Analysis of learning styles and ICT

Analysis of learning styles questionnaire and how it might affect how you learn or teach generally and in an ICT learning environment in particular. Do you agree with your profile?

After taking the VARK learning styles questionnaire (http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire), I got the following results:

• Visual: 6
• Aural: 8
• Read/write: 3
• Kinesthetic: 9

Apparently my learning preferences are multi-modal. I was surprised that I scored so high on kinesthetic learning, but the more i reflect on it the more it makes sense. It also makes sense that lectures work well for me because I'm a strongly aural learner. It could also explain why I like taking tutorials so much, because it involves conversation. However, my low score in read/write preference could be a problem for someone in academia who is required to do volumes of written research.

On reflection, my stronger preference for visual and kinsethetic learning is evident in the way that I teach. I prefer conversation, oral explanation, the occasional diagram/scribble and, when, I can, physical activity.

It is perhaps a good thing that my style is multi-modal because I am naturally inclined to use more than one teaching style. This also for the moment works well because read/write learners are also being catered to outside of the classroom (as the classroom is not their preferred place for learning anyway). Perhaps the reason I am attracted to teaching in the first place is my preference for these learning styles.

I am inclined to be enthusiastic about ICT because it seems to address the deficiency in tertiary teaching which is currently read/write and aural based. ICT allows for more visual and kinesthetic learning tools to be available - video and the creation and publication of video, tools like mindmeister that allow visual representation of ideas, even the act of blogging, which makes reflection a visual (colours, schemes design etc) as well as written exercise. Interactive websites that require students to move things around etc will also address kinesthetic learners to some extent (when they cannot be involved in physical space, they can be involved in virtual space).