Teaching and Learning Styles Discussion Paper

Learning styles represent the different approaches to learning based on preferences, weaknesses, and strengths. For learners to best achieve the desired educational outcome, learning styles must be considered when creating a plan. Complete \”The VARK Questionnaire,\” located on the VARK website, and then complete the following:

1) Click \”OK\” to receive your questionnaire scores.
2) Once you have determined your preferred learning style, review the corresponding link to view your learning preference.
3) Review the other learning styles: visual, aural, read/write, kinesthetic, and multimodal (listed on the VARK Questionnaire Results page).
4) Compare your current preferred learning strategies to the identified strategies for your preferred learning style.
5) Examine how awareness of learning styles has influenced your perceptions of teaching and learning.
In a paper (750-1,000 words), summarize your analysis of this exercise and discuss the overall value of learning styles. Include the following:

1) Provide a summary of your learning style according the VARK questionnaire.
2) Describe your preferred learning strategies. Compare your current preferred learning strategies to the identified strategies for your preferred learning style.
3) Describe how individual learning styles affect the degree to which a learner can understand or perform educational activities. Discuss the importance of an educator identifying individual learning styles and preferences when working with learners.
4) Discuss why understanding the learning styles of individuals participating in health promotion is important to achieving the desired outcome. How do learning styles ultimately affect the possibility for a behavioral change? How would different learning styles be accommodated in health promotion?
Cite to at least three peer-reviewed or scholarly sources to complete this assignment. Sources should be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria.

Teaching and Learning Styles

1) Summary of learning style according to the VARK questionnaire.

My VARK scores were 4 for visual learning, 13 for aural learning, 2 for reading/writing learning, and 12 for kinesthetic learning. The scores indicate that I have a strong preference for aural and kinesthetic learnings, and low preference for aural and read/write learning.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

2) Describe your preferred learning strategies. Compare your current preferred learning strategies to the identified strategies for your preferred learning style.

Based on the scores, I am a multimodal learner who performs well when my aural and kinesthetic senses are engaged during learning, allowing me to understand and remember more of the education material. By combining my two preferred modes (aural and kinesthetic learning), I experience learning in a variety of ways that creates a diverse learning style. To be more precise, as an aural learner, I am concerned with what I listen to in class. For an education institution, this training can be delivered through the instructor talking to me as a learner face-to-face, audiobooks, webinars, podcasts, and group debates and discussions. Also, as a kinesthetic learner, I am concerned about learning approaches that enable me to be active, to include multimedia presentations, demonstrations and site visits. However, I do not do well in visual learning environments that involve the use of diagrams, flowcharts, artwork, videos, illustrations, cartoons, infographics, graphs or any other learning method that primarily stimulates my eyes. In addition, I do not do well in a reading and writing learning environment that involves the use of text-based materials such as eBooks, books and documents, as well as essays, manuals, reports and written assignments (VARK, 2020). Teaching and Learning Styles Discussion Paper

3) Describe how individual learning styles affect the degree to which a learner can understand or perform educational activities. Discuss the importance of an educator identifying individual learning styles and preferences when working with learners.

The VARK analysis reveals that every individual is different with many possible preferred learning styles. It shows that there are four main types of learning styles that can present many different approaches. As such, it becomes clear that every student is different. This differences are also observed within the learning environment where each student would perform differently based on the learning style as this has an influence on the amount of information being retained (Liew, Sidhu & Barua, 2015). To be more precise, the individual teaching and learning styles have an influence on the degree to which each student can understand and perform the education activities. The implication is that subjecting a student to his/her preferred learning style would increase interest in the content and improve knowledge retentions. Contrastingly, subjecting a student to a learning style that he/she does not prefer would reduce interest in the content and impede knowledge retention so that the student scores poorly with the teaching being unsuccessful and delayed (VARK, 2020). This awareness has implications for educators, especially within the formal education process that heavily emphasizes reading/writing learning in both instruction and assessment activities. For students with a preference for the reading/writing mode of learning, this approach would support their learning efforts resulting in higher class scores. Conversely, for students who have a low preference for the reading/writing mode of learning and have a high preference for other modes of learning, this approach would hinder their learning efforts resulting in lower class scores (Dutsinma & Temdee, 2020). Teachers who understand these influences are able to modify their teaching approaches so that students are instructed using their preferred learning styles thereby enabling them (students) to score highly and resulting in improved teaching and learning efficiency. This would help with presenting a fair and equalizes education environment that offers each student equal opportunities to learn (Bhagat, Vyas & Singh, 2015). As such, an understanding of the different learning styles is important for helping teachers to developing strategies that effectively engage the students.

4) Discuss why understanding the learning styles of individuals participating in health promotion is important to achieving the desired outcome. How do learning styles ultimately affect the possibility for a behavioral change? How would different learning styles be accommodated in health promotion?

The different types of learning styles that are represented by the AVRK acronym are targeted at helping instructors to improve their teaching efficiencies when engaging students. By understanding each student’s preferred learning style, the instructor is able to develop the best teaching style that effectively engages all learners while presenting an advantageous and satisfying education environment. This is important for ensuring that the students retain the learning material (VARK, 2020). This awareness is important for health care delivery, particularly health promotion where patients and other members of the public are engaged with instructional materials with life implications. By incorporating the understanding of the different learning styles, health care providers are able to present the patient education material in a learning mode preferred by the audience thereby facilitating knowledge retention and maximizing the value of the learning activity (Grebner, 2015). In addition, this approach is important for ensuring that patient education occurs in an efficient manner with more information being retained while less time is spent on learning activities. It increases the speed at which the audience processes, understands and applies the information being transmitted (Karim et al., 2019). As such, it is important to conduct health promotion only after having a good understanding of the individual patients learning modes and incorporating that information in the method applied to deliver the learning content.

References

Bhagat, A., Vyas, R., & Singh, T. (2015). Students awareness of learning styles and their perceptions to a mixed method approach for learning. International Journal of Applied & Basic Medical Research, 5(Suppl. 1), S58-S65. https://doi.org/10.4103/2229-516X.162281

Dutsinma, L., & Temdee, P. (2020). VARK Learning Style Classification Using Decision Tree with Physiological Signals. Wireless Personal Communications, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-020-07196-3

Grebner, L. (2015). Addressing Learning Style Needs to Improve Effectiveness of Adult Health Literacy Education. International Journal of Health Sciences, 3(1), 93-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/ijhs.v3n1a6

Karim, R, Asaduzzaman, A., Talukder, H., Alam, K., Haque, F., & Khan, S. (2019). Learning Style Preferences Among Undergraduate Medical Students: An Experience from Different Medical Colleges of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education, 10(2), 26-30. https://www.banglajol.info/index.php/BJME/article/download/44640/32661

Liew, S., Sidhu, J., & Barua, A. (2015). The relationship between learning preferences (styles and approaches) and learning outcomes among pre-clinical undergraduate medical students. BMC Medical Education, 15, Article number 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-015-0327-0

VARK (2019). Understanding the Result. http://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/understanding-the-results/

Teaching and Learning Styles Discussion Paper