What is VARK?
Preference for learning
One’s preference for taking information into the brain
and communicating them “outside”
Can be used to help you develop additional, effective
strategies for learning
1.Take in information
2.Study information for effective learning
3.Study for performing well on an examination
(Give out information)
V –Visual Preference/Learners
Includes depiction of information in:
Maps
Spider diagrams
Charts
Graphs
All the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies
Does not include movies, videos, or PowerPoint
Does include designs, white space, patterns,
shapes, and different formats that are used to
highlight and convey information
V –Visual Learners
Visual learners best comprehend
information by visualizing relationships
and ideas. Maps, charts, diagrams and
even essays work well for visual
learners.
Manyvisual learnersneed quiet time to
themselves to study. They may speak
fast and they may prefer to work alone
rather than in groups.
V –Visual Learners
You may be a visual learner if …
Your notes are covered with drawings
You are good with remembering faces
but not names
You can spell well
You’d rather read a story than listen to it
You’re good with maps and directions
V –Visual Learners
Study tips for visual learners:
Sit in the front of the classroom so you
can take notes off the board
Translate your notes into charts,
diagrams and lists
Use color coding to your advantage
Study for tests with flashcards
A -Aural / Auditory Preference
Information that is “heard or spoken”
Learn best from
lectures tutorials tapes
group discussionemailusing mobile phones
web chat talking things through
Talking out loud as well as talking to yourself
Often people with this preference want to sort out
things by speaking, rather than sorting things out and
then speaking
A -Aural / Auditory Preference
Auditory learners are all ears. They tend to
preferlisteningto information rather than
reading it or seeing it visually displayed.
Auditory learnersmay speak and read slowly.
They tend to be linear thinkers and may repeat
things they hear out loud.
A -Aural / Auditory Learner
You may be an auditory learner if …
You are easily distracted by noises
You have difficulty working quietly for long
periods of time
You are a good listener
You easily remember what others say
A -Aural / Auditory Learner
Study tips for auditory learners:
Read aloud when possible
Join a study group in order to discuss ideas
with other students
When using flashcards, give responses out loud
Utilize videos for listening
Record lectures for reviewing notes
R –Read / Write Preference
Information displayed in words
Many academics have a strong preference for this
modality
Emphasizes text-based input and output –reading
and writing in all forms
People who prefer this modality are addicted to
PowerPoint, the Internet, lists, dictionaries,
quotations, and words, words, words
R –Read / Write Learner
Reading and writing learners are extremely
comfortable with the written word. They prefer
to consume information by reading texts and
can further absorb information by condensing
and rephrasing it. The traditional college
lecture and note-taking environment works
well for thereading/writing learning style.
R –Read / Write Learner
You may be a reading/writing learner if …
You love making lists
You enjoy reading and writing
You prefer to have written directions
R –Read / Write Learner
Study tips for reading/writing learners:
Review your class notes afterwards
Use printouts of presentations to follow along
Seek resources in articles, e-books and essays
Rewrite ideas in your own words
Translate visual information into statements
K-Kinesthetic Preference
“Perpetual preference related to the use of experience
and practice (simulated or real)”
Connected to reality through
Personal experiences
Examples
Practice or simulation
Includes demonstrations, simulations, videos, case
studies, practice and applications
K-Kinesthetic Learner
Kinesthetic learners are the most hands-
on learning type. They learn best by
doing and may get fidgety if forced to sit
for long periods of time.
Kinesthetic learnersdo best when
they can participate in activities or solve
problems in a hands-on manner. They
tend to have good coordination and best
remember what they do.
K-Kinesthetic Learner
You may be a kinesthetic learner if …
You excel at sports, art or drama
You enjoy building, making or creating
You have trouble sitting still
You fiddle with objects while thinking
K-Kinesthetic Learner
Study tips for kinesthetic learners:
Study in blocks of time with frequent
breaks
Walk around while reviewing your notes
Trace words with your fingers as you study
Use flashcards, games or activities to
study
Toss a tennis ball around while you’re
thinking
MM –Multimodal Preferences
Life is multimodal
Seldom instances where one mode is used, or is
sufficient, so we have a four-part VARK profile
Those who prefer many modes almost equally are
of two types
Context specific who choose a single mode to
suit the occasion or situation
Others who are not satisfied until they have had
input (or output) in all of their preferred modes.
They take longer to gather information
from each mode and, as a result, they
have a deeper and broader
understanding