A handy survey to help identify a student's primary style of learning.

Human beings differ from one another in a multitude of ways. Just as two people may have different eye colors or different body types, each person has his or her own individual way to take in information. This short survey is designed to assess your individual learning style combination enabling you to learn and study more effectively. For accuracy's sake, we'll go into specifics of the theory behind each method after you've completed the survey. It is best to keep preconceived notions about your learning style out of your mind for the time being. For the best results, mark you answers honestly and intuitively. This series of inventory sheets can be used to help students identify the traits that they share on average day. The checklist with walkthrough through a number of different ways to assess which methods of study agree most with either their habits or what they personally feel comfortable with. As you scroll down you will come across an interpretation area that helps you make sense of it all. Hopefully through this exercise you we be able to communicate to students some solid study habits that would be best agree with their own approach to taking in information.



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Printable Learning Style Checklist Worksheet

Click the buttons to print each part of the checklist.

Learning Style Inventory Worksheet

Learning Style Inventory

Contains instructions for the survey, and general indicators. Below, you will find a series of statements which may or may not apply to you. On the right of each statement place a mark indicating whether you "strongly agree," "agree somewhat," "disagree," or "strongly disagree" with each statement.

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Visual Learner Worksheet

Visual Portion

Concentrates on questions to ascertain the degree of your visual. Example: " I would rather build a scale model of a car than read about cars in a magazine."

Auditory Worksheet

Auditory Portion

Concentrates on questions to ascertain your level of intake for auditory information. Example: "When I pick up the phone, I can easily tell who is on the other line just by his or her voice."

Tactile Worksheet

Tactile Portion

Concentrates on questions to ascertain the degree to which your tactile skills function. Example: "I never have trouble driving a friend's car or finding the controls and switches, even if I've never driven it before."

Rote Worksheet

Rote Section

We see how you are trained in the rote method of information uptake. Example: The easiest way for me to learn to spell a word is to repeat its spelling out loud several times.

Survey Worksheet

Last Page of Survey

The last questions continued from the "Rote Section" page.

Score Sheet

Score Sheet

Now that you've taken the survey, it's time to add up your scores. Each of the three columns that you see below contains a list of numbers that correspond to the statements that you have just responded to above. For each statement that you "strongly disagreed "with, write a "1." If you "disagreed" with a statement write a "2" by the number corresponding to that statement. If you "agreed" somewhat write a "3" and if you "strongly agreed" write a "4."

What's it Mean Worksheet

What's it Mean?

What does it all mean? Occasionally, you may find that you do not have a single dominant way that learn, but rather two or even three nearly equal scores. If this is the case, you should read the information on each style that you score highly on. Go ahead and read the suggestions given below for the learning style that you scored the highest in.

Auditory and Tactile Worksheet

Auditory and Tactile Learners

Auditory Learners learn primarily by paying close attention to sounds and voices. Tactile Learners learn through doing. These types of learners are less inclined to absorb the bulk of their information through language.

Final Thought Worksheet

Final Thought

A continuation of the "Auditory and Tactile Learners" page, plus a last word overall.

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How To Determine Your Learning Style?

Every person on this planet is a bit different in how they think and communicate. They are just a way to say which methods best agree with you for taken in information. Academics have commonly shifted their thinking on this by classifying four then seven. The underlying truth is that not everybody learns best using the same technique. Not everyone learns best with flashcards or by taking notes. People that best take in information best with their eyes through observation are referred to as visual learners. This style of learner accelerates with pictures and diagrams. These are your students that are doodling on their pads all the time, as it helps them think. There are many people that learn best by hearing something. These are called auditory learners. I can attest to this my college roommate would put her head down (as if she were sleeping) on desk and just listen in class. She graduated college with honors. There are people that best take in information by touching and doing.

These learners are called kinesthetic learners. They tend to be good athletes and do not have the best handwriting. There are so many different ways to take information. Wouldn’t it be best to determine what works best for you or your students? This would help you learn things at an accelerated rate. Once the students have completed the survey, you'll be able to better tailor your lesson plans to accommodate their individual learning styles.

Don’t you think it’s fascinating how we still have much to uncover regarding our minds’ complexities despite the digital age’s advanced technologies? One topic that particularly interests me as an educator is the different learning modes. According to Teach, recognizing these modes is essential to making the most out of classroom teaching and learning.

You can determine your learning style by completing a short test. There are numerous online assessments that you can take for free. Close observation of how you retain and process information can also increase the accuracy of your results.

Determining Your Style

You might have a rough idea of what your learning style is already. Even so, taking online tests might also reveal other insights into your dominant learning mode.

The VARK website has a questionnaire that can reveal what is best for you. I also recommend checking out this online assessment by Education Planner. 

What Is a Learning Style?

Learning is more than just accumulating new information. Instead, it’s a complex act that several different factors can influence.

A learning style is a method that helps an individual absorb, understand, and remember various information. Also referred to as a learning mode, varying learning styles are defined for multiple types of intelligence. 

What Is the VARK Model?

There are different theories and models that identify the various ways to go about it. However, the most common is the VARK model.

VARK is an acronym that stands for visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. It is a model first formulated in 1987 by Neil Fleming, an educator from New Zealand. 

Keep in mind that the four learning modalities defined in the VARK model aren’t the only learning styles.

In addition, don't confine yourself to a single learning style. Instead, it’s best to think of your method of favor as your dominant method of processing information rather than the only mode.

Four Main Learning Styles

Whether you’re trying to determine your student’s learning style or your own, here are the four major modes according to the VARK model:

Visual Learning Style

Visual learners find it easier to learn new information by processing images. These can be pictures, drawings, graphs, and video clips, to name a few.

I understand that visual learning isn’t always applicable, depending on your area of study. If that’s the case, I highly recommend inserting visual triggers into your notes. 

They can be as simple as placing stars on statements you wish to remember. Color coding and highlighting your learning materials can also help.

Auditory Learning Style

Auditory learners understand and remember concepts best when they are heard and discussed. As such, they usually benefit a lot from lectures and study groups. 

If you prefer learning alone, then I recommend reading your notes aloud. You may also learn by listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and similar media. You can even record your voice and use it as a learning guide.

Reading/Writing Learning Style

Do you find it easier to remember things you’ve read and written about? Then you’re probably a reading/writing learner.

Reading/writing learners also don’t find it tedious to take substantial notes compared to other types of learners.

I recommend keeping a stash of index cards ready. They can be particularly helpful when memorizing new concepts.

Kinesthetic Learning Style

Finally, some learners enjoy taking action when exploring new concepts. These can include lab work, hands-on activities, and even physical movements.

For instance, kinesthetic learners usually find it easier to process new information when walking or exercising. I also recommend studying outdoors, where it’s easier to breathe fresh air and stretch out your limbs, especially during long study sessions.

Conclusion

It’s not always easy to learn (and teach) new things. Fortunately, determining one’s learning style can make the process more efficient, and you can determine your dominant learning mode by taking a simple online assessment.

There are different learning styles out there. Still, the most common reference remains to be the VARK model, featuring four major learning modes:

  • Visual Learning
  • Auditory Learning
  • Reading/Writing Learning
  • Kinesthetic Learning