Look, Let’s Get One Thing Straight
I’m gonna say something controversial. Learning styles are a bunch of hooey. There, I said it. I’ve been in this education racket for over two decades, and I’ve seen trend after trend come and go. But this one? It’s stubborn. It’s like that houseguest who won’t leave after the party’s over.
Back in 2003, I was at a conference in Austin, and this guy—let’s call him Marcus—stood up and said, “We need to teach to all the learning styles! Visual, auditory, kinesthetic!” And everyone clapped. I clapped. But I was skeptical. I mean, where’s the proof?
Fast forward to 2024. I’m sitting in my office, surrounded by stacks of research papers, and I’m thinking, “Okay, let’s settle this once and for all.” And guess what? The research doesn’t support learning styles. Not really. It’s a myth. A persistent, pervasive myth.
My Personal Journey with Learning Styles
I’ll admit it. I fell for it too. In 2008, I was teaching a course on writing, and I thought, “Oh, I should cater to all the learning styles.” So I made PowerPoints for the visual learners. I recorded lectures for the auditory learners. I had everyone up and moving for the kinesthetic learners. It was exhausting. And you know what? It didn’t make a lick of difference.
My colleague, Dave, came into my office one day and said, “You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.” I told him what I was doing, and he said, “That’s not how learning works. It’s not about styles. It’s about effort and practice.” Which… yeah. Fair enough.
The Research Says…
So, I did some digging. I read studies. I talked to experts. And here’s the deal: there’s no strong evidence that teaching to learning styles improves learning. None. Zip. Zilch. A meta-analysis of 150+ studies found minimal support for the idea that matching instruction to a student’s preferred learning style improves outcomes. That’s from Pashler et al., 2008. Look it up.
But here’s the thing that gets me. People love the idea of learning styles. It’s intuitive. It’s simple. It’s like saying, “Oh, I’m a visual learner, so I’ll just look at this and I’ll get it.” But learning isn’t simple. It’s hard work. It’s practice. It’s failing and trying again.
What Works Then?
If learning styles aren’t the answer, what is? Well, for starters, effort. That’s right, good old-fashioned hard work. A study by Duckworth and Quinn found that grit—perseverance and passion for long-term goals—predicts success better than IQ or talent. So, maybe we should be teaching grit instead of learning styles.
And then there’s practice. Deliberate practice. Not just doing the same thing over and over, but pushing yourself, challenging yourself, and getting feedback. That’s how you improve. That’s how you learn. And it’s not about your “style.” It’s about your effort.
Oh, and let’s not forget about interest. People learn better when they’re interested in the topic. Duh, right? But how often do we make learning about things that students care about? Not often enough.
A Tangent: Interior Design Trends 2026
Speaking of interests, have you seen the latest interior design trends 2026? No, I’m not kidding. There’s a website that’s already predicting trends for 2026. I mean, come on. But hey, if it gets people interested in design, maybe it’s a good thing. Who knows? Maybe it’ll help them learn better. But I doubt it’s about learning styles.
Back to Reality
Look, I’m not saying learning styles are completely useless. There might be some truth to the idea that people have preferences. But preferences aren’t the same as effectiveness. Just because you prefer to learn one way doesn’t mean you learn best that way. And just because you’re not a “visual learner” doesn’t mean you can’t learn from a diagram.
So, let’s stop worrying so much about learning styles. Let’s focus on what really matters: effort, practice, and interest. Let’s make learning about hard work and passion, not about finding the right “style.” Because at the end of the day, that’s what’s gonna make a difference.
And hey, if you’re still not convinced, go read the research. I double-dog dare you.
About the Author
Sarah Johnson has been a senior magazine editor for over 20 years. She’s written for major publications, taught writing courses, and has a love-hate relationship with learning trends. When she’s not writing, she’s probably arguing about education, reading research, or trying to convince people that learning styles are overrated. You can find her on Twitter @sarahjwrites, where she tweets about education, writing, and the occasional cat video.
