Communication - Have learning styles been debunked?

Following on from Sunday (15/11/20) nights discussion group about communication, I have been reflecting on one specific point that was raised - Have learning styles been debunked? 

I have since looked into this, and deciphered that it is a case of psychologists vs. instructors. I do agree that becoming too fixated on learning styles can lead to an assumption of being fixed on using a specific style for a particular student; however, I do also think that we can adopt various learning styles, and more than one at a time, dependent on the activity or skill needed to be acquired. As teachers/instructors I think we need to be aware of these learning styles to enhance learning, as a form of effective communication between teachers and students. Personally, I do think students learn more effectively when they think about their learning style, however, I do think there needs to be a holistic approach to learning and teaching, which includes this, amongst other teaching devices. 

From this thought, I am now looking at my own practice, do I focus on learning styles too much? 

Comments

  1. Susan PrestiNovember 20, 2020 at 10:07 AM

    Hi Ellie
    I think that understanding 'learning styles' is important to help, encourage and nurture our students to the best of our ability. As we learn and understand more, that then transfers into our methods of teaching and allows us to be more creative in our approach to the communication between student and teacher. Which in turn, reflects back on us as teachers and builds a wider scope to our skills that we learn from our practices.

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    Replies
    1. Ellie FranklinNovember 24, 2020 at 2:34 AM

      Hi Susan,
      Thanks for your reply!
      Yes, I agree with you completely, and I like the thought of learning styles allowing us to be more creative in the communication we give. I had't thought about that! I do think that we use learning styles without actually realising it most of the time.

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