Learning Styles? I think not.
Lauren Waldman
Learning Scientist, Learning Design Consultant, Keynote Speaker. Upskilling your teams to work better, learn better and design better learning all based on the brain.
It would seem that this is the cockroach of learning myths. It just won't die. So you think you're an auditory learner? visual? kinesthetic? listen I get it, I use to think the exact same thing. I was sure that I was a hands on, down and dirty learner, and once I was classified, it was hard to break the behaviour and change the notion in my brain that this just wasn't true.
But it's not. The brain learns as a whole people. So how do we change the unconscious mental model to move forward and begin to understand how learning really happens? Start with a small bite out of the elephant and let your brain be open to the possibility that this isn't true. Easy start right? I know, all those test you did, the learning style quizzes that kept validating you and your style of choice really had us convinced. But did anyone of us ever question who was making these quizzes up? Were they ever supported by scientific research or was it an amazing marketing opportunity that people capitalized on for decades? (I vote the latter) "Nearly all of the studies that purport to provide evidence for learning styles fail to satisfy key criteria for scientific validity. " (www.psychologicalscience.org, December,16,2009)
If we're really going to revolutionize the way we learn, we need to take a logical approach to what we think we already know and validate if that's even true. I'm not suggesting that you spend hours combing through white papers and scientific research studies (leave that bit to me, I love doing it anyway). Certainly though we can ask ourselves intelligently if the way we're learning is actually the way our brains were wired to learn. Nearly every person I ask this to, has the instinct that they could probably be doing something different, it's the what part where they get stuck. Hence we stick to what we know, what's familiar and lets face it, what's easy.
I'll end with the summary given in the article sited above (see link below for full article) because the writer did it great justice: "... psychological research has not found that people learn differently, at least not in the ways learning-styles proponents claim. Given the lack of scientific evidence, the authors argue that the currently widespread use of learning-style tests and teaching tools is a wasteful use of limited educational resources." If there was a mic to drop, I'd drop it there.
YARR for now everyone! and please drop me a line if you're curious or have questions about your learning brain or there's a topic you'd like me to cover. My brain can use the help from yours!
Supporting high performance hybrid teams
6 年There are so many scientific myths floating around and nobody makes the effort to read the papers. My three favorite neuro-myths are: 1. The left hemisphere of the brain is the logical and the right hemisphere is creative part. 2. People differ in their learning styles 3. There is a second brain in your belly
Award winning Gamification and Engagement Expert | Change specialist | L&D Engagement Manager
6 年Just to complement your argument, a small video of SciShow on the topic: https://youtu.be/V-S_53HmEUA
Co-convenor - Holos-Earth Project
6 年Quite frankly - I don't 'get' the argument - must be something about my learning style. :)
JobsForHorses
6 年What an absolute load of rubbish!?? You are treating a very complex issue in a very simplistic and polarized way.? It may be true that we all have the capacity and desire? to learn as a whole but that does not mean that we all have the ability to do so within the constraints that society imposes upon us. I guess there are many learners who have been disadvantaged by being labeled but that doesn't mean that zero labelling is a better option.? It is simply the impetus we had for creating the labels in the first place. The recursive nature of our learning patterns means that even small differences in DNA can affect learning in ways that can take a lifetime to overcome.? The brain is amazingly creative in compensating for its perceived problems and can probably do anything with enough time to process the issues, however sometimes we just need a break in our learning comfort zone to do a job and get paid for it.?? If we are not given that accommodation, no matter how whimsical you think that is, then no job -no money - no eat -no live -no time to learn as a whole.
Learning and Contributing
6 年It’s interesting why some ideas persist. This is tricky topic. I wonder if the proponents of learning styles hold the worthwhile underlying humanist aspiration of ‘designing for learners’.....being responsive. Perhaps one approach to influence may be to not just ‘present the evidence’ but perhaps also affirm their positive intentions. Ironically, much of the discourse has a ‘debunking’ tone and this leads to defensive ‘retreats to practice experience’ and feelings of being devalued. A interesting opportunity.