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How do you learn best?

Discover your preferred learning style and excel in your career development

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What is a learning style?

Stewart and Felicetti (1992) dene learning styles as those educational conditions under which a student is most likely to learn. So learning styles describe how a person best processes and takes in information, something which can be inuenced by various factors such as previous learning experiences and the culture and society in which they live. Knowing and understanding your learning style can help you to choose the most effective approach to acquiring new knowledge and developing new skill sets.
Learning style models how can learning styles be described?

There are several different ways of dening and describing learning styles lets take a look at a few of the main learning style models, then discuss how being aware of your learning style can help you to tailor your learning and development to best suit your needs.

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VAK (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic) learning styles

VAK learning styles explanation

The VAK learning styles model is one of the most common and widely-used categorisations. It suggests that people can be divided into one of three preferred styles of learning, as follows:
Visual

Someone with a visual learning style has a preference for: seeing or observing things (such as pictures, diagrams, handouts, lms etc) using phrases such as show me and lets have a look at it performing new tasks after: - reading instructions - watching someone else do it working from written directions and instructions

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Auditory

Someone with an auditory learning style has a preference for: transferring information through listening (to the spoken word of self or others and other sounds) using phrases such as tell me and lets talk it over performing new tasks after listening to instructions from an expert learning from what others tell them easily remembering the words to songs
Kinaesthetic

Someone with a kinaesthetic learning style has a preference for: physical experience touching, feeling, doing and other hands-on experiences using phrases such as let me try and how do you feel? learning from trying things out, learning as they go experimenting and never reading instructions! Some people may nd that they have a very strong preference for one of these learning styles; whereas others have a more even mixture of two, or even three, styles. Please note that the self-assessment questionnaire that follows is not a scientically validated testing instrument it is a free assessment tool designed to give you a broad indication of preferred learning style(s).

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My learning style - self-assessment questionnaire

Simply choose the answer that best represents how you normally behave. 1. When I operate new equipment I generally: a) read the instructions rst b) listen to an explanation from someone who has used it before c) go ahead and have a go - I can gure it out as I use it 2. When I need directions for travelling I usually: a) look at a map b) ask for spoken directions c) follow my nose and maybe use a compass 3. When I cook a new dish, I like to: a) follow a written recipe b) call a friend for an explanation c) follow my instincts, testing as I cook 4. If I am teaching someone something new, I tend to: a) write instructions down for them b) give them a verbal explanation c) demonstrate rst and then let them have a go 5. During my free time I most enjoy: a) going to museums and galleries b) listening to music and talking to my friends c) playing sport or doing DIY 6. When I am choosing a holiday I usually: a) read lots of brochures b) listen to recommendations from friends c) imagine what it would be like to be there 7. If I were buying a new car, I would: a) read reviews in newspapers and magazines b) discuss what I need with my friends c) test-drive lots of different types 8. When I am learning a new skill, I am most comfortable: a) watching what the teacher is doing b) talking through with the teacher exactly what Im supposed to do c) giving it a try myself and working it out as I go 9. When I concentrate, I most often: a) focus on the words or the pictures in front of me b) discuss the problem and the possible solutions in my head c) move around a lot, ddle with pens and pencils and touch things 10. I choose household furnishings because I like: a) their colours and how they look b) the descriptions the sales-people give me c) their textures and what it feels like to touch them

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11. My rst memory is of: a) looking at something b) being spoken to c) doing something 12. When I am anxious, I: a) visualise the worst-case scenarios b) talk over in my head what worries me most c) cant sit still, ddle and move around constantly 13. I feel especially connected to other people because of: a) how they look b) what they say to me c) how they make me feel 14. If I am explaining something to someone I tend to: a) show them what I mean b) explain to them in different ways until they understand c) encourage them to try and talk them through my idea as they do it 15. Most of my free time is spent: a) watching television b) talking to friends c) doing physical activity or making things

16. When I rst contact a new person, I usually: a) arrange a face to face meeting b) talk to them on the telephone c) try to get together whilst doing something else, such as an activity or a meal 17. If I am angry, I tend to: a) keep replaying in my mind what it is that has upset me b) raise my voice and tell people how I feel c) stamp about, slam doors and physically demonstrate my anger 18. I nd it easiest to remember: a) faces b) names c) things I have done 19. I remember things best by: a) writing notes or keeping printed details b) saying them aloud or repeating words and key points in my head c) doing and practising the activity or imagining it being done

20. I tend to say: a) I see what you mean b) I hear what you are saying c) I know how you feel Now add up how many As, Bs and Cs you selected. If you mostly answered A, you have a VISUAL learning style. If you mostly answered B, you have an AUDITORY learning style. If you mostly answered C, you have a KINAESTHETIC learning style. You may nd that your learning style is a mixture of two or three styles, in which case refer to all of the applicable styles described above.

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Kolb learning styles

Another popular way of looking at learning styles is the model put forward by David Kolb in his book Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development, published in 1984. This model divides learners into four different categories, outlined below.
Diverging style (feeling and watching) Assimilating (watching and thinking)

This learning style describes people who: prefer to watch rather than do gather information and use their imagination to solve problems view things from many different perspectives prefer to work in groups listen with an open mind and like to receive feedback are interested in people are imaginative and emotional Kolb referred to this style as diverging because such people perform better in situations that require ideas generation, such as brainstorming.

People in this category: prefer a concise and logical approach require a clear explanation like to organise information into a clear logical format value logically sound theories they are more interested in ideas and abstract concepts than people need time to think things through prefer reading, lectures and exploring models

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Converging (doing and thinking)

Accommodating (doing and feeling)

The converging learning style refers to people who: prefer solving problems using their learning are best at nding practical uses for ideas are less attracted to social and interpersonal problems, and prefer practical tasks like to experiment with new ideas are technically orientated prefer to work with practical applications

This learning style applies to people who: adopt a hands-on approach, which relies on intuition rather than logic take a practical and experiential approach are attracted to new challenges and experiences act on gut instinct rather than logical analysis take initiative prefer to work in teams to complete tasks set targets and try different ways to get results

As with any behavioural model, this is a guide rather than a strict set of rules. However, as with the VAK model, most people clearly exhibit strong preferences for a given learning style.

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Honey and Mumford's model

Peter Honey and Alan Mumford slightly adapted Kolbs model to develop their own learning styles model. They refer to four stages named according to managerial experiences of decision making/problem solving. These are: 1. Having an experience 2. Reviewing the experience 3. Concluding from the experience 4. Planning the next steps Learning styles were then directly aligned to the stages in the cycle and named: Activist Reector Theorist Pragmatist Honey and Mumford put together a Learning Styles Questionnaire which invites managers to assess their work-related behaviours, rather than directly asking them about their learning preferences. The other difference, when compared with Kolbs learning styles model, is that Honey and Mumford argue that a persons learning style is more of a personal preference and something that changes depending on context, rather than something xed.

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What are the benefits of knowing your learning style?

Knowing which learning style best describes you can help you to make more effective and well-informed decisions about your learning and development. Once youve identied your preferred learning style, you can understand the types of learning that work best for you. However it is important to remember that everyone responds to and needs the stimulus of all types of learning styles - it's a matter of using the style that suits you best in the given situation. Lets look at some examples of how your learning style can be reected in your learning and development: People who prefer the assimilating learning style may not be comfortable being thrown in at the deep end without notes and instructions. Reectors like individual research and study and like to have time to think about things for a while, meaning that online training courses, which allow learners to move at their own pace, can be a good solution.

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People who prefer to use an accommodating learning style are likely to become frustrated if they are forced to read lots of instructions and rules, and are unable to get hands-on experience as soon as possible. Visual learners remember what they see and benet from diagrams, photos and graphs for example, meaning that having colourful, visual course material is important in improving their learning experience.

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