Thursday 7 October 2021

learning styles are a myth

It's very standard stuff when teaching and learning that "we all learn differently":

Jay Doubleyou: visual, auditory, kinesthetic learning styles

Jay Doubleyou: students and teachers prefer different activities when learning english...

And there are lots of similar approaches:

Jay Doubleyou: multiple intelligences in the classroom

Jay Doubleyou: multiple intelligences: shown in a clever way

Jay Doubleyou: learning theory: a short guide

However, there is more and more evidence suggesting that much of this is a myth: 

There is no evidence that designing lessons that appeal to different learning styles accelerates student learning.

The Stubborn Myth of “Learning Styles” - Education Next

A broader approach that invites students to reflect on their learning, rather than narrow their style down:

Learning Styles as a Myth | Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning

In the early ’90s, a New Zealand man named Neil Fleming decided to sort through something that had puzzled him during his time monitoring classrooms as a school inspector. In the course of watching 9,000 different classes, he noticed that only some teachers were able to reach each and every one of their students. What were they doing differently?
Fleming zeroed in on how it is that people like to be presented information. For example, when asking for directions, do you prefer to be told where to go or to have a map sketched for you?
Today, 16 questions like this comprise the VARK questionnaire that Fleming developed to determine someone’s “learning style.” VARK, which stands for “visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic,” sorts students into those who learn best visually, through aural or heard information, through reading, or through “kinesthetic” experiences.

Are ‘Learning Styles’ Real? - The Atlantic

Many people, including educators, believe learning styles are set at birth and predict both academic and career success even though there is no scientific evidence to support this common myth, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

Belief in learning styles myth may be detrimental

Instead, it's really all about memory strategies and about how they are thinking about the material which is presented - and about multimedia approaches:

The Biggest Myth In Education - YouTube

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