Analysis of learning styles and ICT

VARK is mainly meant as a tool to raise students’ personal awareness of their modal preferences for learning.

The preferences are:

V= Visual = preference for graphical and symbolic information

A = Aural = preference for heard information

R= Read/Write = preference for information as printed words

K = Kinesthetic = preference for learning through experience or practice (or to somehow connect the teaching to reality, even just through the use of examples)


Research has show that teachers find it difficult (if not impossible) to cover all their students modal learning preferences in the way they teach. It was decided by the inventors of the VARK test that it was better to raise students’ awareness of their own learning styles, so they could tailor their study tactics to their preferences, no matter how the teaching was presented.

How will VARK change how I learn or teach:

§ In general?

Reading about VARK at first made me feel anxious that I needed to take a multimodal approach to each point I needed to convey, or to every learning activity I devised. Then I read that this was not expected of teachers (Mills as quoted in Fleming and Mills, 1992 – ‘Not another inventory’) and felt very relieved.

However, I think that reading about VARK has made me more aware that there are very different preferences for learning, and has inspired me to think about how I could alter my teaching to cater to various modal preferences. It has also made me more aware that my own preference (Read/Write) may bias the way I am teaching.

Of course, another approach would be to conform to the approach of VARK, and ask students to take the test and become more aware of their own learning preferences.

§ And in ICT environments in particular?

In ‘Learning styles again’ (Fleming and Baume, 2006) it is stated that most education is mono or bi-modal. The authors warn that e-learning may just replicate this, but include a shift from Aural to Read/write. I think it is important not to use the computer screen just as the page of a book, ie. to be filled up with text. There are more possibilities with new e-learning tools for multimodal experiences to be offered, than ever before.

VARK has made me more curious to see how I could produce multimodal teaching/learning activities use e-learning tools.

Do I agree with my profile?

My profile was:
V= 9
A= 10
R= 14
K= 7

I agree that I am predominantly Read/Write, though I think I tap into other modes in non-academic settings. It is as though I have been trained to use Read/Write mode for study, and the other modes for when I am being creative in a non-academic way.

In the study notes for Kinesthetic (?) a reference was made to lectures being times during which the teacher moves around a lot and makes dramatic gestures. I found this comment gave me insight into my own preferences, as I hardly notice how the lecturer moves (or at least I attach no relevance to it), and mainly notice what they have written on their PowerPoints, followed by what they say. If they jumped up and down to emphasise a point, this would be like ‘white noise’ to me, I would not perceive it as effective an emphasis as merely highlighting some text.