--Original published at Makayla Hockenbrock

There are many opinions out there about learning styles and whether one is better than the other. Many studies have been conducted to show if this truly is a myth or a fact. Teachers try and alter their ways of teaching to try and make the learning environment for the students better. There are many types of learning styles including kinesthetic, auditory, and visual. When children are younger, sometimes they are asked to take this test to determine what kind of learner they are. I remember having to take this test in the fifth grade. Not every child in the class got the same results because everyone learns differently. With that being said, a teacher could not simply teach with the focus of one learning style. This did not come to my attention until later in life when I realized how much pressure is on a teacher to be able to accommodate all the different ways children learn. So, if a child does not grasp a concept, is it the child’s fault, or is it because the teacher did not present the information in the context of that child’s learning style? Or are learning styles in deed just a myth?

 According to an article written by Bettina Brown, teachers teach the way they themselves learn information. Teachers obviously have been through a sufficient amount of schooling to get where they are. They also have been through the process of how to study efficiently and effectively. Since they have had that much experience, it is not shocking to me that they would teach with that same style. So, if teachers teach the way they learn, the question arises what the outcome may be if the learning style of a child matches the teaching style of the teacher. A study looking at this in high school students, found that the same two styles was more beneficial to vocational students and the mismatching of styles was more beneficial to field-dependent students. David Kolb, the one who is credited for starting the movement of learning styles, has said that “it is more effective to design curriculum so that there is some way for learners of every learning style to engage with the topic, so that every type of learner has an initial way to connect with the material.” Once that is met, a teacher can then work on stretching that learning style, so the child’s learning capability can expand. Children need to learn to be adjust their learning styles so that when they change teachers, they can still learn the information presented well.

 A study that was done on eleventh grade science students, using the inductive guided inquiry learning model, showed that the model influenced the students’ learning activities and achievement in the scientific field. The results showed that the convergers and assimilators presented steady performance improvement on observing, questioning, and design experiment, compared to the students who were considered divergers and accommodators. The model influenced the cognitive learning achievements, however, only convergers showed higher post test scores. This study showed that the learning model did showed sufficient improvement in the performances of the children, from all learning styles, in the scientific setting. This study shows that learning styles can be supported as helpful when it comes to a child grasping information in the field of science. In reference to that finding, it is then important to pay attention to the students learning styles so that they are able to get the best outcome of their education.

 In contrast, an article from Yale University states that there is an overwhelming agreement among scholars that there is no scientific proof that backs up the statement of learning styles matching teaching styles is what’s best. Also mentioned in the article, it says studies reject that students learn better through a self-reported learning style. It is then recommended that teachers take a wider approach to teaching which calls students to reflect on their learning and not focus on a specific learning style, which has shown to improve the learning outcome. For example, teachers can help a student differentiate studying styles and learning processes. That then will allow the students to choose their own preferences.

 In the International Journal of Instruction, Ivana Cimermanova presents findings on a study of the effect of learning styles on academic achievement in different forms of teaching. The researched examined the potential relation between learning styles and the form of teaching, as well as, the academic achievement of students. The study mentioned how now-a-days, technology has become a big part of education to enhance the learning experience of the children. The study conducted consisted of a group of online students and in-class students. To collect data, the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales was applied. At the end, once the data was collected, a Pearson correlation analysis was performed, and significant correlation only showed between competitive learning style and academic achievement in the online group. The findings from this study were as follow: “learning styles have no significant effect on academic achievement, form of teaching has no significant effect on academic achievement”, and lastly, “students with different learning styles do not statistically significantly differ in their academic performance based on the form of their study.”

 After researching this topic, I now have a new perspective to learning styles. I used to think that they were important and that I should think of how I learn best when it comes to preparation for exams and so forth. Now, I think it really doesn’t matter how I learn best, but how the information is presented to me from the teacher. Based on my findings, I believe learning styles could be a myth.

References:

Cimermanová, I. ivana. cimermanova@unipo. s. (2018). The Effect of Learning Styles on Academic Achievement in Different Forms of Teaching. International Journal of Instruction, 11(3), 219–232. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11316a

Sudria, I. B. N. ibnsudria@gmail. co., Wayan Redhana, I. 2. redhana. undiksha@gmail. co., Made Kirna, I. 1. mdkirna@gmail. co., & Aini, D. ainiidiahh@gmail. co. (2018). Effect of Kolb’s Learning Styles under Inductive Guided-Inquiry Learning on Learning Outcomes. International Journal of Instruction, 11(1), 89–102. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.1117a

Learning Styles as a Myth | Center for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ctl.yale.edu/LearningStylesMyth

Brown, B. L. (2003). Teaching Style vs. Learning Style. Myths and Realities.

--Original published at Jayln's Perspective

As I read over the two options for the Spotlight Blog Post, I was flooded with a memory from the sixth grade. I can remember being forced to take a test which evaluated whether I was a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. After seeing my results, I remember my teacher telling me that I was “shockingly auditory,” which meant I was not a mix of two learning styles, like most of my classmates; I pretty much just fell into one category. As I went through high school, I thought I was simply an auditory learner, and that is what I based my study habits and techniques around. Now, as I look back on my experience, it is interesting to see how much pressure was put on my teachers to specialize their lesson plans to adhere with the specific types of “learners” that were present in the classroom. Over the years, many teachers, parents, and scholars have taken sides on whether or not learning styles are relevant to consider when making lesson plans, or if they are simply just myths.

On the University of San Diego website, there is an article posted called, “One Classroom, many Learning Styles: Strategies for Teachers.” This article communicates to teachers how critical it is that they successfully determine which learning styles are represented in their class to ensure their lessons plans are effective. Instead of using the typical “VARK” questionnaire to determine if a student is a visual, auditory, reading, or kinesthetic learner, they use the seven intelligences (founded by Howard Gardener). Gardener proposes that in a classroom setting, students can be labeled: visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, or logical. Instead of believing that children can only be one type of learner, they theorize that children are stronger in one area but can also use other styles to understand new information. This website encourages teachers to use a student-centered approach. The teachers ultimately have authority in the classroom, but it is their job to assist students in learning with the styles that are specific to them.

“Understanding the Importance of Learning Styles,”  published on More 4 kids, is another highly supportive article. The author of this article is a mother who homeschooled her children, so it provides a different perspective than the last article. As she homeschooled her children, the author found that by adapting how she taught, based on their learning styles, was not only reflected in their academic performance, but it also made the process better for everyone. She stresses to teachers that if they neglect to understand how a child learns, it can result in conflict and even an inappropriate diagnosis (such as Attention Deficit Disorder). The author explains that she arrived at this conclusion because of her own experience teaching her two boys. As she began schooling her eldest son, who happened to be a visual learner, she thought that the techniques she used with him would also be effective for her youngest son. However, the youngest son was much more difficult because he was not performing well and he could not physically sit still. After being told by their family doctor that he should go on medication for ADD, the author decided to do some research of her own. She concluded that her son might be a kinesthetic learner, and all the visual techniques were frustrating for him.

Olga Khaazan, an award-winning staff writer for The Atlantic, argues against the use of learning styles in the classroom because they are simply ineffective. Khaazan begins, “The Myths of ‘Learning Styles,'” by discussing how Niel Fleming’s development of the “VARK” model gained its momentum during the self-esteem movement (the 90s). In the classroom, teachers were taught to view children like special individuals who had a unique learning style associated with them. As a result, the lessons should have been geared toward a specific learning style in order for struggling children to make sense of the material. She continues to critique how students grow up believing they already know how they learn, and since they feel defined by a certain learning style, they often get complacent in the classroom, and they develop bad habits when it comes to effective studying. Khaazan draws attention to the research of Daniel Willingham, a psychologist at the Univerity of Virginia, and Polly Husmann, a professor at Indiana Univerity to help support her claims against learning styles. To test the effectiveness of studying in a way that is specific to a learning style, Husmann had hundreds of students take the “VARK” questionnaire. After the students figured out how they supposedly learned best, they could choose whether or not they would apply the recommended strategies. As Husmann predicted, the students did not see improvements to their exam scores. Willingham theorized that by only catering to one learning style in the classroom, “educators may actually be doing a disservice” to the students because they are limiting the importance of other skills (theatlantic.com).

On the American Psychological Association website, Blake Harvard shares his negative opinions on learning styles, but instead of just critiquing the concept of learning styles like the last article, he takes it one step further by presenting more effective alternatives. Harvard starts by discussing that even though learning styles are no longer the backbone that gives structure to the classroom like they use to be, many institutions still wrongfully rely on them to shape their curriculum.  As an educator, Harvard was always asked to reach all the learning styles when he was teaching a lesson, but after a while, he realized that there was very little scientific evidence that supported learning styles. Instead, he began to research learning strategies that would be more effective in the classroom and were actually proven to reach children. Three examples of research learning strategies are retrieval practice, distributed practice, and interleaved practice. These are just a few examples of what student can do instead of focusing on studying one ineffective way. When a student uses the skill of retrieval instead of staring blankly at notecards, they are more effectively studying by attempting to retrieve information from their memory. These types of learning strategies require a student to be actively studying instead of just staring at a term and not connecting other information to it.

Before reading all of this research, I had always believed that learning styles were a necessary part of every child’s education. After gaining all of this newfound knowledge, I now see that there is actually very little scientific research that supports learning styles. As a “shockingly auditory” learner, I would tend to disregard any type of visual or kinesthetic learning strategies, and now as a college student, I see how this may have hurt me. I am currently adapting my study habits to include all type of strategies because each one is necessary when attempting to retain information. Instead of listening to youtube videos on certain topics like I did all through high school, I am now making charts and spending more time invested in the textbooks. It is important that all types of learning are integrated into the classroom so that schools produce well-rounded individuals who can problem solve, analyze, time manage, etc.

References:

Harvard, Blake. “Learning Myths vs. Learning Facts.” Psych Learning Curve, 17 July 2017, psychlearningcurve.org/learning-myths-vs-learning-facts/.

Khazan, Olga. “The Myth of ‘Learning Styles’.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 Apr. 2018, http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/the-myth-of-learning-styles/557687/.

More4kids. “Understanding the Importance of Learning Styles.” Homeschooling Education Learning and Reading Resources, More4kids International, 10 Mar. 2011, education.more4kids.info/77/understanding-learning-styles/#respond.

“Teaching to Every Student’s Unique Learning Style.” University of San Diego, 5 Jan. 2018, onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/teaching-to-every-students-unique-learning-style/.