Learning Style (VARK)
The current learning style identified in the VARK questionnaire is substantial read/write. According to the results of the questionnaire, read/write strategies reach 15 points, while visual strategies reach only 3 points. The recommended learning styles involve reading the information, making sense of it, and writing it down or obliquely to increase reading comprehension. Strategies may include re-writing some notes or directly re-writing material from textbooks to enhance memorization.
Current Strategies vs. Recommended Strategies
Current strategies include rereading information and highlighting essential information with markers or stickers. This helps me to focus on important aspects of the material and refer to them in time if a definition is forgotten or if it is necessary to supplement existing knowledge. The arsenal of strategies also includes note-taking and sketching information: for example, drawing models from the textbook and fixing them in notebooks/diaries. Reading and highlighting information from presentations is also a widely used learning format.
The recommended strategies are similar: writing down information to understand and remember it faster. A strategy such as a glossary analysis is helpful because it can help memorize definitions. Reading is much more effective than writing down definitions because I can quickly get information by reading two or three times. Another recommended strategy is to paraphrase the information to master its understanding. This strategy seems more necessary because it makes writing papers later easier, explains them to faculty, and integrates them into my work.
Performing Educational Activities
Individual learning style comprises the characteristics of the child’s character, mental state, and physical characteristics. The characteristics of perception and personality type affect the understanding of information (Hernandez et al., 202). Understanding ways a student chooses to learn allows for partial prediction of outcomes. Hashem (2022) notes differences according to gender: men prefer auditory, and women – a visual type of learning.
Consequently, accounting for gender differences will allow students to learn better, and all class participants, regardless of gender, will have a chance to learn comfortably. Teachers have to accept differences in learning styles so that students will be motivated and satisfied with the knowledge they receive. Baherimoghadam et al. (2021) indicate that active learning styles positively correlate with learning outcomes. However, not all instructors consider the need for students to learn the material actively, and as a result, the results are lower than expected (Childs-Kean et al., 2020). Teachers could combine different styles to push the boundaries of their students.
Health Promotion
Constant reminders to do something are not enough to change behavior. The desired behavior must become a habit, but each person accumulates information differently and can reproduce it. To increase health promotion, campaigners should consider how target groups perceive information (Hashem, 2022). For example, children will need a playful format and, most often, a kinesthetic type of information presentation; adults may need a visual or auditory format more often.
For health promotion to be effective, people who can explain information differently and use multimodal learning styles (Hernandez et al., 2020) must be involved. Advocacy will then target a specific audience with a specific learning style that will allow them to recognize and reinforce the information’s value. In addition, it is important to use strategies such as encouragement and reinforcement to change behavior. Considering the learning styles of target audiences will facilitate ways to create a format for presenting and disseminating information.
References
Baherimoghadam, T., Hamedani, S., Mehrabi, M., Naseri, N., & Marzban, N. (2021). The effect of learning style and general self-efficacy on satisfaction of e-Learning in dental students. BMC medical education, 21(1). Web.
Childs-Kean, L., Edwards, M., & Smith, M. D. (2020). Use of learning style frameworks in health science education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(7). Web.
Hashem D. (2022). Preferred learning styles of dental students in Madinah, Saudi Arabia: Bridging the gender gap. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 13, 275–282. Web.
Hernandez, J. E., Vasan, N., Huff, S., & Melovitz-Vasan, C. (2020). Learning styles/preferences among medical students: Kinesthetic learner’s multimodal approach to learning anatomy. Medical Science Educator, 30(4), 1633–1638. Web.