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

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

From Learning and training wiki

Share/Save/Bookmark
Jump to: navigation, search
Line 31: Line 31:
 
*Learners enjoy role-play scenarios
 
*Learners enjoy role-play scenarios
 
|}
 
|}
−
{{Termaddition|See also: [[Accelerated Learning]], [[Learning Styles]], [[Experiential Learning]]}}
 
−
{{Tool|Application of the VAK Model during Instruction|
 
−
=='''Tips to identify learners’ preferred learning styles'''==
 
−
#'''Eye movement while thinking'''
 
−
#*Visual learners usually look upwards
 
−
#*Auditory learners usually look straight ahead
 
−
#*Kinesthetic learners usually look downwards
 
−
#'''Vocabulary clues'''
 
−
#*Visual learners often use: I see (your point), I get the picture, In my view, From my perspective
 
−
#*Auditory learners often use: It sounds (OK, good, familiar, etc.), I hear you, I get the message, It rings a bell
 
−
#*Kinesthetic learners often use: It feels (good, right, OK, off, etc.), I can relate to that, I have a grasp
 
−
#'''Ikea test (How do people approach assembling a new piece of furniture?)'''
 
−
#*Visual learners: Read the instructions before doing anything
 
−
#*Auditory learners: Have someone else read the instructions to them
 
−
#*Kinesthetic learners: Try to put the item together without reading the instructions
 
−
#'''Mobile phone test (What do people do with a new mobile phone?)'''
 
−
#*Visual learners: Read the instructions before they try to do anything with the phone
 
−
#*Auditory learners: Ask someone to explain the use of the phone or read the instructions to them
 
−
#*Kinesthetic learners: Play around and experiment with the phone
 
−
#'''Map reading (How do people use maps to find their way?)'''
 
−
#*Visual learners: Look at the whole map and then every road
 
−
#*Auditory learners: Read out every road to themselves
 
−
#*Kinesthetic learners: Follow the roads on the map with their fingers
 
−
#'''Behavior-patterns during lessons'''
 
−
#*Visual learners: like reading and may seem to day dream during sessions with focus on verbal activities
 
−
#*Auditory learners: enjoy discussions and may whisper during reading
 
−
#*Kinesthetic learners: may have a habit of tapping their pencils, and fidgeting during lessons
 
−
#'''Make learners fill out self-assessment quizzes  to identify their learning styles (many available online, see Web Resources)'''
 
−
 
 
=='''Activities and tools to support VAK Learning'''==
 
=='''Activities and tools to support VAK Learning'''==
  

Revision as of 16:24, 4 July 2012

Term2.png 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. 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.
Learning Style Brief Description
Auditory
  • Learners respond to story-telling
  • Learners engage better during lecture discussion
  • 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
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
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

Activities and tools to support VAK Learning

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

Visual learners

  • 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)
  • Provide lots of written materials, and give exercises that require writing and note taking
  • 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
  • Foster small group participation
  • Use auditory activities (brainstorming, buzz groups, debriefing, reading out loud, oral revisions, stories, anecdotes, jokes, rhymes, jingles, rap, poems, songs)

Kinesthetic learners

  • Encourage underlining and highlighting key words and taking notes
  • 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)
  • Put theory into practice
  • Provide real-life simulation situations
  • Build-in planned physical breaks
  • Use lots of examples, case studies, and ways of application [1]}}

Job Aid

Pdf.png Application of the VAK Model during Instruction

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. ↑ 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)
Retrieved from "http://learningwiki.unitar.org/index.php?title=VAK_Learning_(Visual,_Auditory,_Kinesthetic)&oldid=11108"