Ways of Learning

I was introduced to VAK Learning Styles by my MPU lecturer today. Below are some informations about it:

VAK Learning Styles Explanation 
The VAK learning styles model suggests that most people can be divided into one of three preferred styles of learning. These three styles are as follows, (and there is no right or wrong learning style):

• Someone with a Visual learning style has a preference for seen or observed things, including pictures, diagrams, demonstrations, displays, handouts, films, flip-chart, etc. These people will use phrases such as ‘show me’, ‘let’s have a look at that’ and will be best able to perform a new task after reading the instructions or watching someone else do it first. These are the people who will work from lists and written directions and instructions.
• Someone with an Auditory learning style has a preference for the transfer of information through listening: to the spoken word, of self or others, of sounds and noises. These people will use phrases such as ‘tell me’, ‘let’s talk it over’ and will be best able to perform a new task after listening to instructions from an expert. These are the people who are happy being given spoken instructions over the telephone, and can remember all the words to songs that they hear! 
• Someone with a Kinaesthetic learning style has a preference for physical experience - touching, feeling, holding, doing, practical hands-on experiences. These people will use phrases such as ‘let me try’, ‘how do you feel?’ and will be best able to perform a new task by going ahead and trying it out, learning as they go. These are the people who like to experiment, hands-on, and never look at the instructions first! 

People commonly have a main preferred learning style, but this will be part of a blend of all three. Some people have a very strong preference; other people have a more even mixture of two or less commonly, three styles.

When you know your preferred learning style(s) you understand the type of learning that best suits you. This enables you to choose the types of learning that work best for you.

For me, I'm the Auditory learning type. I prefer listening than reading. I can actually understands certain topic better when there is someone who explains it to me face-to-face. I usually find facts and theories from textbooks dull and uninteresting. So when i encounter problems in studies, i like to seek helps from lecturers and friends rather than finding it from textbook. I believe that we can only understand certain things when we speak it out loud, and i guess this applied unconsciously in my studies.

Besides, i have friends with different learning style, such as:

Yee Zer Khai is a Visual Learner. He prefers pictures, diagrams, handouts and charts. He says that he can understand the lesson better by jotting down the important points that the lecturers teach and revise it afterwards. His notes are always full of colours as he finds it better to memorize colourful notes than black and white words.

Lew Huey Hee's learning style is Kinaesthetic. She loves learning new things by experiencing first before understanding the theory from textbooks. She also prefers practical or hands on learning than just theoretical. During lab sessions, she is always enthusiastic as she can learn the topics with all her senses - sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing.



From this lecture, i understand that there is no right or wrong learning style. The point is that there are types of learning that are right for your own preferred learning style. I'm glad that i know my learning style today so that i can perform better in the future.