The Problem with Learning Styles and How to Use It to Your Benefit

Do you know your learning style?

Some students will confidently give a definitive answer to this question. Others might hesitate. However, regardless of which category you fall into, you have probably heard about this idea at least once in your life.

The concept of “learning styles” is still greatly favored in schools and colleges. Many educators rely on it in their day-to-day teachings. However, despite its popularity, empirical evidence for the benefits of this theory are limited. Numerous online publications are quick to point that out and discredit this concept entirely.

So, are learning styles completely useless?

We don’t think so! In this article, our experts scrutinize their credibility and offer alternative ways of thinking about this theory. We’ll also discuss various learning styles and how to use them. Finally, you will find some practical examples on how to use different learning approaches in your education to ensure maximum efficiency.

What Are Learning Styles?

Learning styles refer to how students obtain, process, understand, and retain information. The idea is fairly simple – every person has a particular way of learning that suits them best. When sticking to it, we memorize information and understand concepts much better than we would otherwise.

Thus, auditory learners thrive when listening, discussing topics, and participating in debates. Kinesthetic students use gestures to express ideas and learn best from hands-on experience. A read/write style emphasizes written exercises and plenty of reading. Visual learners organize their learning experience via images, graphs, and pictures.

The 8 Learning Styles

The theory of learning styles has gone through an impressive evolution throughout its history. This concept began with three types known as VAK (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). Later on, another type (read/write) was included, turning VAK into VARK. Here, we briefly describe what each component of this acronym stands for.

These four learning types aren’t the only ones in existence. Many proponents of this theory believe that there are many more educational styles. Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman even wrote that there were as many as 170 learning types. We’re not going to cover all of those here. Instead, we will talk about the additional four styles that professionals acknowledge when discussing this theory.

Learning Styles: Facts and Myths

As we have covered above, learning styles are appealing because they make intuitive sense. But despite copious amounts of research, there is no empirical evidence that supports the learning styles foundation. That is why some people want to eliminate learning styles entirely, stating that the methods have no apparent advantages. On the other hand, there are adamant defenders of the theory despite its flaws.

As with many other educational myths, there is a lot of misinformation concerning learning styles. It becomes easy to lose sight of the truth when at the epicenter of heated debates about this theory. That’s why in this section of the article, we want to establish what’s fact and what’s fiction.

People learn better when adhering to their learning styles exclusively.

Many educators have already integrated this belief into their teaching. However, it is important to understand that this statement is a myth. Students learn better when using a combination of methods. For example, when studying plants, it’s possible to use kinesthetic, reading, and visual approaches to extract as much information as possible.

There are no studies to indicate that using only one style helps people memorize things better. Their combined strengths activate different areas of the brain. When encountering new information, this mix of educational methods helps optimize comprehension.

Effective learning involves a variety of approaches.

This statement is true as people use different learning methods in a collaborative manner. For example, people who study music often read notes and listen to recordings at the same time. This way, they work with both audio and text.

The same principle applies to other disciplines, such as physics and chemistry. Combining theoretical knowledge, experiments, and real-life experience can go a long way. Learners should utilize methods that align with their study habits and preferences when approaching new subjects, but also be sure to travel outside their comfort zone. You can try out completely new learning strategies or combine tried and true methods to reach a whole different level of understanding.

If learning styles aren’t real, everything should be taught the same way.

There’s no universal way to study or teach. Every subject, topic, and idea can be presented in a myriad of ways and each piece of content can use a different learning method. For example, an outside experience in nature benefits students when learning about local flora and fauna. However, simply observing the plants will not explain their inner biology or the process of photosynthesis.

This is why picking just one way to learn limits the scope of the subject, and hinders one’s learning experience. Both teachers and students should be conscious of this fact when choosing the best way to present or absorb information.

People have their unique learning preferences.

Just like everyone has preferences in art, music, and literature, they also have educational preferences. Preferences may change over time and can be highly varied from one situation to another. It is important to vary your approaches to education to ensure that you get the most out of your subject.

Learning Styles vs. Learning Preferences

These notions may sound similar but they have notable differences that are crucial to understand. Learning styles relate to how a person tackles new information, while preferences identify the conditions one needs to learn better. The comparative table below offers some clarity:

🥽 Study Methods for Different Learning Preferences

This part of the article covers different educational approaches and their features. Remember that you don’t have to focus on only one strategy all the time. We recommend that you give all of them a try, even if they are different from your preferred methods. This way, it is possible to continue training your brain and optimizing your learning.

Visual Approach

Auditory Approach

Kinesthetic Approach

Read/Write Approach