Image source: http://www.whatismylearningstyle.com/learning-style-test-1.html
I was very glad to see the Kirschner article–Stop Propagating the Learning Styles Myth–in our readings because it supports what I have been teaching in my Train the Trainer workshops for close to ten years.
In 2006, I was asked to develop a two-day Train-the-Trainer program for a client. I had just completed a certification in Keirsey Temperament Theory and knew that I wanted to include some type of psychometric tool in the workshops.
I found a great little program called Brain.exe (which is no longer available), a 20-question survey that provided the participants with their learning style and tips on which methods would be most beneficial for their learning. My intent was to build participants awareness of learning styles so that they would understand 1) that people have different ways of learning, and 2) that they would most likely design their training according to their own learning preferences which could exclude other types of learners.
The two-day workshop I designed went well; however, the learning styles theory didn’t sit well with me. Like Kirschner, I was looking for empirical evidence to support learning styles theory, but I couldn’t find it. I did find a wonderful quote by George E. P. Box that I added to all my workshops that include psychometric tools.
All models are wrong; some models are useful.
The learning styles theory is useful, even if it’s only to get learners to think of the ways they prefer to learn and to understand that some types of learning may be a stretch for them. Kirschner wrote, “it [learning styles theory] should really be relegated to the realm of beliefs” (p. 167). Beliefs are powerful motivators that instructors can use to create positive learning environments.
In 2008, the video Learning Styles Don’t Exist by Professor Daniel Willingham came to my attention, and I added it to my workshop. Willingham ends his video with the following statement:
Good teaching is good teaching and teachers don’t need to adjust their teaching to individual students learning styles.
If we–instructional designers, facilitators, and instructors–focus on the learners needs, respect their existing knowledge and abilities, and help them to be active participants in their own learning, we will succeed in providing them with a positive learning experience.
Additional Info:
Two key sources I used to build the train-the-trainer workshop were Training the Trainer by Mary-Jo Dolasinski and The Ten Minute Trainer by Sharon Bowman . Both authors made reference to training and learning styles; Bowman’s perspective was heavily influenced by Kolb’s theories of the Experiential Learning Cycle and Learning Styles.
Dolasinski’s approach was performance-based with the facilitator doing most of the talking; Bowman’s approach was activities-based with the facilitator presenting short theory-bursts followed by content related activities that addressed all the learning styles. I enjoy the activities-based approach the most.
What methods of instruction do you enjoy the most?