No evidence to back idea of learning styles

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/mar/12/no-evidence-to-back-idea-of-learning-styles

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There is widespread interest among teachers in the use of neuroscientific research findings in educational practice. However, there are also misconceptions and myths that are supposedly based on sound neuroscience that are prevalent in our schools. We wish to draw attention to this problem by focusing on an educational practice supposedly based on neuroscience that lacks sufficient evidence and so we believe should not be promoted or supported.

Generally known as “learning styles”, it is the belief that individuals can benefit from receiving information in their preferred format, based on a self-report questionnaire. This belief has much intuitive appeal because individuals are better at some things than others and ultimately there may be a brain basis for these differences. Learning styles promises to optimise education by tailoring materials to match the individual’s preferred mode of sensory information processing.

There are, however, a number of problems with the learning styles approach. First, there is no coherent framework of preferred learning styles. Usually, individuals are categorised into one of three preferred styles of auditory, visual or kinesthetic learners based on self-reports. One study found that there were more than 70 different models of learning styles including among others, “left v right brain,” “holistic v serialists,” “verbalisers v visualisers” and so on. The second problem is that categorising individuals can lead to the assumption of fixed or rigid learning style, which can impair motivation to apply oneself or adapt.

Finally, and most damning, is that there have been systematic studies of the effectiveness of learning styles that have consistently found either no evidence or very weak evidence to support the hypothesis that matching or “meshing” material in the appropriate format to an individual’s learning style is selectively more effective for educational attainment. Students will improve if they think about how they learn but not because material is matched to their supposed learning style. The Educational Endowment Foundation in the UK has concluded that learning styles is “Low impact for very low cost, based on limited evidence”.

These neuromyths may be ineffectual, but they are not low cost. We would submit that any activity that draws upon resources of time and money that could be better directed to evidence-based practices is costly and should be exposed and rejected. Such neuromyths create a false impression of individuals’ abilities, leading to expectations and excuses that are detrimental to learning in general, which is a cost in the long term.

One way forward is to draw attention to practices that are not evidence-based and to encourage neuroscientists and educationalists to promote the need for critical thinking when evaluating the claims for educational benefits supposedly based on neuroscience. As part of Brain Awareness Week that begins 13 March, we support neuroscientists going into schools to talk about their research but also to raise awareness of neuromyths.Professor Bruce HoodChair of developmental psychology in society, University of Bristol, founder of SpeakezeeProfessor Paul Howard-JonesChair of neuroscience and education, University of BristolProfessor Diana LaurillardProfessor of learning with digital technology, UCL Knowledge Lab, University College LondonProfessor Dorothy BishopProfessor of developmental neuropsychology, University of OxfordProfessor Frank CoffieldEmeritus professor of education, University College Institute of Education, University of LondonProfessor Dame Uta FrithEmeritus Professor, Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College LondonProfessor Steven PinkerJohnstone family professor of psychology, Harvard UniversitySir Colin BlakemoreProfessor of neuroscience and philosophy, director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses, University College LondonProfessor Hal PashlerDistinguished professor of psychology, UC San DiegoDr Peter EtchellsSenior lecturer in biological psychology, Bath Spa UniversityDr Nathalia GjersoeSenior lecturer in developmental psychology, University of BathProfessor Gaia ScerifProfessor of developmental cognitive neuroscience, University of OxfordDr Sara BakerLecturer in psychology and education, University of CambridgeDr Matthew WallDivision of brain sciences, Imperial College LondonDr Jon SimonsReader in cognitive neuroscience, University of CambridgeDr Michelle EllefsonSenior lecturer in psychology and education, University of CambridgeDr Ashok JansariLecturer in cognitive neuropsychology, Goldsmiths, University of LondonDr Molly CrockettAssociate professor of experimental psychology, University of OxfordProfessor Kate NationProfessor of experimental psychology, University of OxfordProfessor Michael ThomasDirector, University of London Centre for Educational Neuroscience, professor of cognitive neuroscience, Birkbeck, University of LondonDr Nikhil SharmaHonorary consultant neurologist and senior clinical researcher (MRC),the National Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryDr David WhitebreadPEDAL research centre, University of CambridgeProfessor Mark SabbaghProfessor of psychology and neuroscience, Queen’s University, CanadaDr Cristine LegareAssociate professor of psychology, University of Texas at AustinDr Joseph T DevlinHead of experimental psychology, University College LondonProfessor Peter GordonProgram director, neuroscience and education, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityProfessor David PoeppelDirector, department of neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute, FrankfurtProfessor Brian ButterworthInstitute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Educational Neuroscience, University College LondonProfessor Anil SethSackler Centre for Consciousness Science, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of SussexDr Tom FoulshamReader in psychology, University of Essex

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