Teacher BlogsHave you ever noticed how some activities you do in the classroom are more enjoyable than others? And some students enjoy some activities better and others simply don’t? As a teacher, you may have thought it is you, or the book or the activities, however, and although it might sound plain and simple, it is usually just about your students’ learning preferences.
Why is it important to know your students’ learning preferences?
When students (kids, teenagers or adults) are introduced to a new language they’ve never studied before, they usually fear that they might never be able to speak fluently, understand a native speaker or use the language as they use their mother tongue. And if we add a new learning environment (for example online learning), chances are they will also feel a bit lost or anxious.
There are different ways to mitigate those negative feelings towards the language, and one of them is learning about their learning style with the VARK Model. This is something that benefits both students and teachers; teachers will know which types of activities will work better for a specific group, as well as their members’ learning preferences and their limitations. Students will learn what works for them, and you’ll be able to help them know what they can do to, for example, memorise something they find hard, speak more fluently or train their ear to understand a specific accent or dialect.
The VARK Model
The VARK Model originates in the 80s and it was created by Neil Fleming, who was the first to systematically present a series of questions that would help students and teachers learn more effectively in different situations simply by knowing their learning preferences. It helps you identify what your preferences are in terms of receiving information and delivering what you have learnt.
There are four modalities in the VARK Model that represent learning preferences:
V for Visual: information is presented in maps, diagrams, charts, with all the symbolic arrows, circles, etc., and it represents what is expressed with words.
A for Aural/Auditory: information is “heard or spoken.” Learners learn best from lectures, group discussion, radio, using mobile phones, speaking, etc. It includes talking out loud as well as talking to oneself. They may say again what has already been said, or ask an obvious and previously answered question. They need to repeat information but saying it “their own way”.
R for Read/Write: information displayed as words. This preference emphasizes text-based input and output – reading and writing in all its forms but especially manuals, reports, essays and assignments. People who prefer this modality often make lists, keep a diary, read and like to use dictionaries.
K for Kinaesthetic: preference related to the use of experience and practice (simulated or real). It includes demonstrations, simulations, videos and movies of “real” things. It means interacting with your body and your senses.
Obviously, these are preferences, and sometimes it can happen that a student has multimodal preferences, and there are different things they can do to study a language that will work equally well.
Is there an actual way to know which one someone prefers?
By reading the above, you may already know or suspect which learning style you or your students prefer, however there is an easy way to find out and that is just by doing the test you can find on VARK-learn.com.
To do the test just click the link below. It will only take you 5 minutes and when you finish it, it will tell you what your preferences are.
The VARK Questionnaire: https://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/
And if you are a teacher and you didn’t know about the VARK Model, I’m sure you will find it interesting. It will help you know more about your students if you share it with them and it will explain why some activities work well in your groups and others don’t.
It is also important to remember that by knowing someone’s VARK preference for learning it will not automatically change their study behaviour. There are other aspects of life that also interfere in the process of learning, like motivation or the social and physical environments.
