Are you a visual learner? Or do you learn best by listening? For decades, educators have been taught that to maximize learning, teaching should be geared toward each individual student’s learning style. But as it turns out, 30 years of research has shown that although people do tend to have differing abilities and preferences for how material is presented, presenting instruction in a learner’s preferred style does not result in greater learning.

Why does this matter? Because teacher education continues to emphasize the idea of matching lesson plans to learning styles, and countless hours and resources are dedicated to operationalizing a concept that is not supported by science. Furthermore, some researchers think that putting students into learning-style categories is harmful and may prevent them from learning to their full potential.

As we move forward, should educators prioritize research-based instructional techniques and discard learning-styles theory, or do we need to dig in to learn more about why the idea of learning style seems to have resonated with so many of us?

For decades, educators have been taught that to maximize learning, teaching should be geared toward each individual student’s learning style.

Primary Sources

Cuevas, J. (2015). Is learning styles-based instruction effective? A comprehensive analysis of recent research on learning styles. Theory and Research in Education, 13(3), 308-333. doi:10.1177/1477878515606621

Kirschner, P. A. (2017). Stop propagating the learning styles myth. Computers & Education, 106, 166-171. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2016.12.006

Willingham, D. T., Hughes, E. M., & Dobolyi, D. G. (2015). The scientific status of learning styles theories. Teaching of Psychology, 42(3), 266-271. doi:10.1177/0098628315589505

Learn More

Khazan, O. (April 11, 2018). The Myth of “Learning Styles.” The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/the-myth-of-learning-styles/557687/