Language learning styles

By Magdalena Glinicka

Learning your learning style – visual auditory and/or kinaesthetic

When learning something new, you probably approach the task in a similar manner each time. Over time you develop a pattern of behaviour enabling you to learn new things. This pattern of behaviour is your learning style. The VAK learning styles model suggests that most people can be divided into one of three preferred styles of learning: Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic.

Visual learners learn through seeing. They think in pictures and learn best from visual displays – body language, facial expressions, written information, charts and diagrams, illustrations in books and videos.

Auditory learners learn from the spoken word, the teacher’s discourse and discussions. They use tone, pitch and other nuances to enhance the learning. They would prefer to hear written information aloud and benefit from the use of a voice recorder.

Kinaesthetic learners learn best from actively exploring the physical world around them. They prefer learning new skills through imitation and practice. Their need for activity and exploration may make them easily distracted and unable to sit still for long periods of time. They can appear less responsive when information is not normally presented in a style that suits their own style of learning.

Which is your learning style? Once you figure out the way you learn, you will know what strategies to use to fit your learning and make it more effective. You can either do a self-audit by going through a VAK questionnaire or ask your teacher for a learning style assessment.

Make your learning style work for you! Tips for students.

If you are a visual learner …

• Have a clear view of your teacher so that you can see their body language and facial expressions
• Use colorful highlighters to mark key points in text
• Illustrate your ideas as pictures and use mind maps; draw charts, graphs and tables in your notes
• Use multi-media such as computers or videos
• When memorising material, write it over and over
• Keep pen and paper handy, so you can write down good ideas
• Study in a quiet place away from verbal disturbances

If you are an auditory learner …

• Think aloud and talk to yourself
• Participate in class discussions/debates; discuss your ideas verbally with other students; use verbal analogies
• Make speeches and presentations
• Read text out loud—especially when proofreading or tired
• Create musical jingles and mnemonics to aid memorisation
• Use a voice recorder
• Recite information over and over to memorise material better
• You may want to sit near the side or back of the classroom where there is less visual stimulation

If you are a kinesthetic learner …

• Make studying more physical – work at a standing desk, chew gum, pace while memorising; read while on an exercise bike, mould a piece of plasticine, squeeze a stress ball
• Vary your activities and take frequent study breaks
• Use bright colours to highlight reading material
• Decorate your work/study space with posters and colour
• Record notes and listen to them while exercising
• When reading, first skim through the whole thing to get a feel for what it’s about, then read the chapter carefully
• Use spatial note-taking techniques, e.g. mind mapping
• Visualise complex projects from start to finish to keep the big picture in mind

People commonly have a strong preference for one learning style; others have a more even mixture of two, or less commonly, three styles.

VAK in teaching. Tips for teachers.

What do learning styles mean for you as a teacher? Whether you are presenting information, conducting role-plays or overseeing practice activities, you need to figure out your own teaching style so that you can supplement it to fit your students’ learning styles. For example, if you are a visual learner yourself, there is a chance that your teaching style and materials will be more suited for visual learners and not so good for the remaining students.

Next, get to know your students!  Find out what their learning styles are and then stimulate their senses accordingly. You will create a wealth of learning opportunities which will not only help them learn a language, but will broaden the students’ learning styles to include those that aren’t the first choice.

Visual learners prefer to read silently and make good use of any illustrations accompanying the text. They will generally prefer you to teach with written instructions and will benefit from you acting out situations, watching a demonstration or presenting scenarios in videos. If you have a student who seems to retain what they read better than what they hear then that student is a perfect example of someone with a preference to learn visually. Language activities that work with this kind of student are board games, all sort of pictures for visual aids, maps, drawings, videos, etc.

Students who benefit from lectures, verbal explanations, recordings and oral instruction are your auditory learners. Learning a language for this type of learner is mainly listening based. Include exercises that involve repetition, dictation, listening for clues, recitation, quizzes and story building.

Kinaesthetic learners are often the students who do not quite get what you’re teaching in a traditional lecture or worksheet-based lessons. They absorb information best when they use their whole bodies to practise exercises. To reach out to these learners, integrate more physical and experiential elements into your language lessons.

Look for activities/games that engages whole body responses, or have the students touching and moving things around as part of their task. For example, give them objects to touch/feel, rearrange, assemble, get them to mingle and change seats in the classroom.

The main advantage of applying the VAK learning style model is that both students and teachers can adjust their behaviours according to their preferences and make their learning and teaching more effective. Will paying attention to learning styles solve all classroom problems? Unlikely. But adjusting your teaching style to your students’ learning styles will allow you to reach more of your students more effectively than before. It will cut down on boredom as it increases student interest, and it will give students essential practice in incorporating different learning styles into their own style. Students will be doing more than just developing their language skills but also learning how to enhance their own learning.

Sources:

http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/english/download/file/LearningStyles.pdf

http://www.careerfaqs.com.au/courses/study-tips/unlock-your-learning-style

http://www.businessballs.com/vaklearningstylestest.htm

http://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/the-vark-modalities/

http://ace.fsu.acsitefactory.com/sites/g/files/upcbnu296/files/Study_Strategies_by_Learning_Styles.pdf