Analysis of learning styles questionnaire and how it might affect how you learn or teach generally and in ICT learning environment in particular. Do you agree with your profile?
I have used a questionnaire to find out what type of learner I'm for the first time and I was a bit surprised by the outcome of also being a kinesthetic learner. I wouldn't go as far as disagreeing with the outcome of the questionnaire in 'VARK a guide to learning styles' but it made me think how much this type of questionnaire can be or is accurate. If I were to believe in the outcome to be correct, to accommodate my learning as well as teaching style I would have to make some changes. For example being a visual learner I prefer to learn from a visual text. I have learnt to overcome the 'shortage' of academic papers depicted visually by converting them into imagines to make a better sense of them. If necessary I use digital technology to 'interpret' or rather 'translate' a content from verbal to visual language. To accommodate my 'preference' for kinesthetic learning the guide suggests that I need to use more hands-on activities to intake information and use case studies or real life situation to learn more efficiently.
One thing is to accommodate my learning style which does not affect anyone else than me, however, as a teacher using a preferred teaching style can negatively impact students' learning. To avoid accomodating the learning needs of students with similar preferences as teacher's, teacher need to cater for all learning styles by using multiple and multimodal teaching styles. In this way teachers not only cater for learners with dominant style preferences but also for those who are multimodal learners.
To cater for all types of learners in ICT environment can be challenging due to the required level of computer competency for the student as well as the teacher. Most importantly, regardless what tool is used to accommodate the learning style(s), digital technology or traditional ways, learners need to develop skills that enable them to select, prioritise and construct knowledge.
Wordle of this reflection
Fleming, N., and Baume, D. (2006) Learning Styles Again: VARKing up the right tree!, Educational Developments, SEDA Ltd, Issue 7.4, Nov. 2006, p4-7.
Fleming, N., Vark: a guide to learning styles. (2001)
Accessed 1 June 2010. www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=kinesthetic#
I did the VARK questionnaire. Apparently I have a "multimodal ARK learning preference". I'm not entirely conviced by it. The type of questions posed can predertimine particular types of outcomes.
ReplyDeleteMartine, this is a test comment
ReplyDeleteThanks for your constructed imput.
ReplyDeleteMartina- I agree we need to use multiple modalities to accomodate students' differing learning styles. When we teach clinical skills, we use read/write, aural, visual as well as kinesthetic methods to try and get each skill across to the students. Hopefully by doing this, we will engage with as many students as we can and improve their learning. Timely feedback is also really important so the students know how they are progressing.
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