Vark Test: vark test

Vark Exam

Determining Your Learning Style

Read each question or statement and circle the most appropriate answer. Some will be difficult to answer, but try to respond according to how you would react most often.

You usually remember more from a class lecture when:
a. You do not take notes but listen very closely
b. You sit near the front of the room and watch the speaker
c. You take notes (whether or not you look at them again)

You usually solve problems by:
a. Talking to yourself or a friend
b. Using an organized, systematic approach with lists, schedules, etc.
c. Walking, pacing, or some other physical activity

You remember phone numbers (when you can’t write them down) by:
a. Repeating the numbers orally
b. “Seeing” or “visualizing” the numbers in your mind
c. “Writing” the numbers with your finger on a table or wall

You find it easiest to learn something new by:
a. Listening to someone explain how to do it
b. Watching a demonstration of how to do it
c. Trying it yourself

You remember most clearly from a movie:
a. What the characters said, background noises and music
b. The setting, scenery, and costumes
c. The feelings you experienced during the movie

When you go to the grocery store, you:
a. Silently or orally repeat the grocery list
b. Walk up and down the aisles to see what you need
c. Usually remember what you need from the list you left at home

You are trying to remember something and so you:
a. Hear in your mind what was said or the noises that occurred
b. Try to see it happen in your mind
c. Feel the way “it” reacted with your emotions

You learn a foreign language best by:
a. Listening to records or tapes
b. Writing and using workbooks
c. Attending a class in which you read and write

You are confused about the correct spelling of a word and so you:
a. Sound it out
b. Try to “see” the word in your mind
c. Write the word several different ways and choose the one that looks right

You enjoy reading most when you can read:
a. Dialogue between characters
b. Descriptive passages that allow you to create mental pictures
c. Stories with a lot of action in the beginning (because you have a hard time sitting still)

You usually remember people you have met by their:
a. Names (you forget faces)
b. Faces (you forget names)
c. Mannerisms, motions, etc.

You are distracted most by:
a. Noises
b. People
c. Environment (temperature, comfort of furniture, etc.)

You usually dress:
a. Fairly well (but clothes are not very important to you)
b. Neatly (in a particular style)
c. Comfortably (so you can move easily)

You can’t do anything physical and you can’t read, so you choose to:
a. Talk with a friend
b. Watch TV or look out a window
c. Move slightly in your chair or bed

SCORING
1. Count the total number of responses for each letter and write them below:

a.________ auditory (learn best by hearing)

b ________ visual (learn best by seeing)

c.________ kinesthetic (learn best by touching, doing, moving)

2. Notice if one modality is significantly higher or lower, or if any two modalities are close in number.

© 2004 by Incentive Publications, Inc., Nashville, TN.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

I'm not sure I agree with the results:)

According to the test I'm a Kinesthetic learner (I got 7 c's!). The result really surprised me, because I always strongly believed that I'm a visual one. In fact, I took a similar test around nine years ago and at that time I, indeed, was a visual learner. (I guess, people do change, after all :). ) I'm not sure if it was moving to another country, or a six-year break between schools, or a different approach in American education that affected my learning style.
Nevertheless, I do like to learn things by trying it myself first. I also tend to use my hands while speaking. And even though I do write a word several different ways and then choose one that looks right, I don't think that I'm a poor speller. I always thought that it reflects my capabilities of a visual learner rather than a kinesthetic one. I do take notes at a lecture, but I also like to listen to the professor's explanation and to follow up by a discussion of the topic with my classmates. Moreover, I disagree with the statement that kinesthetic learners don't like to read. Since I am one (based on the results), I can say for myself that I love reading when I have a good book in my hands.
My learning techniques never failed me before, and I hope they will work in this class too. Although I don't quite agree with the outcome of this test (I still believe that I'm as much visual as kinesthetic), I'm certain that kinesthetic style of learning can bring new and unconventional ideas and show new angles in either in-class or online discussions, which will make our studying more interesting and, therefore, more beneficial to all of us. I believe that by integrating our learning styles we can make this class a great experience to remember.

F.Y.I. After I posted my answer, I did some research on what VARK stands for. It turns out that it is an abbreviation for FOUR (!) learning techniques: V - visual, A - auditory, R - read/write, and K - kinesthetic. I thought it might be interesting for you to know:)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

After taking the Vark exam I found out that I was both an auditory and kinesthetic learner which I wasn't surprised. I tend to learn a lot just by listening but at the same time I get distracted quickly.
My auditory learning style will contribute a lot during our class discussions because I'll have a chance to share my opinions and thoughts with my class mates. On the other hand my kinesthetic learning style will contribute especially during the Presentation since it's based on how to do something and it fits my learning style.
I find this exam very helpful because it's importnat to know what type of learner you are.

What Your Exam Means

Auditory learners are “traditional” students. They learn best by hearing and listening, so traditional instructional techniques, such as lectures, work very well for this style of learner. This is the way that many of us learned to teach, to lecture and then test. For this type of learner, methods that revolve around talking and listening work very well. “Schools have traditionally tended to reward the students with auditory learning strengths. Therefore, many of the teaching strategies used in today’s classrooms are appropriate for the learner who prefers to learn though the auditory mode and who has experienced success” (Sarasin 44). DescriptorsEach type of learner has a set of descriptors, or ways of being that help define more about the learner. Abstract sequential - they can take pieces and pull them together, in an orderly fashion, to understand the whole concept Reflective - they spend time considering learningIndependent - like to be left alone to learn and reflect after hearingAchievement-oriented - like to do well on tests, win contestsMemory-oriented - can memorize facts and figures fairly easilyCompetitive - like to be placed in situations where there is a winner/loserSkill-oriented - like to learn and display new skills, less interested in theory In looking at the auditory learner descriptors, you see a student who will do well when presented with individual facts and allowed to take time, alone, to process those facts into a larger concept. To take this one step further, an auditory learner acts in the following ways when engaged in a learning experience: Learns best by hearing and remembering information they hear, Distracts easily, either by noises or music, Talks to self aloud, Participates in class discussions, Tapes and then listens to lectures later, Uses mnemonic devices to help remember things.

Visual learners are almost polar opposites of auditory learners. Lectures and class discussions don’t work well for them as they have a difficult time following along since there are no visual clues for them to grasp. So the way you teach to visual learners is completely different than how you teach to auditory learners. able to work from the general to the specific. They are: Abstract random - they like to receive information from many sources when learning learn new concepts Global - they see the “big picture” before seeing its partsConcrete - like to “see” things to understand themActive - like to be physically involvedAffective - relate learning to emotionsField-sensitive - learn by looking at the world around themConcept-oriented - see concepts before individual facts Visual learners need time to take what they hear and make is some sort of visual so that they can remember it. They need to be able to relate it to their environment and attach feelings to it. Visual learners: Like graphics, pictures, diagramsFind verbal instructions difficult as their mind tends to wander during lecturesLike to read, generally a good speller, Doodle frequently, Organize well, Have good handwriting, Notice details

Kinesthetic learners are the movers of the education world. They learn best by doing whatever it is they are learning, whether it is a computer application or a biology lab. They are tactile and use their senses to help them learn and are often discouraged from learning in their preferred method at an early age. “The tactile learning style is the most neglected at the postsecondary level. The needs of tactile learners are rarely addressed, other than in classrooms intended for the actual doing, such as science laboratories” (Sarasin 71)DescriptorsKinesthetic learners are: Dependent and independent - need to receive information and stimuli from environment and others and then be free to incorporate it into their learning as necessaryCreative - in problem-solving approaches and in their work. Behavioral - associate physical behaviors with learning Interacts in a hands-on fashion - must be physically involvedPhysical by nature - in everything that they do, when they read, their lips or fingers will move to help them retain information betterSensory - use all their senses in the learning experienceActive - in all aspects of learning Kinesthetic learners are often labeled as hyper or unable to pay attention when they are learning since their need for movement often appears as if they are tuned out, when in reality, they are using movement to help them retain focus. Kinesthetic learners also: Like to be in motion, Fidget in seat, taps pencil or foot often, Tend to be a poor speller, Doesn’t like to read, Use hands while speaking, Work through problems physically.

Vark Exam

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

I'm not sure I agree with the results:)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Vark Test

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What Your Exam Means