Becoming aware of your learning style begets a fresh attitude toward learning, new techniques for studying or, in some cases, a sigh of relief. When coupled with a multiple intelligences profile, you can select study techniques that make the biggest impact on your learning outcomes.

Too often educators and trainers exclusively employ aural and written instructional methods. Hours of assigned reading and a few questions usually follow, after which you're expected to recall, understand and apply the material. It's easy to see how one could be left wondering where things went awry.

With the exception of invited formal feedback – though rare in school – instructional methods are ultimately in the hands of the teacher, but that's where knowing your learning style comes in handy. Although Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences and Neil Fleming's VARK®¹ questionnaire are standalone theories, comparing your results in each could help in clarifying which study techniques will really give you that extra edge. You'll also gain a better understanding of why you've learnt successfully, or unsuccessfully, in the past and this awareness should stand you in good stead.

Either theory is useful on its own, but we suggest trying one of the many short online tests for multiple intelligences to get an overview of the characteristics and talents of each. There are numerous free quizzes online that assess how you fare across Gardner's multiple intelligences, usually concluding with a summary of each and career ideas that match each intelligence type.

uncover which learning strategies you're most suited to based on your style of learning

Expanding upon the Neuro-Linguistic Programming model, Fleming's VARK® (an acronym for visual, aural, read/write and kinaesthetic) is a questionnaire² that helps you uncover which learning strategies you're most suited to based on your style of learning. An individual's result can cover the whole spectrum of learning styles in varying degrees, but you may also find you score nothing at all in one or a few.

After completing the VARK® questionnaire, read about strategies for each modal preference and the strategies given for each (V, A, R and K). You do not need to utilize all strategies and the list is just a guide, therefore, you should think about and search for more techniques that fall into your preferred strategies to determine what works best for you. Even if you have scored low or zero in one style, it's helpful to read about the strategy as it will help you identify it in class and know where something requires more attention.

Continue to take in everything you can and be aware that the teacher may be using strategies that best suit him or her, albeit unknowingly. This is why it's still important to use all the materials teachers make available to you and transform it to suit your learning style during your personal study sessions.

Imagine your VARK® result is high in visual, attempt everything your teacher prescribed, then re-do whilst taking notes using a flowchart or diagrams. Incorporate colours, shapes, create boxes and bubbles for keywords or formulas, use the entire page, section off areas for subtopics, keep points short, be creative. When reviewing or testing yourself, you'll find you remember how concepts gel together based on how they were associated or placed on a page, important ideas will stand out, and the layout of the page will improve memory as it's unique and structured to your train of thought.

Discovering your multiple intelligence profile and your learning preferences can be fun and enlightening. However, to gain any benefit, the strategies aligned to your learning should be adopted and consistently applied. At a minimum, they could prove to be valuable techniques in your arsenal of study tools.

¹Copyright is held by Neil D. Fleming, Christchurch, New Zealand.

²VARK®¹ questionnaire and more information at http://vark-learn.com