Learning styles

I have completed the VARK learning styles questionnaire.   This was an interesting experience.  On the one hand, I felt quite self-conscious and felt that the questions were very transparent.  But when I looked at the points for each domain - Visual, Aural, Read/Write, Kinaesthetic (and Muti-modal) - I recognised the scores probably do reflect who I am....or at least the way that I see myself.  I tried to be honest in answering the questions.

My score was strongly tilted towards the Aural learning style, with perhaps a secondary trait of Visual coming through as well.  Read/Write was my lowest domain with only 1 point.

Looking back at the way that I approached study in my undergraduate days is revealing.  I rarely took notes in lectures - and when I did, I almost never looked back at them.  Where some people seemed to have a photographic memory for pages from a book, I would often sit in an exam and recall the exact words that a lecturer used when talking about something.  Of course, this was a much stronger skill for topics or lecturers that interested me or that I found engaging.

A lot of this approach and preference can be seen in a discussion board topic that I posted this week in response to a post about handing out lecture notes/powerpoint slide copies.  While I wasn't specifically thinking about learning styles, my aural preference probably had a lot to do with my position (i.e. not encouraging a focus on notes during lectures).

In the end, it is challenging but important that teaching and learning activities can to appeal  to as many of the different styles/modalities as possible.   We have to fight the urge to teach the way we ourselves learn.
Fortunately in medicine, there are many types of activities and approaches possible.  Kinaesthetic learners (examination skills) and read/write learners (lectures, self study, library, essays) seem to be well catered for.  Anatomy pracs probably appeal to visual learners.  Lectures work reasonably well for aural learners.  Always room for improvement though in a course like ours.