Learning Styles: Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Them and What You Should Do Instead
You’ve probably heard before that people take in new knowledge more effectively through different mediums. In other words, people have different learning styles.
The most common classification of ‘learning styles’ is the VARK method, which stands for Visual, Auditory, Reading, and Kinesthetic. It classifies people based on how they prefer to learn new material.
Instructors use these classifications to help their students understand new material. Students rely on them to identify their learning needs and find more efficient ways to study.
I often receive questions along the lines of ‘how can a [insert learning type here] learner study for [insert subject here]?’ or ‘what study methods work best for [insert learning type here]?’ Although I understand where you’re coming from, there are some problems with pegging yourself to a certain learning style.
Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Learning Styles
There’s No Scientific Evidence
Firstly, there’s no scientific evidence supporting the theory of learning styles. Teachers who adapt their lesson material to different learning styles don’t see an improvement in performance from their students. Students who believe they fit a particular learning style don’t do better in tasks associated with that learning style compared to their peers who identify with a different learning style.
Learning Styles are Preferences
They don’t tell you whether you receive information better a certain way. This is one of the flaws of the VARK questionnaire - it uses phrases like you would, you learn best by, you prefer, and you like. This only tells you the things you already do and the habits you’ve already formed, not what’s best for you and yields the best results.
Plus, the fact that these questions are self-reported undermines the reliability of the results of the questionnaire. Even if you think you’re extremely self-aware and can identify a single medium through which you receive information most effectively, adhering to a single medium will result in major drawbacks, which I’ll explain later in this post.
The Theory’s Inconsistent with Neuroscience
The idea of learning styles is also inconsistent with findings in neuroscience: the brain is an interconnected organ, so when you utilize one learning method, other learning methods are activated as well. For example, when you read a certain piece of text, your brain would then find a way to visualize what you read or to sound it out in your head.
What You Should Do Instead
Because our brain is so interconnected, it would be best to utilize all learning methods so that you can learn the material as comprehensively as possible. This was a method my seventh-grade science teacher taught me, and it’s been more helpful than I was aware of.
For example, when studying a relationship between two variables in a graph, you should
Study the physical attributes of the graph. Remember axes, units, the general shape of the graph, and outliers. This will help you understand the general correlation or relationship between the two factors. (Visual)
Read the explanation of the graph and rewrite it in your own words, either in the form of notes or a paragraph, so long as there is logical consistency. Also, redraw the graph. (Visual, Reading)
Explain (out loud) what’s going on in the graph and the explanation/theory behind it, while only looking at the graph you redrew. Do so by walking around. (Auditory, Kinesthetic)
The most important thing when it comes to studying is to focus on the material. The way that information is best processed by your brain depends on the type of information you’re receiving much more than what learning method you prefer to use. So, you should adopt as many of the learning styles as you can, focusing on what best suits the material you’re studying.
For example, you won’t understand geometry as comprehensively if you don’t visualize the shapes. You won’t be able to speak a different language without hearing how the correct accent is supposed to sound. You won’t be able to do math without actually doing the problems - just reading through sample questions and answers isn’t very effective.
In short, it doesn’t help to obsess over learning styles and only base your study habits on what style you’re classified into. Instead, you should utilize all learning styles and focus on study methods that work best for the content of what you’re studying.
