4/17/2015

VAK

VAK
(VisualAuditoryKinaesthetic)
Probablybecauseofitssimplicityandpracticality,VAKtheoryiswidely
recognisedbyteachers particularly those who advocate Accelerated
Learning techniques but the idea that we receive information via
different modalities has been around considerably longer than that
and can be traced back to the work of Grace Fernald ("Remedial
Techniques in Basic School Subjects") who promoted kinaesthetic
learning techniques Samuel Ortons work on dyslexia Anna
Gillinghamssubsequentworkondevelopingmultisensoryapproaches
andtheholisticeducationalphilosophyofMariaMontessori.

Normally,weeachhavefivesenses.Thereisanincreasingrealisation
thatwerespondsubconsciouslytooursenseofsmell.Aromatherapyis
based on the principle that aromas can help to create mood. More
simply,manufacturersofhouseholdproductsusuallytrytomakethem

"smell nice". More subtly, perfumers make a living from concocting

alluringandenticingodours.Recentresearchhasshownthatmenand
women produce pheromones (body odours) that enhance their
attractivenesstotheoppositesexinmyriadsubtleways.

Similarly, our sense of taste is very important to us and is one of the

firsttobedevelopedintheyoung.Itisoneofthereasonswhy babies
puteverythingintheirmouths(althoughtheyalsousetheirmouthsasa
kinaesthetic sensory organ). Nevertheless, we do not normally
associate our senses of smell and taste as being useful for
communicationpurposesleavinguswiththreemethods(ormodes)of
receiving and processing information. This is often referred to as the
VAKmodel.

VISUAL

AUDITORY

KINAESTHETIC

Eachofushasanaturalpreferenceforthewayinwhichwepreferto
receive, process and impart information. This is largely genetically
determined but is also susceptible to development, particularly when
weareyoung(whilstourneuralpathwaysarestillbeingestablished).
Therearevariouswaysinwhichpreferredprocessingmodesbecome
apparent and some simple ways in which we can enhance the
effectivenessofourcommunicationonceweareawareofthem.One
way to detect a person's preferred processing mode is to watch their

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VAK

eye movements, particularly when they are thinking or answering a

question.

VISUAL
AUDITORY
KINAESTHETIC
thinkerstendtolook thinkerstendtolook thinkerstendtolook
upwards
straightahead
downwards

Ofcourse,inpractice,itisnotquiteassimpleasthis.Additionalfactors
affecteyemovementssuchaswhetherthepersonis trying to recall
realorimaginarycircumstances(inotherwords,aretheytellinglies?)

There are also vocabulary clues that can help to detect preferred
processingmodes.

Visual thinkers will Auditory thinkers will Kinaesthetic

tend to use and tend to use and thinkers will tend to
respond to terms respond to terms use & respond to
suchas:
suchas:
termssuchas:
Igetthepicture
Iseethatnow
From
my
perspective
What's
your
view?

I
get
the
message
Thatringsabell
That strikes a
chord
Sounds OK to
me

How does that

grabyou?
A grasp of the
basics
It
certainly
feelsright
I can relate to
that

Even a very basic understanding of different processing modes can

help you to communicate more effectively. Understanding a person's

preferredmodeenablesyoutotailorthewayyouaddressthemsothat
itsuitstheir"style".

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VAK

Youcouldsketcha Youcouldstresskey Youcouldusea

diagramforvisual
wordsforauditory
"handson"
thinkers.
thinkers.
approachfor

kinaesthetic
thinkers.

Whenaddressinganaudience,youcanensurethatyourmessagewill
reach a greater proportion by using all three modes. A good
presentationshouldincludeinputsthatare:

Visual
suchasdiagrams,
charts,pictures.

Auditory
Kinaesthetic
suchasstories,
withactivitiesand
anecdotes,jokes, opportunitytomove
puns.
about.

Ofcourse,onceyouhavedevelopedabasicunderstandingoftheVAK
model and seen the effects of translating it into practice, you will be
keentounderstandtheprinciplesingreaterdepth.

Discoveryourpreferredlearningstylewiththissimplequestionnaire

FindouthowtoMakethemostofyourlearningstyle

ExploretheseTeachingandLearningActivities

FindoutaboutMindmappingforvisuallearners

"Letsgetphysical"anddevisesometechniquesforkinaesthetic
learners

Haveyoueverthoughtaboutusingtraininggames?

Simpletipsforusingdramaacrossthecurriculum

"Waysof
Learning"

Learning
Stylesand
Inclusion

Alan
Pritchard

GavinReid

http://www.brainboxx.co.uk/a3_aspects/pages/VAK.htm

TheLearning
Styles
Handbookfor
Teachers
andTutors
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VAK

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onAmazon

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GailMur
Sonbuchner

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