The VARK Learning Styles: Definition and Types

Do you ever feel like you struggle to learn things one way but have an easier time if you try a different approach? Like, you’ve heard the lectures and read the textbook, but when you get some real, hands-on experience, things only start to make sense. According to some experts, the key is to use your preferred learning style.

Not everyone’s brain is the same, and that’s why some people may find different strategies work better for them. The idea behind Varark learning style is that there are four main types of learning: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic.

The idea that teaching methods and school activities match students’ learning styles, strengths, and preferences grew in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. However, there is not much research supporting the use of such an approach. Most evidence suggests that personal learning preferences have no effect on learning outcomes.

Verbal learning style

There are many different ways of classifying learning styles, but Neil Fleming’s Warrock model is the most popular. Fleming introduced an inventory in 1987 designed to help students and others learn more about their individual learning preferences.

According to the Warark model, learners are identified by whether they have a preference for:

• Visual learning (Pictures, Movies, Diagrams)
• Auditory learning (music, talks, lectures)
• Reading and writing (making lists, reading textbooks, taking notes)
• Structural learning (movement, experiences, hands-on activities)

Knowing your preferred style can give you some insight into the learning strategies that might appeal to you the most, but that doesn’t mean that learning this way is actually better than learning things in other ways.

What kind of learner are you?

To identify what types of learners people are, Fleming developed a self-report inventory that presented a series of situations. Respondents choose the answers that best match their preferred approach to learning.

Visual learners

Visual learners learn best by watching. This means that graphic displays such as charts, diagrams, illustrations, handouts, and videos appeal to people with a visual learning style.

Do you think you might be a visual learner? Then consider the following questions:

• Are art, beauty and aesthetics important to you?
• Does visualizing information in your mind help you remember it better?
• Do you have to look up information to remember it?
• Do you pay close attention to body language?

If you can answer yes to most of these questions, chances are good that you have a visual learning style. You may find it helpful to include things like pictures and graphs when you’re learning new information.

aural learners

Aural (aka auditory) learners learn best by listening to information. They enjoy listening to lectures and are good at remembering what they are told.

Are you an auditory learner? Consider the following questions:

• Do you make up songs to help remember information?
• Does reading aloud help you remember information better?
• Do you prefer listening to class lectures rather than reading from a textbook?
• Would you rather listen to a recording of your class lectures or podcast than go over your class notes?

Learners read and write

Literacy learners prefer to take in information that appears as words and text. Can you learn to read and write? Read through the following questions and think about whether they might apply to you.

• Do you enjoy making lists, reading definitions and creating presentations?
• Do you have a great way to learn new information?
• Do you take a lot of notes during class and while reading textbooks?
• Do you prefer it when teachers use overheads and handouts?

If you answered yes to these questions, you likely have a strong preference for reading and writing as your learning style.

Kinestech learners

Constitutive (or tactile) learners learn best by touching and doing. Experience Hands-on experience is important for kinesthetic learners.

Not sure if you want to learn Kentech? Answer these questions to find out:

• Are you good at applied activities such as painting, cooking, mechanics, sports and woodworking?
• Do you enjoy performing tasks that involve directly manipulating objects and materials?
• Do you actually have to practice doing something?
• Is it difficult for you to sit for long periods of time?

If you answered yes to these questions, you are most likely a cognizant learner. Classes can be helpful in providing hands-on, hands-on, experience when you want to learn a new skill.

Criticism of Varrok Learning Style

The validity of the Warrock model, as well as other learning style theories, has been questioned and criticized. Although the idea behind the Warrock model is that knowing your style can make learning easier and more effective, some critics have suggested that labeling students as having a specific learning style can hinder learning.

Despite these criticisms, the Varak model is quite popular with both students and teachers. Students may feel drawn to a particular learning style. Others may find that their learning preferences lie somewhere in the middle, with both visual and auditory learning appealing equally.

Why does it matter?

Some people may find that understanding their own learning preferences can be helpful for a variety of reasons. If you know that visual learning appeals to you the most, using visual study strategies in combination with other learning methods can help you find reading more enjoyable or stimulating.

For example, you can rely on your reading and writing preferences when you’re dealing with a class that requires a great deal of book reading and note-taking, such as History of Psychology. During an art class, you can rely more on your visual and ethnographic preferences as you take in image information and learn new techniques.