Theory: People Have Different Styles of Learning
Compiled by Lori Gracey | Excutive Director | TCEA.org
Summary of the Belief: People are all different and so we all learn differently. This is a truism that is hard to deny. Because of this, for many teachers it feels intuitively right to say that there are people who prefer to learn visually, while others prefer to learn auditively, and yet others kinesthetically. Some prefer to use the Kolb inventory based on experiential learning.
Points About the Belief:
- There is a great difference between the way that someone says he or she prefers to learn and that which actually leads to better learning. (Similar to food, I may prefer to eat chocolate and donuts all the time, but that is not what is best for me.)
- Most so-called learning styles are based on types: they classify people into distinct groups. However, the assumption that people cluster into distinct groups receives very little support form objective studies.
- Most people do not fit one particular style.
- The information used to assign people to styles is often inadequate (self-reporting).
- There are so many different styles that it becomes cumbersome to link particular learners to particular styles.
Resources:
- In 1982, Clark found in a meta-analysis of studies using learner preference for selecting particular instructional methods that learner preference was typically uncorrelated or negatively correlated with learning and learning outcomes. That is, learners who reported preferring a particular instructional technique typically did not derive any instructional benefit from experience it.
- Learning Styles – Concepts and Evidence abstract
- Everything You’ve Ever Been Told About How You Learn Is a Lie
- Learning Styles: Worth Our Time?
Your Analysis:
Is the theory:
- Myth
- Unproven
- Based on truth
What This Should Mean to Teachers: