My VARK and MBTI Results
Ever since I took a psychology class when I was in Grade 11, I knew that my learning preferences encompassed many and not just one. I took the learning styles test in Grade 11 and I was very surprised to see that I had strong indications for all of the styles. Before then, I never could understand how someone could only learn in one way, like having to only write notes, or just being able to sit there and listen to a lecture. I remember the teacher telling me that many musicians tend to be all three because you have to read the music (read/write), hear the music (aural), and play the music (kinesthetic) all at the same time. I never forgot that and I think it is just another indication to me about how beneficial playing an instrument can be for your mind!
I retook the VARK questionnaire in this course and I wasn’t surprised to see that my learning preference was multi modal. Here are my results:
Visual 7
Aural 15
Read/Write 11
Kinesthetic 13
In Grade 11, my kinesthetic preference was the highest, so I was surprised to see that aural preference is my highest now. I always thought it wasn’t as strong so I was pleasantly surprised!
In Grade 12, we took the Myers-Briggs test and my result was ENFJ. I think I have been consistently an ENFJ since taking that first test, and I’ve taken other tests in between. Sometimes, I can be pretty introverted so I think I am an in-between of an INFJ and an ENFJ. I consider myself ambiverted (both introverted and extroverted) because I definitely gain more energy by being with people, but sometimes I do need my own time for myself, or feel really quiet in crowds.
How might your learning style impact your teaching? What effects would this have on your learners? Any potential conflicts or learning gaps?
I think my learning style would have a positive impact on my teaching because I would be teaching band, a subject that involves many different learning styles. I think it would make me a good teacher because I would be able to showcase different ideas in different ways. It would allow me to help teach students in different ways and it would allow students to be able to take in information in different ways. Since I feel comfortable receiving information in a multitude of instances, I have an understanding about how to display information in those ways. All of these areas are strong for me (except visual), and I feel that I have a very diverse advantage that allows me to share information in different ways because not only is that how I learn, but the content area that I am teaching would easily allow for information to be taught in many ways.
I think there would be some learning gaps for students who may have an exceptionality or even rely too much on one particular style. The beauty of music is that it can help improve many learning styles, so I think students have the opportunity to learn.
Take the TPI test. What does this tell you about your teaching?
I took the TPI test and the Nurture Perspective was my highest score at 44 points and that was followed with the Developmental Perspective at 39 points and the Apprenticeship Perspective at 38 points. For the Nurture Perspective, my beliefs, intentions, and actions were very balanced with the scores of 15, 14, and 15.
I don’t think I was surprised that my main perspective would be to provide a nurturing experience for my students because that is just how I am and what I believe. I also want my students to be able to develop and it wasn’t of surprise that the aspect of development was second. I was a little surprised about the apprenticeship aspect because I do want students to be able to apply their learning to real life but I didn’t realize that I wanted that to that extent. I think the results just solidify that I want students to firstly grow as human beings, to be able to develop and learn, and to have the skills to be able to contribute to society and make a difference in life. The TPI test helped me view my own philosophy and gives me an idea of who I am as a teacher and how I can better teach.
ECUR 165 