One of the main components of the educational training completed so far concerns that of "Preferred Learning Styles". This is grounded in educational experience in UK schools over the last five years. It is not 'the golden bullet' and should not be used in isolation to other learning pedagogies. It is part of a much wider "Learning to Learn" package that has been part of the UK National Strategy in education running for some ten years. It is not about pigeon-holing students to only use their preferred style, but about liberating them to embark on a voyage of discovery as to how they learn best. This journey lasts a life time. We tell all of our students that to become the most effective learner, using and developing all learning styles is vital. However, all journeys begin with a simple step, and for us, this has to be about building confidence. We have seen so many 'eureka' moments over the years where young (and not so young!) people suddenly understand that they shouldn't be expected to fit into a mono-stylistic way of learning; that we are all different and learn in different ways. When this is matched with styles of revising and learning for tests and exams, we have seen a growing confidence in students as they explore different ways of revising and begin to learn what works for them.

We have also been very successful in developing this understanding with parents. How many teachers have noticed that parental involvement with their child's education tails off as they go through school? Is it that parents get tired of helping, or fed up, or too busy? We don't think so. We have conducted many interviews with parents and one key factor is continually highlighted: the tail off is about parental confidence and knowledge in the subject that their child is studying. How many of you would go cold at the thought of helping your child with their GCSE Maths homework or revision? How many of you would struggle to talk through key features of a volcanic eruption with your 13-year-old? You may have the child who is fortunate enough to have a parent that knows just about everything. The sad news is that you are the exception. Even parents who think they know it all often become confused because the way things are taught have changed, your child says "That's fine Dad but we don't work out fractions like that!" What tends to happen in most cases is that when the knowledge gap begins to appear between what the child is learning about and what the parent can re-collect, the parent faces a choice: either admit to their child that they don't know or pretend that they know but ask their child to look it up anyway! What experience shows us is that the parent begins to lose confidence and takes the stance of "let them get on with it". What does the child think when the parent does this?

When we deliver training to parents in Preferred Learning Styles, it can be a huge breakthrough in child-parent relationships. We guide our parents through what their child's preferred learning style is and, suddenly, they discover that they don't have to know everything but instead can guide their son/daughter in revision methodologies connected with that style! This gives parents a 'way in' and has really helped bridge the knowledge gap with the consequence of renewed positive attention aimed at the child. This has to be good news!

Preferred Learning Styles theory is designed to help students gain an understanding of learning styles so that they can incorporate the various learning styles in their daily learning activities. It is NOT meant to show them their best way of learning.

Rather, it is a tool for learning-to-learn (metacognition) in order to increase self-awareness about your strengths and weaknesses as a learner so that hopefully you will try the various means of learning, rather than sticking with your preferred methods.

Hints for Recognizing and Implementing the Three VAK Styles

Auditory learners often talk to themselves. They also may move their lips and read out loud. They may have difficulty with reading and writing tasks. They often do better talking to a colleague or a tape recorder and hearing what was said. To integrate this style into the learning environment:
  • Begin new material with a brief explanation of what is coming. Conclude with a summary of what has been covered. This is the old adage of "tell them what they are going to lean, teach them, and tell them what they have learned."
  • Use the Socratic method of lecturing by questioning learners to draw as much information from them as possible and then fill in the gaps with you own expertise.
  • Include auditory activities, such as brainstorming, buzz groups, or Jeopardy. Leave plenty of time to debrief activities. This allows them to make connections of what they leaned and how it applies to their situation.
  • Have the learners verbalize the questions.
  • Develop an internal dialogue between yourself and the learners.
Visual learners have two sub-channels - linguistic and spatial. Learners who are visual-linguistic like to learn through written language, such as reading and writing tasks. They remember what has been written down, even if they do not read it more than once. They like to write down directions and pay better attention to lectures if they watch them. Learners who are visual-spatial usually have difficulty with the written language and do better with charts, demonstrations, videos, and other visual materials. They easily visualize faces and places by using their imagination and seldom get lost in new surroundings. To integrate this style into the learning environment:
  • Use graphs, charts, illustrations, or other visual aids.
  • Include outlines, concept maps, agendas, handouts, etc. for reading and taking notes.
  • Include plenty of content in handouts to reread after the learning session.
  • Leave white space in handouts for note-taking.
  • Invite questions to help them stay alert in auditory environments.
  • Post flip charts to show what will come and what has been presented.
  • Emphasize key points to cue when to takes notes.
  • Eliminate potential distractions.
  • Supplement textual information with illustrations whenever possible.
  • Have them draw pictures in the margins.
  • Have the learners envision the topic or have them act out the subject matter.
Kinesthetic learners do best while touching and moving. It also has two sub-channels: kinesthetic (movement) and tactile (touch). They tend to lose concentration if there is little or no external stimulation or movement. When listening to lectures they may want to take notes for the sake of moving their hands. When reading, they like to scan the material first, and then focus in on the details (get the big picture first). They typically use color highlighters and take notes by drawing pictures, diagrams, or doodling. To integrate this style into the learning environment:
  • Use activities that get the learners up and moving.
  • Play music, when appropriate, during activities.
  • Use colored markers to emphasize key points on flipcharts or white boards.
  • Give frequent stretch breaks (brain breaks).
  • Provide toys such as Koosh balls and Play-Dough to give them something to do with their hands.
  • To highlight a point, provide gum, candy, scents, etc. which provides a cross link of scent (aroma) to the topic at hand (scent can be a powerful cue).
  • Provide highlighters, colored pens and/or pencils.
  • Guide learners through a visualization of complex tasks.
  • Have them transfer information from the text to another medium such as a keyboard or a tablet.

Constantinidou, F. and Baker, S. (2002). Stimulus modality and verbal learning performance in normal aging. Brain and Language, 82(3), 296ñ311.
Rourke, B., Ahmad S., Collins, D., Hayman-Abello, B., Hayman-Abello, S., and Warriner, E. (2002). Child clinical/pediatric neuropsychology: some recent advances. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 309­339


If you would like to have a try at learning your own Preferred Learning Style please click on the link below.