One of the many assessments in the Frontier Learning Profile is the Swassing-Barbe Modality Index. It’s the classic tool to determine cognitive input. It answers the question of how a person takes in information, visually, auditorially or kinesthetically and is an important element of the cognitive input portion of the Profile.

Tim Scott recommends a secondary tool that can be used to confirm the results. It is available from the University Learning Center at the University of Arizona (UA). Two self-assessment tools are provided on this site, a Learning Style Assessment and a Learning Style Profile Generator. The first will roughly identify learning modality while the latter gives valuable tips to develop habits and routines for effective study habits. Frontier’s staff has found this to be a great tool to confirm a learning style and especially to show parents and students how to develop teaching and study methods.

So, I thought I’d compare my own personal results. Several years ago I took the Swassing-Barbe and yesterday I took the UA assessments. Here are the results:

Modality	Swassing-Barbe	U. of Arizona Assessment
Visual	37%	43
Auditory	27%	35
Kinesthetic/Tactile	36%	35

Note that the UA results are not in percentages but are relative with the highest score indicating a modality strength. It’s important to note that the UA Learning Style is a visual/verbal assessment. I answered questions about preferences and behavior by reading and clicking. The Swassing-Barbe assesses using the modality itself.

In an important way the results are consistent. I am predominantly visual so I accurately self-assessed my preferences and habits. There are no great weaknesses in the other modalities. Simply put, I am wired quite well for a classroom learning environment and the results of my traditional classroom education show that, all else being equal.

So, what does all this mean for a homeschool parent. Well, the Swassing-Barbe assessment is not difficult to administer but some training and equipment is required. It appears that the University of Arizona Self-Assessments can be very useful in approximating learning modality in just a few minutes and can be taken by junior high and high school students. I highly recommend the results of the Profile Generator which can tell how, when, and what environment is best for learning. So, if your child needs some useful tips to make the most of study time give the U. of Arizona Assessments a whirl.

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