November 4, 2009
Learning styles are bunk.
The classifications for visual, kinaesthetic or auditory learners or left and right brainers have no basis in reality:
Two years ago, David Mosely, Elaine Hall, Kathryn Ecclestone and I produced two reports for the now defunct Learning and Skills Development Agency, which got cold feet and refused to launch them. It was afraid, as one of the government’s “delivery partners”, to back research it had itself funded, in case it upset the DfES.
Our reports reviewed, systematically, 13 models of learning styles and concluded that this area of research is theoretically incoherent and conceptually confused. I listed in the reports 30 dichotomies, such as “activists” versus “reflectors”, “globalists” versus “analysts”, and “left brainers” versus “right brainers”. We should stop using these terms. There’s no scientific justification for them. You can check that. Shake your head gently. Does the left hemisphere of your brain move independently from the right? Or do they seem connected?
I have always had a hunch that what this article says was true. (via)
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I meant to reply to this when you posted it, Andrew. I’ve been tracking this argument (and its effect on teachers and their classrooms) as a part of my work in education over the last two years. I’m glad you posted it here.