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The study - In 1992, researchers Niel Fleming and Colleen Mills studied both students and teachers in order to understand the differences between how individuals learn.

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VARK -

The VARK modalities are the areas where they recognized differences among the learners' methods of absorbing information. The acronym stands for visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic.

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Why is it important? - When you know what kind of learner you are, you can tailor the process of learning to make it the most efficient for your style. It may be more work at the beginning, but it pays off in the long run.

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School - Many children suffer in school because the predominant method of teaching for centuries has been rote learning (a memorization technique that is based on repetition). Kids who didn’t pick up as much as the others probably thought themselves to be less intelligent.

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The truth - In schools, the lack of flexibility and diversity in teaching methods has led to many being left out of the learning process, even though they are fully capable.

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Benefit - People with learning disabilities such as dyslexia often have different methods of learning things. They are no less intelligent than other kinds of learners. Both Albert Einstein (1879-1955) and Michael Faraday (1791-1867) had learning disabilities.

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What kind of learner are you? - The best way to answer this question is to imagine yourself in a certain situation. The original data for the research was collected from a questionnaire the researchers gave going through different scenarios.

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The situation - Imagine you are at work and have to learn about a new project that you know nothing about. What would be the first thing you would do in order to learn about the project?

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Visual -

You may immediately want to see the facts and figures of the project in diagrams on a big board. If you yearn for this kind of visual display, that is probably the best way you learn.

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Auditory - Maybe the first thing you do is search for a colleague to discuss the project. If speaking about it and listening to another person explain is most helpful to you, then you are probably an auditory learner.

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Reading/writing - You may request a report detailing the most important bits of the new project. If reading this and writing this out would best help you learn, then you might be a reading and writing learner.

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Kinesthetic - In this case, you may want to see examples of where a similar project has worked well. By seeing the project in action, you can understand it. If you like this kind of learning, then you might be a kinesthetic learner.

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Examples - Usually, in order to determine what kind of learner you are, you should do a questionnaire with many examples. This is because you could be more than one learning type.

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Visual learner - Visual learners are those who assimilate information more by seeing it displayed graphically. This includes things like illustrations, diagrams, charts, handouts, and videos.

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Visual learner - If you think you might be this kind, then ask yourself some of these questions. Do you judge things aesthetically? When you want to remember things, do you visualize them in your head?

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Visual learner - Do you have to see information graphically in order to remember it? Do you pay a lot of attention to body language?

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What you can do - If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you are probably a visual learner. In the future when you are trying to learn something, try and make the information more visual by making graphs and diagrams.

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Auditory learner - An auditory or aural learner is someone who picks up information most by hearing it. These people benefit from going to lectures and often remember what they are told.

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Auditory learner - If you suspect you are this kind of learner, then ask yourself the following questions. Do you ever make information into music to help you remember it? Do you remember things better when you read or say them out loud?

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Auditory leaner - Would you prefer to read a textbook or go to a lecture? Are podcasts of information more useful than reading the same information for you?

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What you can do - If you answered yes to these scenarios, then auditory learning is probably how you pick up information. You should try to use audiobooks, podcasts, and lectures to help to learn things in the future.

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Reading and writing learner - This is the classical understanding of learning and still works for many people. This kind of learner benefits most from reading text and writing out things they want to learn.

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Reading and writing learner - If you are this type of learner, the following questions may be positive for you. Do you like making presentations from written sources, writing definitions in your own words, and making lists?

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Reading and writing learner -

Do you use your text-based sources as your main learning resources? Do you like to write down a lot of notes?

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What you can do - This kind of learner is most suited to reading information and then putting it into their own words and writing it down. If your answers to the questions were affirmative, try this method when learning.

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Kinesthetic learners -

Learning kinesthetically means that you like to do and touch. Your learning methods are all quite hands-on.

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Kinesthetic learners - Do you excel in practical activities such as sports, painting, mechanics, woodwork, and cooking? Do you enjoy making things?

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Kinesthetic learners - When you want to learn something, do you have to physically practice it to learn it? Do you find it tricky to sit still for an extended period of time?

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What you can do - If this sounds like you, then try and incorporate physical and practical activities into your everyday life when you want to learn. Use real-life, practical examples to aid your learning process.

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Proper use -

Most of the time, people are a mix of a few learning categories. Remember it is not necessarily about what you find easiest, but actually what helps you learn most effectively.

Sources: (To Improve the Academy) (VARK-Learn) (Verywell Mind)

See also: 30 simple ways to increase your intelligence

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