Determine your child’s learning style
Take this VAK Learning Styles SelfAssessment Questionnaire from the Swinburne University of Technology. Circle the answer that most represents how your child generally behaves.
1 When I want to work a computer I generally: a) Read the instructions first; b) Listen to an explanation from someone who has used it before; c) Go ahead and have a go, I figure it out as I use it.
2 When I need directions for travelling I usually: a) Look at a map; b) Ask for spoken directions; c) Follow my nose and maybe use a compass.
3 When I want to cook, I: a) Follow a written recipe; b) Call a friend for an explanation; c) Follow my instincts, testing as I cook.
4 If I am teaching a friend something new, I tend to: a) Write instructions down for them; b) Gave them a verbal explanation; c) Demonstrate first and then let them have a go
5 During my free time I most enjoy: a) Going to museums and galleries; b) Listening to music and talking to my friends; c) Playing sport
6 When I go shopping for clothes, I: a) Imagine what they would look like on me; b) Discuss them with the shop staff; c) Try them on and test them out.
7 When my family want help choosing a holiday, I usually: a) Read lots of brochures; b) Listen to recommendations from friends; c) Imagine what it would be like to be there.
8 When I listen to a band, I can’t help: a) Watching the band members and other people in the audience; b) Listening to the lyrics and the beats; c) Moving in time with the music.
9 When I concentrate, I most often: a) Focus on the words or the pictures in front of me; b) Discuss the problem and the possible solutions in my head; c) Move around a lot, fiddle with pens and pencils and touch thing.
10 When I am anxious, I: a) Visualise the worst-case scenarios; b) Talk over in my head what worries me most; c) Can’t sit still, I fiddle and move around.
Add up and, if mostly As, your child has a visual learning style; mostly Bs, your child has an auditory learning style; mostly Cs, your child has a kinaesthetic learning style.