Learning Styles

Students of different races and ethnicities often have different learning styles, and good teachers will match their instruction to these learning styles.

Background
Interest in learning styles developed in the 1970s and has become part of conventional wisdom among many educators. The thesis was, and is, that educators should identify their students' learning styles and then develop teaching methods to fit each student. But the concept of learning styles has different meanings and much recent research by cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists discounts the usefulness of focusing on students' learning styles. While many of us prefer to learn in some ways more than others, this does not mean that our brains function differently when we learn. If our preferences are reinforced, we may fail to learn how to learn in other ways. Since we cannot control the demands on us to learn, especially outside of school, being taught in terms of our preferred "learning style" can limit our success in solving problems beyond school. Moreover, the intuitively sensible idea of learning styles sometimes leads to misanalysis of why students learn and stereotyping. For example some ways of describing learning styles—such as distinctions between "concrete operationalizing" and "abstract conceptualization" (or "logical-mathematical" and "bodily-kinesthetic")—implicitly represent a hierarchy of academic learning capabilities. Students not challenged to learn to conceptualize complex phenomena will be disadvantaged in taking on tasks involving complex problem-solving.

Questions to Consider

1. What do people mean when they talk about "learning styles"?
2. What are some consequences of identifying students' learning styles and adapting teaching strategies accordingly?

To explore these and other questions, take a closer look at the resources below. At any time, add your comments to the Discussion by starting a new discussion or viewing an ongoing discussion.

Explore this Wikipedia entry on learning styles, including critiques of the various learning style models and how educators apply these models in classrooms.