Learning remains one of the most important and significant things in life of any person. It is necessary to remember that studying is not connected only to visiting classes at school or at university. Instead, people have to learn throughout their entire lives. In this connection, there is an extremely important question concerning the variety of the ways to acquire certain knowledge.
Learning Style
VARK is a method aimed at defining primary learning style of a person; it is considered to be quite effective (Wright & Stokes, 2015, p. 62). There is a range of possible results of the test but sometimes one’s personal learning approach is not limited by only one style. Thus, there are different combinations of the preferences that indicate the aspects that are the most important for the learner. For instance, VR is a combination of visual and read/write strategies; such a result means that this person absorbs the information the best once various graphical aids are used during the classes. What is more, such a person prefers to process the information that is presented in written form and is well-structured. According to the result of the test, these two styles are preferred in equal measure, and it means that this particular person has to apply both strategies in order to become a successful learner.
Preferred and Recommended Learning Strategies
Everyone has his or her own preferred strategies to acquire new information. Nevertheless, when people come to know the information on their types according to the VARK system, they can make a few adjustments to their everyday learning strategies. The person who was passing the test for the present task claims to prefer using manuals, tables, and writing the summaries in order to learn the information. If we take into account the methods recommended to the people with VR profile, it becomes clear that this person understands her learning style but she has to pay more attention to using the methods connected to visual perception. The latter include the use of pictures, flowcharts, and colorful text highlighters helping to single out the key ideas. Having taken into consideration the necessity to combine visual and reading/writing methods, this VR profile person will be able to improve her learning skills.
Learning Styles Awareness and Its Benefits
There is no doubt that realizing the difference between various learning styles can be helpful for the students who would like to do well in their studies. Nevertheless, such knowledge can also appear to be beneficial for those who act as the instructors. As for the latter, they can pass the test in order to define their primary teaching strategy. Similar to students’ results, the results of the instructors show the interrelation between their preferences. Knowing their preferred strategy, the instructors will be able to analyse their own teaching styles and assess its effectiveness (Ganesh, 2014, p. 119). Such awareness may also produce a positive influence when it comes down to instructor’s individual work with a student. Having defined preferred learning style of his student, the teacher will be able to use this knowledge in order to develop an effective lesson plan and find the most appropriate material on the topic (Prithishkumar & Michael, 2014, p. 183). As for the learners, the information on learning styles can help them to avoid using strategies that are ineffective in their case. Thus, they will be able to focus on methods that can elicit their potential and drive them to success.
References
Ganesh, A. (2014). Alignment of teaching style to learning preferences: Impact on student learning. Training & Development Journal, 5(2), 119-131.
Prithishkumar, I. J., & Michael, S. A. (2014). Understanding your student: Using the VARK model. Journal of postgraduate medicine, 60(2), 183.
Wright, S., & Stokes, A. (2015). The application of VARK learning styles in introductory level economics units. Issues in Educational Research, 25(1), 62-79.