Developing the creative curriculum: exploring learning styles

In her session at the UKCLE event on creativity and the law curriculum Keren Bright (Open University) explored the issue of learning styles.

Learning styles – simply different ways of learning – underpin any creative development of the curriculum. Theorists say that we each have one or more preferred styles of learning – by identifying them we can help to inform and improve our own learning experiences and those of others.

In her session Keren used a practical exercise based on the VARK learning styles classification to encourage participants to think about designing course content and activities from different perspectives.

The VARK guide to learning styles, devised by Fleming and Mills in 1992, consists of four preferred ways of receiving information – visual, aural, read /write and kinesthetic. Keren divided participants into groups and asked them to design or map specific activities relating to the law curriculum onto the VARK preferences.

The resulting map from the criminal law group is shown below:

screenshot of VARK preferences relating to criminal law

Further information

• VARK: a guide to learning styles – see the VARK bibliography for a list of articles about VARK and learning styles theory
• Understanding student learning styles and learning theory – from the UKCLE event on enhancing academic practice (2005)

Last Modified: 4 June 2010