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Anderson VARK Assessment – Multimodal (AK)

By Steven Anderson – Saturday, September 26, 2020, 5:48 PM

Number of replies: 0

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When I got the results of the assessment, the results really were interesting and precise. Multimodal with Aural and Kinesthetic were effective when I had previous graduate courses because I attended class regularly since I knew one of the best ways for me to retain information was through hearing. In addition to listening, there were numerous case studies which we had to read and comment on. The kinesthetic strategy was key in retaining and practicing the information presented.

Besides using graduate classes as an example, I learned effectively using both of these strategies in the manufacturing environment. When you work in a manufacturing plant and taught how to do a job, you had all four strategies available to you. In posted job instructions, we had via options to learn with graphical representation of each required step or a list of instructions to read. Aural learning was getting a auditory lesson on how to do the job. The most effective method was to be shown and then do and learn by trial and error. In a manufacturing environment, these really are preferred because cycle time and efficiencies are constantly being reinforced. If someone is able to learn effectively with either A or K, they were more apt to catch on more quickly with minimal impact with operation efficiency.

As a result of the exercise, it does reinforce my learning strengths, but had also highlighted my glaring weaknesses. Although it will be hard to adapt to a different learning style, I can focus on communicating my preferred styles more when learning from someone else. A great thing I know realize, as a result of the assessment, is not all people learn the same say. I can be much more effective teaching someone how to perform a task or mentoring an individual by simply asking someone their preferred methods.

This was very insightful and I will definitely be working with my team to get their feedback to be an effective leader.

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RESPONSE TO Steven Anderson

Excellent discussion post, Steven. I am also multimodal. Having two or more learning styles, such Aural and Kinesthetic, is critical for students and after college as it enables one to cope with different environment. Personally, I think VARK assessment was handy in helping me to comprehend my learning style. Steven, what was your VARK scores, please?

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Austin Berry – Kinesthetic

By Austin Berry – Friday, September 25, 2020, 7:04 PM

Number of replies: 1

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My VARK style is strong kinesthetic. That is, I learn primarily through hands-on experience (even when it’s watching others’ experience via a video of solving problems with a tangible object). This is certainly accurate for me as I very much focus on practical, tangible ideas and solutions. I’ve always been gifted in the area of mechanics as my mind can visualize and turn objects easily. I learn primarily through trial and error – picking something up and putting it together, or, as it relates to a new software program, opening it up and clicking around until I stumble my way into a solution. I’d much rather try and get something wrong than read an instruction manual to make sure I do it right!

Because I lean towards tangible objects and personal experiences, I sometimes run into trouble when a task at work simply requires me to read technical guidance. Ironically, the nature of my job requires a lot of reading and being correct on the first attempt, so there’s always some degree of feeling a bit out of place at work. With that said, I occasionally feel like I serve some purpose, as I don’t like to waste time on theories and would rather focus on quick, practical solutions to problems. These has helped me a number of times at work when the team gets bogged down discussing high-level theories and strategies, and I am able to (on occasion) bring the group down from what I would consider “cloud nine” and get them to find a solution.

Knowing that this is my style helps explain why I struggle with certain types of tasks at work (i.e. reading through technical instructions). Hopefully I’ll be able to apply this knowledge to focus my training periods on learning methods that I grasp more easily (like finding a video on a topic rather than reading a whitepaper). It’s also helpful to learn a bit about other learning styles so I can be more appreciative and understanding of styles used by others. For example, I sometimes grow impatient when I feel like progress is slowed down to discuss things that I consider irrelevant, but I realize that certain people just learn and process things more through that sort of discussion.

VARK Scores:

V – 7

A – 7

R – 1

K – 13

Reply to Austin Berry

Excellent VARK assessment post, Austin Berry. It is clear that from VARK scores that kinesthetic learning style is best suited for me. Kinesthetic learning style is one where a student learns or grasp more when learning is done by carrying out physical activities, rather than listening or watching demonstrations.