Why is Hands On Learning Important for Elementary Schools
You know the moment: a student’s eyes light up when the science experiment fizzes or the math puzzle helps them...
STEM classrooms are full of different types of learners in the classroom, each with their own strengths and needs.
Some students understand best when they see diagrams. Others learn more when they talk through ideas, read, or work with their hands.
When teachers use more than one teaching approach, every student gets a fair entry point into the lesson. This helps students feel capable and confident as they learn.
Teachers can easily support learning styles in STEM subjects because they are hands-on, inquiry-based, and rooted in active problem solving.
This makes STEM a natural fit for supporting students with different ways to learn.
One useful framework for thinking about these differences is the VARK model.
The VARK model is how teachers today can best ensure their lessons resonate with every type of learner and create the strongest class comprehension to better position every student to succeed.
Ahead, we'll dive into what VARK stands for, how and why VARK learning styles in STEM work, and different ways to implement it in every classroom.
VARK stands for Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic, and it is one of the most widely used ways to understand how students prefer to learn.
The VARK model gives teachers a simple way to understand how students prefer to learn and how learning styles in STEM shape classroom practice.
Because every student has different learning styles, designing lessons around the VARK model can help student comprehension and engagement.
Visual learners prefer pictures, diagrams and graphs. Auditory learners learn most by hearing, explanations, and conversations. Reading/Writing learners grasp lessons by note taking and reading text. Kinesthetic learners prefer hands-on activities and physical engagement.
The VARK model gives teachers a simple way to understand how students prefer to learn and how learning styles in STEM shape classroom practice.
Programs like STEMscopes Math and STEMscopes Science incorporate this balance through visual models, guided discussions, and hands-on investigations that meet students where they are.
Many students use more than one style, and their preferences can change over time. That is why flexible teaching is important in every classroom. To sum up, here’s a quick overview of each style:
The VARK model helps teachers think about two key parts of instruction: how lessons are taught and how students show their learning.
First, it shapes how information is presented. A single lesson can include diagrams, discussion, written directions, and hands-on work.
This mix gives every student an entry point, which makes learning more engaging and fair.
Second, VARK guides how students share what they know. Instead of one set assignment, teachers can offer choices.
A student might write a lab report, give a short talk, or build a model. Each option matches a different learning style but meets the same goal.
“When students can decide how they engage with content, they feel more motivated and take ownership of their work.”
Together, these practices reflect the core of STEM. Students learn by being active, exploring ideas in different ways, and building meaning from their own experiences.
STEM teaching supports many different ways of learning. Teachers can make lessons even more effective by recognizing learning styles in STEM and considering both how students take in information and how they demonstrate what they know.
Visual learners understand concepts by seeing how ideas connect, and they often show their learning through diagrams or models.
Interactive tools in Collaborate Science or the visual data representations built into STEMscopes Science are great examples of curricula designed for visual learners.
Auditory learners process information by listening and speaking, and they do well when asked to explain their thinking out loud.
Math Nation’s video-based explanations and collaborative discussion features are great examples of resources that engage auditory learners in active understanding.
Reading/writing learners prefer working with text and often produce their best work in writing.
Kinesthetic learners thrive when they can learn by doing, and they show mastery through building and testing.
Programs like STEMscopes Engineering and Collaborate Science provide hands-on investigations and engineering challenges that keep kinesthetic learners deeply engaged.
Some students don’t fit neatly into VARK, but recognizing the different types of learners in the classroom helps teachers plan for a wider range of needs.
Teachers can see the VARK learning styles in action through a STEM challenge. Imagine students are asked to design a water filter to clean polluted water. Each learning style connects to the task in a different way:
Teachers can also let students choose how they present their results. Options might include a poster, an oral defense, a video, or a written report. This flexibility ensures every learner has a way to participate and succeed.
Key takeaway: A single STEM challenge can bring all the VARK learning styles together at once.
Multimodal teaching means using more than one method in a single lesson.
In STEM, this approach fits naturally because students are already expected to explore, test, and explain their ideas through different methods of learning.
“Classrooms are strongest when they reflect the many ways students learn.”
Instead of passive learning, they build understanding through active participation.
Many Accelerate Learning programs are built on this same multimodal philosophy, combining visual, auditory, reading, and hands-on components so every learner can engage fully.
This kind of teaching also supports student choice and differentiation.
When students can decide how they engage with content, they feel more motivated and take ownership of their work. It also ensures that students with different strengths can all access the same lesson. While some debate the idea of rigid learning styles, a blended approach clearly benefits every student. What matters most is that lessons use a variety of strategies so all learners can find a way in.
Reflection is another important part of the process. Asking students to identify which strategies helped them most not only provides feedback for teachers but also helps students better understand their own learning preferences. Over time, this practice builds independence and self-awareness.
Teachers can use a simple routine when planning lessons to make sure all learning styles are supported.
Begin with verbal instructions, pair them with a written diagram, add a hands-on activity, and close with a written or verbal reflection.
This example sequence gives every student a way to connect with the material. The exact order can shift depending on the lesson, but the important part is that all learning styles are included.
Classrooms are strongest when they reflect the many ways students learn, especially when teachers design lessons that support various learning styles in STEM.
By considering the VARK model, teachers can design lessons that maximize engagement, comprehension, and equity. Every student benefits when lessons include multiple ways to take in information and show understanding.
Accelerate Learning programs make this process easier. STEMscopes Science, Math Nation, and Collaborate Science offer multimodal lessons and tools designed with all learners in mind so teachers can reach every student with confidence and less prep time.
These tools give students access to activities that support visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learning styles in one place.
Explore Accelerate Learning tools to help reach all learning styles in your classroom.
You know the moment: a student’s eyes light up when the science experiment fizzes or the math puzzle helps them...
STEM classrooms are full of different types of learners in the classroom, each with their own strengths and needs.
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