Learning Styles Theory
This blog focuses your attention on the impact of Learning Styles Theory
During your school career, were you categorized as a particular type of learner? If so what kind of learning style was attributed to you, who attributed it and can you remember the justification? Perhaps you “self-diagnosed” and if so, what type of learning style do you think you have?
Now take the VARK Questionnaire (Note: you can click on multiple answers)
Write about your results– describe your learning style as defined by VARK
In the 1990s, Flemming’s Learning Styles Theory developed into a multimillion dollar industry and still drives the very core of our pedagogy, however, as you can see from studies like Husman & O’Loughlin (2018) & APA (2019), Learning Styles Theory is under scrutiny. Consider these prompts as you reflect on the role of these theories in our pedagogy:
- How accurately does the VARK Questionnaire define your learning style?
- Is it fascinating to be defined in this way?
- Do you think the questions are misleading? If so, how?
- Is this categorization useful or problematic for you? Do you think this knowledge has (or will) impact the way you teach/tutor? If so, in what way?
- Reflect on why do you think you came to learn this way? Is it experiential, based on your schooling, parenting, personality etc.?
- How might these theories be useful for tutoring?
When I took the VARK Questionnaire, I got Multimodal as my result, and I would say that’s a pretty fair assessment of how I learn. Depending on the situation/material, I can pick something up just by listening to someone talk about it, but other times, I need to see a visual for it to click in my mind. I can also “switch” into different modes if I need to teach something to someone. If anything, I was surprised that I didn’t get Visual or Reader, since I often think of myself as more of a visual learner and I do take a ton of notes (writing things down helps me remember). The one thing I found interesting was that in the description of Multimodal Strategies, it’s written that some folks will purposely stick with one mode of learning to annoy others, and I can’t say I’ve done that before; to each his own, I guess!
I’m not sure if the questions are misleading or not, but I like that you can select more than one answer. Many people, myself included, will take a variety of approaches to learn something new or find out more information about something they’re interested in. For example, looking into a new apartment would mean not just reaching out to contact the landlord–it would mean checking to see what places are around the apartment, maybe asking a friend how they liked living there if they once resided in the area, doing research on the town/property’s history, etc. I’m not certain how or why I came to learn the way I do; it’s possible that it might have something to do with my personality. I do try to look at things objectively and from different perspectives, so it would make sense that, as a learner or a student, I would be open to learning new things in many different ways.
I think these theories are useful for tutoring in that they explain why some students may not respond well to certain modes of teaching. Not everyone is a visual learner whereas some must have some kind of visual examples to understand what’s being presented. Everyone learns differently, so it would make sense that the tutor would have to get a sense of how each individual student learns and then use that knowledge to better help them, as it’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all situation. Plus, if the instructor has a particular teaching style that the student is not understanding too well, the tutor can explain the material in a way the student will be able to process, so in that sense, the tutor can supplement what the student may be missing during class. I also believe that being categorized as multimodal is useful for me because it tells me that I may have an easier time adapting to student needs, working with them, and coming up with examples and explanations that they could understand. Not only can I help students learn in a way they’ll understand, but they can also help me to understand what the assignment is, what they’re having trouble with, etc. I’ve already had to “switch” into different teaching modes: for certain students, I’ve had to come up with visual examples to help them understand what I’m trying to explain whereas others pick up the information just by hearing me talk it through, so I think being multimodal has already subconsciously impacted the way I tutor. I’ve never heard of VARK prior to this unit, so it was interesting to read about.