This is one of those topics I have to approach with grace and truth, because there was a significant chunk of my own teaching practice in K-12 where I emphasized the idea that different students learn differently, and that we should tailor our teaching based on these learning styles.
And appealing as that idea is...the research just doesn't bear it out.
Here's an example, from Dr. Daniel Willingham who teaches psychology at UVa:
New data: no support for VARK https://t.co/wE8sWwdxby— Daniel Willingham (@DTWillingham) October 1, 2018
VARK is one of the most prevalent approaches to learning styles; it stands for visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic. According to this idea, visual learners will learn better if taught visually, auditory learners will learn better if taught through audio, readers will learn best by reading, and kinesthetic learners have to do to learn.
But the research doesn't support this idea. Instead, most students use ALL OF THESE approaches to learning, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING. (I wrote a post about this some time ago: Are Your Students Olfactory Learners?
Not convinced by just one research study? I understand. Like I said...I used to emphasize learning styles in my own teaching practice. But the more I've read about the absolute lack of empirical data to support this belief, I find that my thinking has changed. Some students might have preferences, but overall, the approach to teaching should match the content being taught rather than trying to match students' preferences.
If you'd like to dive deeper into this research base, let me recommend this slideshow from my EdTech Twitterfriend Chuck Hodges as a place to get started. (Thanks much to Chuck who gave me permission to share this here!)
One more I'll suggest, if you're interested in digging into this topic...a report from Psychological Science in the Public Interest...from 2008: Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence. This report a decade old already, and yet, many teachers are still talking about learning styles. I think it's time for us to shift that narrative...
What do you think, fellow educators? Why is the idea of learning styles so persistent, even in the face of mounting evidence that this theory doesn't hold water?
Former instructor here... (Totally spitballing comments!)
ReplyDeleteA generation of diverse learners has created a teaching style to differentiate methods to "reach" and meet the needs of the individual learner. My methods revolved around that idea. I found that it forced more work upon myself to create lessons that were creative and not monotonous. I felt this created a learning atmosphere that I wanted. I wanted my students engaged in learning and to take pride in studying the material. I felt it created appreciation between students and how they learn differently from their peers next to them. As long as I had solid assessments and a way to measure retention, my methods were approved! I did a lot of self reflection on my teaching style to make sure I wasn't following status quo, but meeting the needs my students needed. My thoughts in an abbreviated edition...