full of Kinesthetic Learners. For instance, teachers can make use of animations and videos when teaching fractions and 2D/3D trigonometry, creating a simulated model that allows students to understand abstract concepts.
Depending on the learning cycles, the learning preferences among students can change. When that happens, teachers can keep options open and explore different possibilities with their students.
(c) Parents
Understanding your children’s learning styles can facilitate their learning process, as well as help identify the effective learning strategies. While your children may have certain preferences at school, their preferences can vary in extracurricular interests. It is therefore important to keep an open mind and encourage your children to try out different strategies when learning.
Conclusion
With the help of the VARK Questionnaire, students, teachers, and parents can better understand students’ learning styles and choose the corresponding learning strategies. In the next article, “VARK Learning Styles and Learning Support”, we will introduce various stress-relief measures for different types of learners, as well as some at-home learning tips for parents.
References
VARK Learn Limited (2022). Retrieved from https://vark-learn.com/vark%E5%95%8F%E5%8D%B7/ on 1st Nov 2022.
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