Learning Journal #1: The Trouble with VAK/ Some unexpected results of a learning styles intervention?

For this week class(8/10/2013), I learned about  what is VAK, the learners of VAK,  the author that came up with VAK and VARK, the three association that relate to VAK, the fundamental principles of ALPS via the acronym ‘NO LIMIT’ , how brain works. Students will feel relax and open more to new information and ideas.

Based on the article on “The trouble with VAK” by John G. Sharp, Jenny Byrne, and Rob Bowker, said that the research on learning styles has dated back 100 years ago, and it has been popular in schools even in the present time. The authors mentioned that learning styles are known to identify and categorizing the habits and other behaviours of individuals as they perform different set of tasks. This article provides insights to primary school teachers and they are able to use learning styles as a diagnostic or pedagogical tool in their classrooms. The authors in this article is mainly interested in VAK(Visual, Auditory and Kineastatic) because it popularize by appearance and it can be seen in the growing awareness of the primary school children. VAK questionnaires, is a learning instrument that used in schools, bore a little resemblance to both students and teachers and most of the primary school teachers would like to use VAK to plan and teach at the whole-school strategic level. I recall the huge impact this movement had on me as a child. In primary school, after completing a brief questionnaire on learning styles, I suddenly discovered that I was a visual learner and a bit of auditory learner. I answered the VAK questionnaire in the university to see whether my learning styles have changed. It turns out; I was still a visual learner ever since primary school, where I learn things best through seeing them. I also has the habit of creating images, colours, and mind maps to organize the information and watching films. But I’m also a little bit a both auditory and kineastatic learner, which is really closed. There is another article on “Some unexpected results of learning styles intervention? By Pat Bricheno and Mike Younger talks about what kind of learners are boys and girls are,and how boys and girls who use kina esthetic learning styles to learn a skill and achieve the subjects that interests them the most. (Suffolk County Council, 2002) said the 37% of the population are kina esthetic learners and boys are more likely to be kina esthetic learners.  Results shown that boys are more towards to be kinaestatic learners than girls because of their active participation during physical education class, practical science lessons, and design and technology. As for girls, there are performing well in their studies in terms of the core subjects because of the attitude to learn in a quiet, and meaningful manner. Boys, on the other hand are more laid back and they are likely more interested in hands-on activities and things that keeps them active and moving around.

Besides the use of VAK, there are three associations that relate with VAK:

Ø   accelerated learning

Ø   multiple intelligence

Ø   brain gym.

This work is created by a Scottish author named Alistair Smith. First, the article starts the VAK and Accelerated Learning in Primary school. In this section, the author Smith suggests the strategies and activities for primary school teachers are both sound and reflect that would agree constitute good practice. I agree with Smith because it is important for the teacher to use sounds and reflect on, evaluate and improve their professional practice. Teachers should need to plan their activities that will meet the learning objectives of a particular lesson.

Alistair Smith (1996) defined accelerated learning as a series of practical approaches to learning which benefit from new knowledge about how the brain functions, motivation and self-belief and recalling various information. This is learning beyond our reach. Smith also lists the fundamental principles of ALPS via the acronym ‘NO LIMIT’. Accelerated learning has a play a prominent role for children who are visual, auditory and kinestatic learning modalities to see how children interact with each other, in the environment and their academic performance.

Children with visual learning styles preferences might move their eyes upwards, their breathing might be shallow and take place high in their chests, and their voices are high pitched. This experience is similar to me because I tend to move my eyes upwards when it comes to certain discussions or questions posed by own teachers. This helps me to think on what would I say next...

The second association is both VAK and Multiple Intelligence Theory. The relationship of these two will determine an individual’s balance of multiple intelligence and appropriate use of range activities and strategies. Multiple Intelligence Theory is founded by Howard Gardner and it has a traditional concept of a singular intelligence in favour up to eight or nine cognitive competences described in terms of sets of abilities, talents or mental skills. Students learn in many distinctive ways and everyone can learn the same material in the same way and it is universal. He proposed 8 multiple intelligences which are logical, musical, linguistic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, visual,  kineastatic, and natural. Upon my personal experiences, I am visual-spatial, linguistic and musical because it is my interest in learning to draw portraits, study better while listening to music and read lots of storybooks and novels.

The third association is both VAK and brain-based learning. The relationship between VAK and brain-based learning within ALPS is an understanding of the three parts of brain- the reptilian, limbic and neo-cortex and what functions they control will help teachers to design appropriate learning activities which are challenging, without being stressful, and which delivers a holistic learning. Lesson structure and content which demonstrates awareness of the different needs of right and left brain learners will automatically have a greater impact. I agree with Smith that it is important for a teacher to design the lesson structure and content according to the different learners that uses either their left or right brain to understand the content that is being taught in the lesson. Right brain learners are more on mathematical, problem solving and it requires a lot of logical and abstract thinking while the left brain learners are more creative in art and design, learn multiple languages, and reading and writing. Upon my personal experiences, I use more on my left-brain to draw pictures, coloring and interested to learn languages, but I sometimes use my right brain to calculate mathematical problems, not the abstract and hard concepts.

This article further explains Smith’s experiment on four-imaginary children and sorts of lest-right hemispheric activities that meet each of their individual needs. He presented nine key principles of brain-based learning and provides neuroscientific evidence to support his claims. He incorporated strategies and activities such as using different music for different lessons and times of the day, brain breaks which will increase students’ motivation, self-esteem, classroom behaviours and achievement. I agree with this because teachers should know that their students will get bored when there is no single activity that engages them to learn and interact with others. So, Smith makes a very good point on children exposed to VAK activities will make them feel stronger to voice out their opinions, and have a brighter future ahead.

 Finally, Smith ensures that all teachers, especially primary school teachers to use his strategies and activities that encourages VAK in the classrooms to show students that learning is fun and meaningful and also build up their confidence to participate and able to engage in classroom activities.