He added: “Spending time trying to match a student to a learning style could be a waste of valuable time and resources.” Professor Newton said: “If students do not achieve the academic grades they expect, or do not enjoy their learning if students are not taught in a way that matches their supposed learning style, then they may attribute these negative experiences to a lack of matching and be further demotivated for future study.” He said: “For example, a student categorized as an auditory learner may end up thinking there is no point in pursuing studies in visual subjects such as art, or written subjects like journalism and then be demotivated during those classes.”Īn additional concern is the creation of unwarranted and unrealistic expectations among educators. His review, carried out with Swansea University student Atharva Salvi, found a substantial majority of educators, almost 90 per cent, from samples all over the world in all types of education, reported that they believe in the efficacy of learning stylesīut the study points out that a learner could be a risk of being pigeonholed and consequently lose their motivation as a result. Professor Newton said: “This apparent widespread belief in an ineffective teaching method that is also potentially harmful has caused concern among the education community.” He explained that various reviews, carried out since the mid-2000s, have concluded there is no evidence to support the idea that matching instructional methods to the supposed learning style of a student does improve learning. However, a new paper by Professor Phil Newton, of Swansea University Medical School, highlights that this ineffective approach is still believed by teachers and calls for a more evidence-based approach to teacher-training. There are more than 70 different classification systems, but the most well-known (VARK) sees individuals being categorised as visual, auditory, read-write or kinesthetic learners. Parents and Guardians Guide to Universityįor decades educators have been advised to match their teaching to the supposed ‘learning styles’ of students.
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