What is Your Personal Learning Style?

Tick or circle the statements you agree with.

  1. I prefer to hear a book on tape rather than reading it.
  2. When I put something together, I always read the instructions first.
  3. I prefer reading to hearing a lecture/lesson.
  4. When I am on my own, I usually have music playing or I hum/sing.
  5. I like playing sports more than reading books.
  6. I can always tell directions like North, South or what direction home is no matter where I am.
  7. I love to write letters or write in a diary.
  8. When I talk I say things like, “I hear you”, “that sounds good to me” or “that rings a bell”.
  9. My room, desk or bag is usually disorganised.
  10. I love working with my hands and building or making things.
  11. I know most of the words to the songs I listen to.
  12. When others are talking, I am usually creating pictures in my mind of what they saying.
  13. I like sports and think I am a pretty good athlete.
  14. It’s easy to talk for long periods of time on the phone with my friends.
  15. Without music, life isn’t any fun.
  16. I am very comfortable with other people and can usually talk to anyone.
  17. When looking at objects on paper, I can easily tell whether they are the same, no matter which way round they are turned.
  18. I usually say things like, “I feel…”, “I need to get a grip on this”.
  19. When I remember something that’s happened to me, I mostly see a picture of it in my mind.
  20. When I remember something that’s happened to me, I mostly hear the sounds and talk to myself about it.
  21. When I remember something that’s happened to me, I mostly remember how I felt about it.
  22. I like music more than art.
  23. I often doodle when I am on the phone or in a lecture.
  24. I prefer to act things out rather than write about them.
  25. I like reading stories more than listening to stories.
  26. I usually speak slowly.
  27. I like talking better than writing.
  28. My handwriting is not usually neat.
  29. I usually use my finger to guide me when I read a large volume of text.
  30. I can add and multiply quickly in my head.
  31. Spelling is one of my strong points.
  1. I get distracted if someone talks to me when the TV is on.
  2. I like to write instructions down that people give me.
  3. I can easily remember what people say.
  4. I learn best by doing something.
  5. It is hard for me to sit still for very long.

Taken from: Centre for New Discoveries in Learning, Pat Wyman, Windsor, California.

What is Your Personal Learning Style?

Key

2 / 3 / 6 / 7 / 12 / 17 / 19 / 23 / 25 / 30 / 31 / 33 / Visual
1 / 4 / 8 / 11 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 20 / 22 / 27 / 32 / 34 / Auditory
5 / 9 / 10 / 13 / 18 / 21 / 24 / 26 / 28 / 29 / 35 / 36 / Kinaesthetic

How many of each style did you tick/circle?

V / Visual
A / Auditory
K / Kinaesthetic
Total

To express this as a percentage:

V / X / 100 / = / A / X / 100 / = / K / X / 100 / =
Total / Total / Total

Taken from: Centre for New Discoveries in Learning, Pat Wyman, PO Box 1019 Windsor, California.

VAK Study Strategy Tips

Visual

  1. Use Mind Mapping.
  2. Use colour wherever possible.
  3. Use pictures, different lettering, different sizes.
  4. Put posters on walls above eye level. Mind Maps can be placed on walls for quick review.
  5. Memory pegs are an excellent ‘list learning’ technique.
  6. Use metaphors.
  7. Use stories.
  8. Use templates where possible.
  9. Look at the big picture first. Close your eyes and visualise.
  10. Sit at the front of the class to see the lecturer and their resources

Auditory

  1. Summarise key points speaking aloud.
  2. Talk to yourself and ask yourself questions (i.e. think out loud.)
  3. Record information on to an audio tape and play the tape at bedtime or in the car.
  4. Talk to family/friends/other students about the work you are doing.
  5. Play music before and perhaps during learning.
  6. Use rhythm and rhyme when trying to learn things by rote.
  7. Record books on to an audio tape and play at the same time as reading the text.
  8. Use mnemonics to remember core information.
  9. Tell yourself stories about the concepts/learning.
  10. Sit anywhere in the class where you can hear clearly.

Kinaesthetic

  1. Get someone to ‘draw’ on your back while you revise – it will stimulate your brain/calm nerves.
  2. Add movement to learning situations, wherever possible.
  3. Engage in any hands-on activities offered by the lecturer.
  4. Use role-playing to ‘rehearse’ essential information/concepts.
  5. Tap into how you feel during a physical activity you enjoy before and during learning.
  6. Jot things down – writing is doing something and ensures connection between the physical and cerebral.
  7. Sort notes etc. by putting information on individual pieces of card and physically move them around/organise & reorganise them.
  8. When listening in class have a piece of blue tack or modelling clay to manipulate.
  1. Sit near the back where possible so as not to disturb other learners if you need to fidget, doodle or play with blue-tack.
  2. Use Brain Gym to help your brain focus and concentrate when learning or before classes.

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