Is the Sky Really Blue?

I was first introduced to the idea of learning styles when my first-born started school.  I remember researching schools, going to new parent orientations, learning about the different approaches different schools took to their educational philosophies, and meeting teachers.  During this time, I remember feeling quickly overwhelmed with the import of the decision I was making and the many factors that would weigh into our ultimate choice.  Transitioning a child to a more structured learning environment, I remember quizzing teachers on whether they included kinaesthetic and physical learning approaches into their practice – thinking that it would be hard for my son to sit still for a full-day.  We eventually ended up at the Lab School where the emphasis on experiential learning (among other reasons) resonated with me.

 

Fast forward to my experience as an educator.  My interest in education is firmly rooted in the idea of experiential and place-based education.  I didn’t come to this home-base because of learning styles theory specifically.  As an avowed generalist, I think that I have intuitively embraced the idea that we benefit from a wide and balanced base of learning approaches.  Experiential learning satisfies this understanding as it balances classroom learning (visual, aural, verbal, logical) along with personal reflection – all grounded in the physical act of doing.   From the reading, it seems the primary critique of a learning styles approach is that it forces one to choose distinct categories (or learning preferences) and enables one to dismiss other approaches.  The research indicating that this rationale can be counter to effective learning fits with my own experience and teaching/learning philosophy.

 

Why do people gravitate to a learning style theory?  Way back when my son was starting school, I took it on faith that this was grounded in empirical evidence.  The same reason I don’t feel the need to do extensive research on the theory of gravity before taking on faith that this is the reason something dropped falls to the ground.  I had heard the idea of learning styles so much that I assumed it to be true.  It does make you wonder what else I take to be true on good faith.