I read with interest this list of 10 things teachers should unlearn from What Ed Said . The post generated lots of conversation, especially on the “Technology integration is optional” and “Students are obliged to respect teachers” points.

One item that would make my list of 10 things for teachers to unlearn would be the notion that teachers should alter instruction based on learning styles. Learning styles have always provided a tempting and intuitive notion: Determine a student’s learning style, and then provide instruction in a format that matches the preference of the student (for example, provide a visual learner with predominantly visual information).

Despite the boxes of books and materials designed to help teachers teach to students’ learning styles, there’s just isn’t any research to justify changing teaching practices to match learning styles. As the Learning Styles Concepts and Evidence review concludes, “limited education resources would better be devoted to adopting other educational practices that have a strong evidence base, of which there are an increasing number.”

Want to hear the same information straight up from UVA cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham? This Learning Styles Don’t Exist video on YouTube is helpful and informative. Another source of good information on the topic comes from the learning styles search results of Teach Effectively .

About the Author

Joanne Meier has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education, including serving on the faculty at the University of Virginia for six years where she trained reading specialists and future classroom teachers. Dr. Meier was Reading Rockets’ research-to-practice consultant from 2002 to 2014, where she wrote the Page by Page blog — sharing best practices in supporting young readers at home and in the classroom.

Publication Date
September 21, 2010

Related Topics

Assessment and Evaluation, Curriculum and Instruction, Struggling Readers
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