Maybe you’ve handed them the manual and seen the same reaction or given them a farm map and found they’ve still managed to set the next break up in the wrong paddock.
Chances are you’re not giving them the instruction or information in the way they’ll most readily take it in and understand it – you’re not using their preferred learning style.
Neil Fleming is an educational specialist based in Christchurch and recognised worldwide for his development of the VARK questionnaire and support tools used in education and business.
VARK, Fleming explains stands for four accepted learning preferences:
• Visual
• Aural
• Reader-writer
• Kinaesthetic
While four are listed, only about a third of the population will have a strong preference for just one way of learning.
Fifty-five to 65% of the population will have a combination of two or more preferences making them multi-modal.
The VARK questionnaire accounts for that, allowing you to give more than one answer for each question.
The questionnaire results in a score for each preference and if one stands out well above the others, it will indicate a strong single preference.
But for those who have two or more preferences that score similarly, adding all the scores together to get a total will reveal even more about the ways they prefer to learn.
If the score is relatively low – between 14 and 25 – the person is a contextual or situational communicator named Type One by Fleming.
“They can switch between modes to suit the task, the project, person or situation,” Fleming said.
They might only need one mode for each situation because of this ability to flex.
“When they go to the lawyer they’re happy to be in read-write mode but when they’re learning to play tennis they’re in kinaesthetic mode.”
If the score is high – more than 30 – they are a Type Two multi-modal learner and more likely to need to use each of their high-scoring learning styles before they can fully grasp the concept and move on.
“For instance, an A, V, R will want to talk it through, see the diagram and read the instructions.”
The advantage is that once they’ve understood it, they understand more comprehensively than those with a single preference.
About 28% of the population will have this Type Two, multi-modal, learning preference and about 9% will be Type One.
Type Two people will often make good trainers because they have grasped the concept in a number of ways and will find it easier to then relate it back to a trainee according to their learning preference.
Understanding where people sit as a staff member or manager can prove invaluable for staff development, training and importantly general workplace communication and harmony, Fleming said.
It’s not only the way an individual concentrates, processes and remembers new or difficult information and skills it’s also the way they prefer to communicate information.
“So it’s inwards and outwards – how you prefer to learn and how you prefer to train others.”
Fleming warned care has to be taken when interpreting survey results in that just because someone has a low or even a zero score for a particular mode of learning that doesn’t mean they can’t learn that way.
“Someone could score zero for readwrite but they can still read instructions and act appropriately on them. They would just rather take that information in some other way.
“They’ll learn it and retain it better if it’s presented to them differently.”
One of the most common misconceptions is that people who like to see or watch things on a screen are visual learners or Vs.
“They’re actually more likely to be a K,” Fleming said.
Videos such as YouTube videos give people that hands-on experience even though they’re not actually doing it themselves.
It’s real-life, whereas a visual learner will prefer graphs, charts and symbols that graphically portray something but aren’t the real thing.
“You can use written words to instruct a K but they’ll pick it up better if the text explains a real situation or tells the story about someone else’s experiences.”
Farming commonly attracts people whose preferences will include a strong K component so they’ll learn best on-the-job and by working alongside someone who’s proficient at the task.
But often, as people move up the ladder in their careers, their preference for read-write will increase. The more people are exposed to a type of learning the more they’ll adapt to that even if it’s not their preferred style, Fleming said.
The number of people who are truly, strongly V is actually quite small relative to other learning preferences so things like maps, commonly the first document handed to visitors, contractors or new staff on a farm, need more context around them before people get a real grasp of where they are or where paddocks or structures are onfarm.
“They are going to find it hard to look at the map and then just go out and find the right place. They need to drive around first, preferably with someone who knows the farm, and have the map with them.”
Another misconception is that strong aural learners are confined to talking and listening and will avoid writing or the written word.
Fleming said when they write or communicate in typed or written form they prefer to do so in more informal contexts.
“They’ll use communication methods that require writing and reading but they’ll prefer more colloquial language and informal means such as a text or chatty emails.”
The copyright VARK questionnaire is free for individuals to do online at www.vark-learn.com and is available for trainers for a small fee.
Understanding brings results
There are many practical ways VARK can be used onfarm to help staff learn more effectively and improve the level of communication.
Wendy Gibson looked at the subject as part of a Kellogg Rural Leadership study in 2006, interviewing farmers and staff on eight dairy farms across New Zealand.
As part of the study she titled Chalk and Cheese, the 36 participants did the VARK questionnaire, completed an interview process with Gibson and came up with ways to improve communication and workplace outcomes.
She found once both employers and employees had a better understanding of different learning styles they could see a range of practical tools that could be implemented to accommodate all those on the farm.
Gibson said people often assumed because farming was a practical occupation all learning had to be done in a kinaesthetic, hands-on way.
But that’s not the case – people who prefer other learning methods can learn a practical task more effectively using other methods.
V – Visual
Visual learners benefited from graphs and bullet points, Fencepost (now Farm Source) graphs, diagrams and things like herd records where they’re presented in a table form.
They respond well to and can help with setting up charts, calendars, procedures and maps and can benefit from talking and listening where it provided an overall picture in their mind of the farming operation.
Visuals also need to see the goal or objective in their mind.
R – Read-write
Read-writers will be good at putting formal documents and structures in place for others and will prefer to use them to learn.
They can cope with wordy documents and they like manuals and lists.
They like to record information. Instruction and teaching need to be organised.
They can be good mentors to those who would benefit from structure.
A– Aural
Aural learners like to listen and talk so verbal instructions and discussions are beneficial.
They speak descriptively so can provide a clear picture to others and give detailed, well-understood instructions.
They’re usually good team players and will problem-solve in a discussion format.
K – Kinaesthetic
Kinaesthetic learners want to do what they’re learning.
They prefer written or verbal instructions to use real-life examples.
They’ll like to problem solve through trial and error and just get on with it.
Learning has to have a relevant context.
Read Wendy Gibson’s report.
