VARK: A Guide to Learning Styles

Details

Activity Description

In this activity, students answer the VARK Learning Style online questionnaire’s 16 questions to measure their learning style preferences in these areas: Visual (V), Aural/Auditory (A), Reading/Writing (R), and Kinesthetic (K) – see descriptions at VARK Modalities page http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=categories in order to find their preferred learning styles and their weaker study habit. The inventory’s focus is on study habits and skills more than personality traits, and there are “help sheets” that explain to students how to develop their less-preferred learning modalities.

Preparation

1. Make sure that the Web site is not blocked on the computer(s) on which students will take the inventory.
2. Go through the questionnaire yourself to anticipate student questions and difficulties and to find vocabulary you may need to pre-teach.
3. Download, print, and photocopy the assignment sheet. (Example Document )
4. Your Web browser must support JavaScript to be automatically scored. If not, there are versions that are printable and translated into many languages on the Using VARK instructions page.

How-To

1. Ask students why it may be important and helpful for them to know and understand their learning styles.
2. Distribute the assignment sheet to students and explain what a preferred learning style is and give examples
3. Have students open the VARK questionnaire in their Web browsers. Students will answer the VARK learning styles inventory questionnaire by selecting one or more answers to each question. After answering the questions, their results will be displayed.
4. Students will use the Example Document (above) to record and summarize the results of the questionnaire by noting their preferred learning style(s) and characteristics and making a learning goal for developing their less frequently used learning styles and studying habits in order to develop their study skills.
5. Debrief and discuss students’ results with the whole class to find out if there are prevailing preferred learning styles or if the results are varied. You may choose to have students compose a report summarizing their results or fill out goal sheets you create and record activities they do and their progress toward realizing their learning goals, such as keeping a study log.

Teacher Tips

• You may want to tabulate students' results to ensure that you are not only using class activities that appeal to students preferred learning styles but also to help your students develop their weaker, less frequently used study skills.
• There is also VARK Questionnaire for teachers to assess their teaching style.

More Ways

• There is also a version of the VARK learning style inventory for younger students and one for athletes .

Program Areas

• ASE: High School Equivalency Preparation
• ABE: Adult Basic Education
• ASE: High School Diploma
• ESL: English as a Second Language
• CTE: Career Technical Education

Levels

• Low
• Intermediate
• High
• All Levels
• Intermediate Low
• Intermediate High
• Advanced

Lesson Plan

Documents

• LearningStyleAssignment.doc - Learning Styles Assignment

Subjects

• Language Arts - Writing
  • Language Facility
  • Organization of Ideas
  • Writing Conventions
• Reading
  • Learning to Learn
• Writing
  • Paragraph Skills

CTE Anchor Standards

• Anchor Standard 2: Communications - Language Standard: Acquire and accurately use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the (career and college) readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Standards

• Reading Foundational Skills
  • RF.4 - Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. (Fluency)
• Reading
  • CCR Anchor 1 - Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
• Writing
  • CCR Anchor 1 - Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
  • CCR Anchor 2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  • CCR Anchor 4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• Language
  • CCR Anchor 1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • CCR Anchor 2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Tags

Tools

Conditions

Some VARK copyright resources may be used by teachers, professors, tutors and students in their own colleges, universities or high schools. It is polite to request permission. For rather obvious reasons, the VARK questionnaire and other VARK copyright resources may not be placed on other websites, apps, research projects, internet, intranet or survey instruments. If you are an organization or individual developing resources for students or teachers in high schools, universities or colleges it is not free.