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.