Debunking MythsMILDRED STARKS
Myth
All students learn differently Visual Auditory Kinesthetic
Student progression happens based on teacher Must identify individual learning style Not based on student effort Not based on student ability (Singal, 2015)
Myth
Learning styles“Neuromyth”Numerous amounts
of literature validates (Singal, 2015)
Cons
Educator ResearchSearch for
literature will support using
learning styles
Implicit or DirectVarious
research supports
using learning styles in Higher
Education
DiscouragingDeviates
from scientific reasoning (Singal, 2015)
Cons
Learning StylesIntuitive and
natural concept (Singal, 2015)
HypothesisStudents may have preferred
learning method; matching that
need does not lead to better learning (Ashman, 2016)
Teacher EducationPromotes learning styles; should not
be reflected in professional curriculum
(Ashman, 2016)
Pros
Unfortunate
Verified eventually
(Singal, 2015)
EventualityTrickles down to those who benefit most
from it; although slowly (Singal, 2015)
DebunkedNo evidence to support it
(Ashman, 2016)
What is Known to Be Accurate
How we learn Remembering and forgetting closely related Neither one is natural Concentration should include breaks
Spaced study Breaking learning into breaks More efficient Richer learning (Carey, 2014)
What is Known to Be Accurate
Interleaving Incorporate related material while studying (i.e. music/scales-theory), (Carey, 2014) Alternate differing problems (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, Willingham, 2013)
Perceptual Discrimination Active, applies to all senses(Carey, 2014)
Incubation Put problem aside; stop thinking; mental process of reorganizing information (Carey, 2014)
Percolation The art of successful procrastination; stalling and completing later (Carey, 2014)
Forgetting Crucial to learning (Carey, 2014)
What Is Know to Be Inaccurate
Former thinking not about scienceLearning frustrations were incorrectFocused concentration is ineffective
(Carey, 2014)
Myth Relation To How People Learn
Bad habitsDistractions, diversions,
napping, assist in learning process
Studying should be shifted around life (Carey, 2014)
Myth Relation to How Neuroscience Has Been Appropriated for Educational Use
Scientists figuring out how cells assist us in learning
Meaning Maintenance Model Frustrations send brain into full force Brain tries to find meaning Brain looks for structure That search helps with learning Brain desires meaning That meaning helps understand complex
patterns (Carey, 2014)
Myth Relation to How Cognitive Science Has Been Appropriated for Educational Use
Disorientation causes “hypersensitive” feelings Motivated learner is ready for comprehension Uneasy feelings is not the end, but the beginning Research is practical Not necessary to spend all time and effort learning Learning can be disorganized
Time of studying Content There is value in combining old and new information (Carey, 2014)
References
Ashman, G. (2016, February 21). Victoria University promotes Learning Styles Theories. In Filling the Pail.
Carey, B. (2014). How we learn: The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens. New York,
NY: Random House. ISBN: 978-0-8129-9389-9
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’
learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational
psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. doi: 10.1177/1529100612453266
Singal, J. (2015, December 28). One Reason the 'Learning Styles' Myth Persists. In Science of Us.