We have all studied learning styles and how important creating lessons for the various learning styles in our classroom is to academic success. However, Charlotte Allen points to several researchers who are declaring that there is no research evidence that teaching to different learning styles in the classroom has an impact of academic success. In "The End of 'Learning Style' Lore?," she discusses many researchers involved in institutions like Oxford, Harvard, the University of London, and the Max-Planck-Institute in Frankfurt telling educators to stop wasting time and money on these initiatives. The writer addresses the fact that there are many combinations of learning styles and lack of standardization in categorizing which makes it difficult to manage in terms of classroom planning. I found this article very interesting as I have always believed that learning style did play an important role in how well a student learned various content. This an area that I hope to find more research on as I explore curriculum design.
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References:
Allen, C. (2017, March 27). The end of 'learning style' lore? Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-end-of-learning-style-lore/article/2007387
I would tend to agree that while learning theory is interesting, it is largely a theory that is difficult to show evidence for. I think the main take-away from being aware of LT is to dedicate myself to offering what good teachers always have: Variety. The theory of common sense helps us realize that theory or no theory, no one enjoys the same old thing day after day in any environment, much less in education.
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