M3- James Brooks

Learning Styles That

Aid Personal Development

In this task, I will produce a report on how different general learning styles aid a personal
development plan. I will also use my own personal styles as an example too.

What are learning styles?

Learning styles are specific ways that people use to gain and maintain knowledge. They rely on
cognitive, emotional and environmental factors. There are four main learning styles that people use
to take in new information; it is called VARK which stands for visual, auditory, reading/writing and
kinaesthetic learning styles.

Visual learning styles

Visual learning styles are a way of learning and obtaining knowledge by linking information with
different images. This event means that learners must see it before understanding completely.
People with visual learning styles are most commonly called visual-spatial learners. Visual learners
have certain characteristics that make their learning easier and more unique. Typically, they rather
remember what they read then what they hear, they are mainly good at spelling, taking notes during
presentations, need to have quiet when studying and many other characteristics. Visual learning
style also reflects on someone’s personality and habits. These learners are known to make plans for
the future, quiet and sometimes shy; and be organized.

Auditory learning styles

Auditory learning styles are where people learn by listening, just how visual learners learn by looking
at images. People who use auditory learning styles rely on hearing and speaking because it is their
main way of learning. Auditory learners might have problem with instructions when they are shown
pictures rather than it being said to them, however, if the writing is ordered well they shouldn’t have
an issue understanding it. Auditory learners are especially good at speeches, lectures and other oral
sessions. When reading, auditory learners have problems understanding anything that doesn’t have
sound in the background. This is why they prefer to read something with the TV on, music, people
talking etc.

Reading and writing learning styles

Reading and writing learning styles are where people use text to gather and obtain information.
These types of learners prefer to read textbooks, news articles and write notes to learn new things.
These types of learners typically remember information better when they read or write it down they
also tend to write in strong detail and enjoy writing high quality essays.
M3- James Brooks

Kinaesthetic learning styles

Kinaesthetic learning styles are for people that prefer to do physical activities rather than listening to
a lecture or watching a demonstration. These people are called kinaesthetic learners or “do-ers”.
According to some research. Kinaesthetic learners achieve more in chemistry experiments, sports
activities and acting than in English or maths lessons. In kinaesthetic learning, learning happens
when the learner is using their body to express a thought.

My personal learning styles

Using the VARK questionnaire I have established that I am mainly a visual and kinaesthetic learner
meaning that I learn best by using graphs, diagrams, maps, practical exercises and case studies. This
means that I am a multimodal learner which means I sometimes require using more than one of the
learning strategies to obtain information affectively.

Sequential learning styles

Another learning style that is not included in the VARK system is sequential learning styles; this is a
style that is used by people who prefer to be organized. They tend to learn in a logical sequence of
steps and work with information in a systematic way. Most sequential learners will struggle to
maintain information if they skip steps or briefly skim over information.