Why you need to forget about Learning Styles

Formal education often falls victim to the latest fads & trends, and often these have little evidence to support them. One such myth is learning styles

The theory of learning styles suggests people have different ways in which they learn. From this arises the myth, the notion that people learn better when teaching styles are matched to their learning styles, the so-called matching hypothesis. If we apply this to the most popular theory of learning styles (referred to as VAK — Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic), we could suggest that someone is a ‘visual learner’, that is, they learn best when presented with information as images rather than written or spoken, or involving bodily movements. To help this person learn, all we need do is use lots of images, charts and diagrams and omit (or greatly reduce) the use of written or spoken material or methods associated with movement.

Where does the myth come from?

There is some logic in this view, which is perhaps one reason why the myth continues to influence educators from early years to university. Models of memory and learning do suggest the existence of different modalities that generally equate to these learning styles. Furthermore, recent research is beginning to support the idea that cognition isn’t confined to the brain but is ‘embodied’.