Learning Styles: Myths & Fallacies

Learning styles consist of a preferred mode of learning that is believed to be best suited to the individual.   Some mobile developers are designing apps to cash in on the learning styles theory.  Educators also often believe that adjusting to learning styles makes it easier for the learner to gain information. The definition of learning styles has been constantly changing, ever since it was popularized, and has been under the spotlight for over 50 years. The most commonly known basic concept of the learning styles is connected with the bodily senses (visual, auditory or kinesthetic); through which one acquires the understanding of one’s surrounding. There is yet to be a tactile (sense of touch) or an olfactory (sense of smell) learner. There are doubts to the validity of this theory, as there is yet to be credible scientific evidence that supports it.

It is true that each learner is different and that these differences affect their performances in the classroom. People vary in their capacity to learn different areas of their content. Retention of content may be due to certain factors such as genetics, experiences and upbringing.  Often linked with ability, students differ in their interests.  If a student has fascination in music, he would have more enthusiasm to learn to play the piano compared to when studying mathematics, for example.  Saying that learning styles do not exist does not mean that all learners are the same, instead we acknowledge and put forward the logical factors such as interests, knowledge and ability that combine to make the individual learner different from one another and consequently associated with the affects of their learning.

Learning styles, according to the advocates are not “better” or “faster” but purely “styles”. Under controlled conditions, a test was conducted to research evidence to these tendencies. There is no difference in result as to which learning style is chosen. Learning is the same whether students learn in the preferred learning style or not.  The only exception to this is kinesthetic learning.  For example, it is more appropriate to teach football in the form of practice sessions in the fields rather than learning it in the classroom, even though you claim that you learn better through visual or auditory means and not kinesthetic.

The bottom line is there is not enough verification to support that adapting curriculum to learning styles alone will make a significant difference.  School districts should be take a second look at software and apps that claim to adapt to student learning styles.  Some students may prefer to learn in certain ways they feel they are able to succeed in, but there is no scientific proof that by following such learning style, there will be better results. Finding the most proper way to present information will depend on the students who are learning, their interest and the content of the subject.