Tuesday, 28 September 2010

VARK Test Results

  • Visual: 4
  • Aural: 7
  • Read/Write: 11
  • Kinesthetic: 9

I am slightly surprised by my VARK questionnaire results as I thought my learning type would put more of an emphasis on Kinesthetics due in part to my past experiences with computing, specifically programming, where I have preferred to learn via reading lecture notes or books on the subject and then enforcing that learning with practical exercises so that I can better absorb the knowledge.

I am not at all surprised that my Visual learning score was so low; when I am in lectures or when I was in classes at college I preferred to focus on what I could read rather than educational videos or images that I would find my attention wandering during watching. In college the classes I preferred were those in which the teachers gave out handouts with lists, notes or, in the case of Sociology, reports written by people in those circumstances.

Because of this it comes as no surprise to me that my highest VARK score was Read/Write especially as for my GCSE and part of my SAT years at school I taught my self mainly through textbooks and very much disliked listening to longwinded explanations of something even though I would be quite happy to sit and read several pages or books on the same subject.

Although the results are a few points out I believe that a more Multimodal approach to learning is what suits me; focussing on Read/Write and Kinesthetics by reading and writing lecture notes, reading books on my subjects of interest and taking my own notes and by doing practical exercises (something that I am keen on) especially in programming modules so that I may enforce what I have read and written with a hands-on approach to better commit the subjects to memory.

Myers Briggs Personality Type

Introverted
INtuitive
Thinker
Perceiver

Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. Have unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical.

The results of my Myers Briggs Type Indicator test do not really come as a surprise to me as I have known for years that I am both introverted and interested more in the ideas and concept of something than in social interaction and often find it difficult to do the latter. Having partially been 'home-schooled', teaching myself through textbooks, online articles and by working on questions scattered throughout books I was also aware that I am rather self-contained; preferring to work independently and rely on myself during my studies or in my life outside of education.

Thursday, 23 September 2010

SWOT Analysis

Strengths
  • Good typing skills
  • Able to read and absorb information quickly
  • Able to work well with others
  • Access to computer and internet at home
  • Confidence to do presentations and speak in front of group
  • A good IT foundation
  • Logical mind
Weaknesses
  • Unable to write quickly (bad note taking skills)
  • Not confident in introducing myself to people for the first time
  • Bad time management skills
  • Do not know how to reference
  • Inventing data

Opportunities
  • Able to learn how to reference in Learning Skills Development classes
  • Mentor to help me keep track of my time management
  • Skills and knowledge to get a degree and find employment in my field of interest
  • Become more sociable through group work with people I don't already know
Threats
  • Not meeting deadlines
  • Not being able to understand the course 
  • Not passing my course