The Myth of Learning Styles
Almost all of us have been exposed to ‘learning styles’ at some point in our lives. Usually at school from a teacher or classmate. The theory tells us that there are different ways of learning – visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and the most recent addition of reading/writing – and that each of us is best at just one of them. The belief that we’re only good at one style of learning can stick with us into adulthood – but research (lots of it) shows this belief to be incorrect.
People don’t learn better when taught in their preferred learning style. This comes from a wide body of research that compared people learning in their preferred learning style with those who didn’t. And those who didn’t learned just as well. This reinforces the fact that we can all learn effectively from multiple different types of instruction.
Thinking that you’re only good at one style of learning is restrictive. If I label myself as an auditory learner, I will think less of other learning styles. I won’t believe in their effectiveness, which significantly limits my potential to learn. I’m also susceptible to tricking myself into thinking I will perform better when learning through auditory instruction – which evidence shows that.
Knowing this, what can we do differently to improve performance?
Dispel this myth! Knowing that we all can learn effectively using different learning styles, you’re free to unleash the might of your brain’s learning power, without restrictions. We might have a personal preference for one type of learning, but that doesn’t mean other methods don’t work.
Instead of choosing the style that’s best for you, choose the style that’s best for the content. If there’s a complex machine that needs operating, it’s better to see it work than to read about it. Or even better, combine the words with images to encourage improved learning through dual coding. That’s where robust learning occurs!
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.