TEDx Talks: Learning Styles and the Importance of Critical Self-Reflection

Sara Munie

PGY-1 Pharmacy Resident

Holy Cross Health

The idea of the VARK modalities was first formulated by Fleming and Mills and describers Visual (V), Auditory (A), Read/Write (R) and the Kinaesthetic (K) style of learning. This idea came out because of the literature from both psychology and education indicating that learners have different ways of learning.¹ For instance, the Visual (V) learners prefer information in diagrams, charts, or different patterns to convey the information or describe the relationship of different concepts.¹ Auditory (A) learners, on the other hand, prefer methods such as group discussions and talking things through.¹ The Read/Write (R) prefer information in words such as in manuals and textbooks.¹ The Kinesthetic (K) learners are different in that they may combine other modalities because of their use of experience or practice to learn.² They learn by utilizing methods such as demonstrations or simulations in order to understand concepts. ^1,2

Dr. Marshik, associate professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, gave an insightful TEDx Talks titled “Learning Styles and the Importance of Critical Self-Reflection”. She aimed to dismantle this idea of the VARK learning styles. I agree with her statement that this idea is more of a myth that students and teachers have accepted as true because it sounds logical.³ She mentions that studies have actually showed no difference in how learners recalled information based on the method or learning style used.² A study published in the journal of clinical and diagnostic research, aimed to determine the learning styles of medical students and the correlation with the preferred instructional methods.³ This study was a cross-sectional study that included 100 first year medical students enrolled at Sharda University in Inida.³ 

The  students were asked to rank their preferences of learning styles (VARK) on one questionnaire and their preferences for the instructional methods on another questionnaire.³ However, this simply asking students their preference can be confounded by a number of factors including familiarity with a particular instructional method.³ The results showed that majority of the students had multimodal VARK preferences while only 39% had a unimodal learning preference.³ This study showed that there was no one single learning style that can work for every student and that a blend of activities is necessary. ³ Among the minority of students with a unimodal learning preference, kinesthetic was the most preferred learning style.³ 

Another important idea Dr. Marshik mentioned that I strongly agree with, is the ineffectiveness of rehearsing, such as re-reading or re-writing, in helping students retain information.³ This is especially ineffective if conceptual understanding is lacking or if students are not able to make connections with the information given to them.³ This was definitely true during my pharmacy education. For instance, as a student I needed to understand instead of memorize the mechanism of action of a drug in order to relate it to the side effects. Moreover, visualizing the chemical structure of a drug, also helped me understand the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination) property of that drug. All of these connections that I made throughout my pharmacology and pharmaceutics courses were essential in order for me to apply it to therapeutics and ultimately patient care. While I did utilize the rehearsal method, I avoided memorizing as much as possible and relied heavily on making connections and understand concepts behind each subject matter.   

Dr. Marshik also explained the idea of “ experience recognition” using the findings of the 1973 experiment by Chase & Simon involving chess players.³ During this experiment, expert and novice chess players were quickly shown a game of chess in progress and asked to recall the position of the pieces.³ Unsurprisingly, expert plays were able to correctly identify the pieces more than the novice players.³ However, when the experts were asked to replicate a random chest board, one with no meaning to them, they were not able to do better than the novice players.³ This study further supported the idea that the success of these players was dependent on their understanding of chess and ability to make meaningful connections.³ It did not depend on their dominant VARK learning style.³ I also strongly agree with the assessment that the type or content of the material being taught can also dictate which learning style works best for students.³ Thus, it is unreasonable to assume that a student learns best using a particular sensory mode when it can depend on the content or the situation at hand.³ 

I thought Dr. Marshik did a great job creatively explaining this simple myth and giving examples of studies that disprove this myth. Personally, I used to think this myth was correct simply because I was told it was true. Now that I have done my own initial research, I understand that this is a complex and controversial topic. As a new teacher, I need not to assume the best method of teaching. I need to continue to get to know my students and be open to changing my methods based on constructive feedback in order to develop an effective instructional method.

References

1.   Fleming ND, Mills C. Not Another Inventory, Rather a Catalyst for reflection. To Improve the Academy. 1992;11:137–55

2.   TEDxUWLaCrosse (2015). Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs [Accessed 23 Sep. 2018]

3.   Kharb P. The Learning Styles and the Preferred Teaching–Learning Strategies of First Year Medical Students. Journal Of Clinical And Diagnostic Research. 2013; 7(6): 1089-92