Learning Styles

Ultimately, the most important thing for learning is not the way the information is presented but what is happening inside the learner's head. People learn best when they're actively thinking about the material, solving problems or imagining what happens if different variables change. I talked about how and why we learn best in my video, "The Science of Thinking", so check that out. Now, the truth is, there are many evidence-based teaching methods that improve learning. Learning styles is just not one of them. And it is likely, given the prevalence of the learning styles misconception that it actually makes learning worse. I mean, learning styles give teachers unnecessary things to worry about, and they make some students reluctant to engage with certain types of instruction. And all the time and money spent on learning styles and related training could be better spent on interventions that actually improve learning. You are not a visual learner nor an auditory learner nor a kinesthetic learner, or more accurately, you are all these kinds of learner in one. The best learning experiences are those that involve multiple different ways of understanding the same thing. And best of all, this strategy works not just for one subset of people but for everyone.