Unlearning learning styles

I read with interest this list of 10 things teachers should unlearn (opens in a new window) from What Ed Said (opens in a new window). The post generated lots of conversation, especially on the “Technology integration is optional” and “Students are obliged to respect teachers” points.

One item that would make my list of 10 things for teachers to unlearn would be the notion that teachers should alter instruction based on learning styles. Learning styles have always provided a tempting and intuitive notion: Determine a student’s learning style, and then provide instruction in a format that matches the preference of the student (for example, provide a visual learner with predominantly visual information).

Despite the boxes of books and materials designed to help teachers teach to students’ learning styles, there’s just isn’t any research to justify changing teaching practices to match learning styles. As the Learning Styles Concepts and Evidence review (opens in a new window) concludes, “limited education resources would better be devoted to adopting other educational practices that have a strong evidence base, of which there are an increasing number.”

Want to hear the same information straight up from UVA cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham? This Learning Styles Don’t Exist video (opens in a new window) on YouTube is helpful and informative. Another source of good information on the topic comes from the learning styles search results (opens in a new window) of Teach Effectively (opens in a new window).