Photo by Sharon McCutcheon
Learning styles are viewed in a positive light by many people. You may agree that, at worst, learning styles are harmless and at best they improve learning. What damage could the theory of learning styles possibly cause?
If everyone understood how to apply learning styles theory, the answer would be “Very little. In fact, they can do a lot of good.”
Unfortunately, people’s beliefs surrounding learning styles aren’t always accurate. Up to 90% of people believe that learners perform better when taught in their predominant learning style. Yet, the idea that visual learners should only have visually-focused lessons, or that audio lessons require audio-based lessons, is largely a myth. This rigid take on learning styles doesn’t take into account details like course content, the diversity of student needs, and more.
So, what problems does this belief create?