Difference between revisions of "VAK Learning (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)"

Difference between revisions of "VAK Learning (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)"

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{{Term|VAK Learning (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)| VAK is a popular [[learning style]] pedagogical approach. As individuals, we generally engage in all VAK modalities (visual, audio, kinesthetic) to receive and learn new information. One or two are dominant which suggests learners have a natural preference for the way they learn. As such, there is an argument for matching teaching and learning styles to enhance the learning process enabling trainers to address the needs of learners in a more efficient way.  
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{{Term|VAK Learning (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)| VAK is a popular pedagogical approach centred on the uses of three main sensory receivers: Visual, Audio, Kinesthetic (movement) to determine the dominant [[learning style]] of an individual. It was originally devised in the 1920s to assist teaching children with dyslexia. Subsequently, this has been more widely applied and its relevance established.<ref>[City and Guilds, Centre for Skills Development “Understanding the VAK model and its application” by Nick Grist (2009) http://www.skillsdevelopment.org.uk/knowledge_portal/e-zine/autumn_2009/the_vak_model.aspx..</ref>
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The human brain has evolved to operate and develop in a multisensory environment and we are programmed to process multisensory signals. Inputs, that are multisensory,  provide different hooks for retrieving information allowing faster learning and improved recall. According to VAK theory, one or two of our sensory receivers are dominant, suggesting that learners have a natural preference for the way they learn. As such, there is an argument for matching teaching with learning styles to enhance the learning process, enabling trainers to address the needs of learners in a more efficient way. Yet, one style of learning may not always be the same for some tasks. Moreover, as the theory has evolved research has come to support the application of a range of activities during instruction to that of a single learning style: the learner may prefer one style of learning for one task, and a combination for a different task.
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The core value of the VAK learning theory is the enabling of people to think in terms of different representational systems. By combining different teaching methods and thinking about the different ways in which we process information, trainers can start to develop a multisensory learning environment. Rather than tailoring instructional techniques to each individual, a combination of simultaneous stimuli will enable a learning group to improve their retrieval, storage and interpretation of information.
  
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As VAK theory has evolved the consensus of opinion has come to support the application of a range of activities during instruction to that of a single learning style.}}
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__TOC__
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=='''Learning Styles'''==
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Following is a brief description of different learning styles:}}
  
 
{| rules="all" style="border:1px solid #7F4F1F;background:#FFFAF0;color:white;" >   
 
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! width= "900pt" | <font color= #7F4F1F> Brief Description </font>
 
! width= "900pt" | <font color= #7F4F1F> Brief Description </font>
 
|- style="border:1px solid #D87A35;background:white;color:black;"   
 
|- style="border:1px solid #D87A35;background:white;color:black;"   
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|'''Auditory'''
 
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|
 
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*Learners respond to story-telling
 
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*Learners engage better during lecture discussion
 
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*Learners often talk to themselves, and read out loud
 
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*Learners may find it helpful to: tape lectures and listen later; listen to a podcast of a recorded lecture/programme; have discussions with other learners; tutor other students to reinforce learning; participate in group discussions
 
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|-
 
 
|'''Visual'''
 
|'''Visual'''
 
|There is an argument for two different types of visual learner:
 
|There is an argument for two different types of visual learner:
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**Learners understand better with the use of mind maps, symbolic representations, and drawings to depict views on reality and history
 
**Learners understand better with the use of mind maps, symbolic representations, and drawings to depict views on reality and history
 
**Learners tend to remember faces and places by using their imagination, seldom getting lost in new surroundings  
 
**Learners tend to remember faces and places by using their imagination, seldom getting lost in new surroundings  
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|-
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|'''Auditory'''
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|
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*Learners engage better during lecture discussion
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*Learners respond to story-telling
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*Learners often talk to themselves, and read out loud
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*Learners may find it helpful to: tape lectures and listen later; listen to a podcast of a recorded lecture/programme; have discussions with other learners; tutor other students to reinforce learning; participate in group discussions
 
|-
 
|-
 
|'''Kinesthetic'''
 
|'''Kinesthetic'''
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*Learners enjoy role-play scenarios
 
*Learners enjoy role-play scenarios
 
|}
 
|}
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{{Termaddition|See also: [[Accelerated Learning]], [[Learning Styles]], [[Experiential Learning]]}}
 
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{{Tool|Application of the VAK Model during Instruction|
 
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=='''Tips to identify learners’ preferred learning styles'''==
 
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#'''Eye movement while thinking'''
 
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#*Visual learners usually look upwards
 
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#*Auditory learners usually look straight ahead
 
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#*Kinesthetic learners usually look downwards
 
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#'''Vocabulary clues'''
 
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#*Visual learners often use: I see (your point), I get the picture, In my view, From my perspective
 
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#*Auditory learners often use: It sounds (OK, good, familiar, etc.), I hear you, I get the message, It rings a bell
 
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#*Kinesthetic learners often use: It feels (good, right, OK, off, etc.), I can relate to that, I have a grasp
 
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#'''Ikea test (How do people approach assembling a new piece of furniture?)'''
 
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#*Visual learners: Read the instructions before doing anything
 
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#*Auditory learners: Have someone else read the instructions to them
 
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#*Kinesthetic learners: Try to put the item together without reading the instructions
 
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#'''Mobile phone test (What do people do with a new mobile phone?)'''
 
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#*Visual learners: Read the instructions before they try to do anything with the phone
 
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#*Auditory learners: Ask someone to explain the use of the phone or read the instructions to them
 
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#*Kinesthetic learners: Play around and experiment with the phone
 
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#'''Map reading (How do people use maps to find their way?)'''
 
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#*Visual learners: Look at the whole map and then every road
 
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#*Auditory learners: Read out every road to themselves
 
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#*Kinesthetic learners: Follow the roads on the map with their fingers
 
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#'''Behavior-patterns during lessons'''
 
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#*Visual learners: like reading and may seem to day dream during sessions with focus on verbal activities
 
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#*Auditory learners: enjoy discussions and may whisper during reading
 
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#*Kinesthetic learners: may have a habit of tapping their pencils, and fidgeting during lessons
 
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#'''Make learners fill out self-assessment quizzes  to identify their learning styles (many available online, see Web Resources)'''
 
  
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=='''Guide to tools and activities supporting different learning styles'''==
 
  
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''Note for instructors:'' As you design your courses aim for a variety of learning styles in every lesson in order to meet individual learners’ needs.
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{{Tool|Activities and Tools to support VAK Learning|
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=='''VAK Learning for different learners'''==
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''Note to instructors:'' You have the opportunity to try out all kinds of activities to reach the preferred learning styles of all learners
  
 
'''Visual learners'''
 
'''Visual learners'''
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*Use visual aids (charts, graphs, post-its, posters, cue-cards, diagrams, illustrations, pictures, colored pens and paper, mind maps, spider diagrams, etc.) to present and organize information
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*Provide lots of written materials, and give exercises that require writing and note taking
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*Place information above eye level in the room
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*Use visuals and graphics to present and organize information (charts, graphs, post-it notes, posters, flash-cards, diagrams, illustrations, pictures, coloured pens and paper, mind-maps, spidergrams)
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*Offer help and opportunities for note taking (outlines, concept maps, handouts, key words)
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*Write key words on flip chart paper and ask learners to write responses
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*Use flip charts to present learners the lesson outline
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*Invite visual learners to be group recorders
 
'''
 
'''
 
'''Auditory learners'''
 
'''Auditory learners'''
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*Use questions to involve learners in learning, make them also verbalize questions
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*Best way to teach an auditory learner is to say it; state the information
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*Make learners engage in discussions with you and each other
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*Ask learners to describe specific information
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*Use auditory activities (brainstorming, buzz groups, debriefing, reading out loud, oral revisions, stories, anecdotes, jokes, rhymes, jingles, rap, poems, songs, etc.)
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*Provide discussion periods for learners
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*Start and end lessons with explaining and discussion what will and what has happened
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*Encourage questions and foster small group participation
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*Allow and encourage listening to music while learning (if suitable to your learning environment)
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*Use auditory activities (brainstorming, buzz groups, debriefing, reading out loud, oral revisions, stories, anecdotes, jokes, rhymes, jingles, rap, poems, songs)
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*Audio streaming is an option in web-based environments
  
 
'''Kinesthetic learners'''
 
'''Kinesthetic learners'''
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*Use activities that make learners move (games, group work, role-plays, switch places, partners, field trips, etc.)
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*Plan activities that make learners move (group work, role-plays, field trips)
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*Give regular planned stretch breaks (brain breaks)
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*Initiate activities that make learners use their hands (move and organize post-its, highlight text, make models, transfer text from one medium to an other)
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*Provide activities that make learners use their hands (move and organize post-its, highlight text, make models, use play dough, transfer text from one medium to an other, etc.)
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*Encourage underlining and highlighting key words and taking notes
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*Play music during learning (if appropriate for your learning environment)
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*Put theory into practice
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*Try to stimulate more than one sense
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*Provide real-life simulation situations
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*Offer learners an opportunity to try things and experiment
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*Use lots of examples, case studies, and ways of application  
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*Use a lot of examples, case studies, ways of application <ref>  
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*Build-in planned physical breaks<ref>  
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http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/LearningStyles.pdf (12 August 2011), http://media.web.britannica.com/ebsco/pdf/234/37131234.pdf (12 August 2011), http://www.skillsdevelopment.org.uk/emailnews/autumn2009/article/article-understanding.html (12 August 2011), http://www.bhmed-emanual.org/book/export/html/44  (12 August 2011), http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/VAK.htm  (12 August 2011), http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/vakt.html  (12 August 2011) </ref>}}
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Learning Skills & Development Agency: Learning Styles & their application for effective learning http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/LearningStyles.pdf (12 August 2011), http://www.skillsdevelopment.org.uk/emailnews/autumn2009/article/article-understanding.html (12 August 2011), http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/VAK.htm  (12 August 2011), http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/vakt.html  (12 August 2011) </ref>
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'''Model of VAK Learning'''
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*[[Learning Styles: Dunn and Dunn Model]]
  
 
=='''Job Aid'''==
 
=='''Job Aid'''==
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[[Image:pdf.png]] [[Media:Toolkit_Template_VAK_Model.pdf‎‎|Application of the VAK Model during Instruction ]]
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[[Image:pdf.png]] [[Media:Toolkit_Template_VAK_Learning.pdf‎‎|Activities and Tools to Support VAK Learning]]
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{|border=1
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}}
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!Link
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!Content
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{{Addlink|}}
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{|border=1; width=100%
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!width= "200pt" | Link
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!width= "575pt" | Content
 
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|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxCporOofo Teaching Strategies: Learning Styles] (Video, 5 mins)
 
|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxCporOofo Teaching Strategies: Learning Styles] (Video, 5 mins)

Latest revision as of 14:40, 17 January 2014

Term2.png VAK Learning (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)
VAK is a popular pedagogical approach centred on the uses of three main sensory receivers: Visual, Audio, Kinesthetic (movement) to determine the dominant learning style of an individual. It was originally devised in the 1920s to assist teaching children with dyslexia. Subsequently, this has been more widely applied and its relevance established.[1]

The human brain has evolved to operate and develop in a multisensory environment and we are programmed to process multisensory signals. Inputs, that are multisensory, provide different hooks for retrieving information allowing faster learning and improved recall. According to VAK theory, one or two of our sensory receivers are dominant, suggesting that learners have a natural preference for the way they learn. As such, there is an argument for matching teaching with learning styles to enhance the learning process, enabling trainers to address the needs of learners in a more efficient way. Yet, one style of learning may not always be the same for some tasks. Moreover, as the theory has evolved research has come to support the application of a range of activities during instruction to that of a single learning style: the learner may prefer one style of learning for one task, and a combination for a different task. The core value of the VAK learning theory is the enabling of people to think in terms of different representational systems. By combining different teaching methods and thinking about the different ways in which we process information, trainers can start to develop a multisensory learning environment. Rather than tailoring instructional techniques to each individual, a combination of simultaneous stimuli will enable a learning group to improve their retrieval, storage and interpretation of information.


Contents

Learning Styles

Following is a brief description of different learning styles:
Learning Style Brief Description
Visual There is an argument for two different types of visual learner:
  • Visual-linguistic
    • Learners like to learn by writing things down in their own words
  • Visual-Spatial
    • Learners understand better with the use of mind maps, symbolic representations, and drawings to depict views on reality and history
    • Learners tend to remember faces and places by using their imagination, seldom getting lost in new surroundings
Auditory
  • Learners engage better during lecture discussion
  • Learners respond to story-telling
  • Learners often talk to themselves, and read out loud
  • Learners may find it helpful to: tape lectures and listen later; listen to a podcast of a recorded lecture/programme; have discussions with other learners; tutor other students to reinforce learning; participate in group discussions
Kinesthetic
  • Learners learn best by doing things such as taking a walk while they are studying information
  • Learners do well in a hands-on environment
  • Learners underline or highlight texts with different colours
  • Learners respond to photographic images, movies, videos, and YouTube clips
  • Learners enjoy role-play scenarios


Toolkit.png Activities and Tools to support VAK Learning

VAK Learning for different learners

Note to instructors: You have the opportunity to try out all kinds of activities to reach the preferred learning styles of all learners

Visual learners

  • Provide lots of written materials, and give exercises that require writing and note taking
  • Use visuals and graphics to present and organize information (charts, graphs, post-it notes, posters, flash-cards, diagrams, illustrations, pictures, coloured pens and paper, mind-maps, spidergrams)
  • Write key words on flip chart paper and ask learners to write responses
  • Invite visual learners to be group recorders

Auditory learners

  • Best way to teach an auditory learner is to say it; state the information
  • Ask learners to describe specific information
  • Provide discussion periods for learners
  • Encourage questions and foster small group participation
  • Use auditory activities (brainstorming, buzz groups, debriefing, reading out loud, oral revisions, stories, anecdotes, jokes, rhymes, jingles, rap, poems, songs)
  • Audio streaming is an option in web-based environments

Kinesthetic learners

  • Plan activities that make learners move (group work, role-plays, field trips)
  • Initiate activities that make learners use their hands (move and organize post-its, highlight text, make models, transfer text from one medium to an other)
  • Encourage underlining and highlighting key words and taking notes
  • Put theory into practice
  • Provide real-life simulation situations
  • Use lots of examples, case studies, and ways of application
  • Build-in planned physical breaks[2]


Model of VAK Learning

Job Aid

Pdf.png Activities and Tools to Support VAK Learning


Link icon.png Web Resources
Link Content
Teaching Strategies: Learning Styles (Video, 5 mins) Tips for teachers on how to engage learners with different learning styles.
Self-assessment VARK: An online questionnaire allowing learners to identify their preferred learning style(s).

References

  1. ↑ [City and Guilds, Centre for Skills Development “Understanding the VAK model and its application” by Nick Grist (2009) http://www.skillsdevelopment.org.uk/knowledge_portal/e-zine/autumn_2009/the_vak_model.aspx..
  2. ↑ Learning Skills & Development Agency: Learning Styles & their application for effective learning http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/LearningStyles.pdf (12 August 2011), http://www.skillsdevelopment.org.uk/emailnews/autumn2009/article/article-understanding.html (12 August 2011), http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/VAK.htm (12 August 2011), http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/vakt.html (12 August 2011)
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