Recently, a colleague forwarded the article, The Myth of “Learning Styles” by Olga Kahzan, to our small group. The tagline states, “a popular theory that some people learn better visually or aurally keeps getting debunked.”
Kahzan is referring to the “learning styles” concept, which suggests that learners have a specific, and most effective, mode of learning. The styles are visual, auditory, reading, and kinesthetic. These are referred to as VARK. The learning styles concept operates under the supposition that educators who know their students’ learning styles should tailor their teaching to meet this wide-range. For example, a lesson on using a balance scale might include, reviewing a diagram or video (visual), listening to the teacher explain the process (auditory), reading a handout (reading), and weighing different items in the balance scale (kinesthetic). According to the VARK model, the visual learner will struggle without diagrams or videos, and perhaps not learn. However, the research cited by Kahzan explains that studies have failed to show improvements in students’ learning outcomes when the preferred learning style, as indicated by completion of the VARK questionnaire, was used. Kahzan dismisses learning styles as a myth with the comment, “it might help you learn about yourself, but it might not help you learn.”
In the ensuing email discussion, one colleague felt that the article missed the point and made the following observation:
Learning style preferences are but another point of information about students and are a reason to employ a variety of teaching methodologies and learning options within a course or learning experience...preferences can inform both the teacher and learner, but the preferences should not be the sole defining view of a learner.
Curious about VARK learning styles? Try it now.
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