NRS 429V W1 Assignment VARK Analysis Paper VARK Analysis Paper

 

The desired learning outcomes in a learning environment hinge on several factors; therefore, it is essential that an educator gets the best grasp of these factors. One of such factors is the individual learning styles which are usually based on an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. The importance of this fact is that an educator should take learners’ preferred learning styles when creating teaching plans for better outcomes. Decades ago, it was complicated knowing a person’s preferred learning style. However, this has been made fairly easy with the current advances in technology. One of the tools that can be used in such is the VARK questionnaire (Tabatabei, 2018). Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to provide a summary of learning styles according to a completed VARK questionnaire. Preferred learning strategies, how learning styles impact how a learner understands, the importance of identifying learning styles, and how the learning styles affect the possibility for a behavioral change will also be explored.

A learning style is a technique or the preferred way in which learners absorb, process, comprehend, and retain knowledge. There are various learning styles which are categorized based on the sensible approaches, which are either visual, auditory, read or write, and kinesthetic. The learning styles are found within the VARK model of students learning. VARK is an acronym for the four primary learning styles Visual, Auditory, Read and Write and Kinesthetic (VARK, 2019). The VARK model recognizes that learners have various approaches on how they process information, typically known as the preferred leaning mode. This essay will discuss learning styles for learners and will include a description of my learning style based on the VARK questionnaire. The paper will also explore the importance of educators identifying learners’ learning styles and application of learning styles in health promotion.

The Summary of My Learning Style Based on the VARK Questionnaire

The completion of the VARK questionnaire revealed some interesting results. According to the questionnaire, the preferred learning style is multimodal. This style employs various strategies such as trial and error, case studies, examples, experience, practical exercise, questioning, talking, discussing, listening, interesting layouts, maps, diagrams, graphs, and various formats. Various scores were obtained include; Kinesthetic-6, Read/Write-1, Aural-5, and visual-4 (“The VARK questionnaire,” 2021). Thus, Kinesthetic is the biggest preference with a score of six, implying that I prefer using the sense of touch and hands when learning.

The Preferred Learning Strategies

As a learner, I prefer various learning strategies. For instance, I like when lectures are accompanied by illustrative diagrams and participating in class discussions. The strategy is connected to the learning style since it is part of other styles that combine to make a complete whole of methods. While illustrative diagrams are key in allowing me to understand concepts much easier, discussions enable an individual to express ideas both horizontally and vertically about their knowledge.

How Learning Styles Can Impact the Extent of Performance In Education Activities

The nature of a learning style may impact how an individual performs in educational activities. For example, individuals capable of integrating their learning styles with various activities usually excel in the learning environment and post improved performances. The opposite is true for those learners who cannot successfully integrate (Wilson, 2018). The implication is that educators should be proactive in investigating the learners learning style and use the most appropriate techniques to help the student learn to the optimum hence improving learning outcomes

Why It is Necessary to Understand the Learning Styles of Individuals Involved in Health Promotion

Health promotion is one of the key strategies that healthcare members or professionals use to increase individuals or populations’ intake and use various health efforts and healthy behaviors. Therefore, among the central focuses of the people who engage in health promotion is to increase awareness and knowledge among the people regarding a health activity or a health product (Bokhari & Zafar, 2019). Such aims are largely accomplished through the use of lessons, practices, and actions that impact people’s behavior either directly or indirectly. When the behavior is positively impacted, there are higher chances of achieving the goals set for health promotion.

The preferred learning style of the individuals receiving the health promotion message and material can substantially impact the degree of understanding of the material. Therefore, the more the individual delivering the material knows the recipient’s preferred learning style, the better, as it will enhance the likelihood of the individuals embracing the targeted behavior change (Bokhari & Zafar, 2019). In addition, knowing the health promotion recipient’s learning style also helps the promoter to align the teaching methods and make necessary modifications for optimum learning, hence the targeted behavior change. The promoters also should be in a position to recognize how impactful the techniques they use are on the individual’s behavior change. Such a feat makes it easier to accomplish the targeted behavior change.

Accommodating different learning styles in a health promotion effort requires the application of various strategies. One way of accommodating different learning styles in health promotion is by engaging the service of experts with specialized experience in teaching in different forums; health promotion included. These experts are able to adjust their teaching approaches and strategies to fit the needs of individuals participating in health promotion (Wilson, 2018). For example, when experts realize that an individual or a group of individuals prefer a particular learning style or are particular learners such as kinesthetic, they can use their expertise and experience of teaching kinesthetic learners to get their message across using the most effective strategies. The learners can easily understand the message as it is put in a language they can easily understand. In addition, accommodating different learning styles require a well-coordinated collaboration and unity among the health promoters so that they work together towards achieving the common goal.

Conclusion

Learning styles and preferences are key to the process of learning in any learning environment. The VARK assessment completed revealed that my preferred learning style is multimodal, with kinesthetic learning style the predominant style. Understanding an individual’s preferred learning style is essential, especially in health promotion efforts, as it ensures that the promoter adjusts teaching strategies to optimize learning. 

References

Bokhari, N. M., & Zafar, M. (2019). Learning styles and approaches among medical education participants. Journal of education and health promotion, 8. https://dx.doi.org/10.4103%2Fjehp.jehp_95_19