Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners need to be taught differently: Fact or Myth?

Contents:

• How it all began
• Fleming had predecessors and followers
• What evidence is there that the theory is inconsistent?
• Are there any working ways to help students learn better?

According to an international survey, over 90% of teachers believe that auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners should be taught using different methods. However, to date, there is no convincing evidence to support this approach. We decided to investigate the origins of this myth and find out why it can be detrimental to the educational process.

In this article, you will receive information on how to effectively use different methods to achieve your goals. We will cover key aspects that will help you optimize the process and increase productivity. We will examine in detail the strategies that will allow you to achieve maximum results. You will also learn how to avoid common mistakes and use resources most efficiently. This information will be useful for both beginners and those already experienced in this field. Read on to learn more.

• Where did the famous VARK questionnaire come from?
• What research has been conducted on dividing people into auditory, visual, verbal, and kinesthetic learners?
• Are there any ways to improve comprehension of new information that actually work?

Where it all began?

In the early 1990s, New Zealand school inspector Neil Fleming began to study a problem that had long troubled him. He visited about nine thousand classes and noticed that even the most experienced and talented teachers sometimes could not find an approach to a particular group of students. At the same time, ordinary teachers sometimes achieved success, and their students easily learned new material. Fleming became interested in the secret to successful learning and why some teachers are more effective than others.

Reflecting on the problem of information comprehension, he concluded that people have different learning preferences. If a teacher's methodology doesn't meet students' needs, understanding the material becomes difficult, even if the teacher is highly qualified. At the same time, when a teacher's approach is effective for all students, they will be able to absorb the information, even if the teacher is not an outstanding specialist. Thus, the success of learning depends largely on the correspondence of teaching methods to individual learning styles.

For some people, the question "How do I get to the museum?" is answered more conveniently with a drawn map, while others are satisfied with a verbal explanation. Taking these differences into account, Fleming created the VARK questionnaire, which stands for Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic. Based on the responses received, VARK classifies people into four groups depending on their preferred method of receiving information. This method helps better understand how to teach and interact with people taking into account their individual learning styles.

• Visual learners (prefer visual perception - in simpler terms, they like pictures);
• Auditory learners (prefer to perceive information by ear);
• Verbal learners (learn better through reading or writing);
• Kinesthetic learners (through tactile sensations, smell, touch).

You can take the VARK test yourself, which will help determine your learning style. Keep in mind that the result may be a mixed type, known as multimodal, which means that you use several learning styles simultaneously. This approach allows you to better understand your preferences and adapt the learning process to your individual needs.

Fleming Had Predecessors and Followers

Fleming was not the first researcher to seek to identify individual learning preferences. As early as the 1920s, there was a concept that people remember information better using their preferred learning style. This idea did not encompass the verbal strategy proposed by Fleming and was designated by the acronym VAK, which stands for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles. These three categories emphasize that each person perceives and assimilates information differently, depending on their individual characteristics. Understanding these styles can significantly improve the effectiveness of the educational process and help develop more personalized approaches to learning.

The concept of learning modalities was particularly actively developed by Walter Barbe and his colleagues in the second half of the 20th century. Their research examined learning modalities as key elements in facilitating understanding and retention of information. These studies were closely intertwined with neurolinguistic programming, which allowed for a deeper understanding of how different learning styles influence the process of perceiving and memorizing information.

Barb's concept goes beyond Fleming's theory by suggesting that a match between a teacher and a student with the same modality can significantly improve student performance. This idea emphasizes the importance of an individualized approach to learning and the need to consider learning styles when choosing teaching methods.

Fleming's VARK questionnaire has gained significant popularity in the educational environment. In the first half of 2006, more than 180,000 people took the test. Perhaps the number of users has decreased now, or the questionnaire has become more widespread only in the United States. However, if you enter the query "VARK learning styles" into a search engine, you will find numerous articles on this topic, including materials in Russian, many of which were published only two or three years ago. The authors of these articles actively support the use of the VARK method in educational practice, emphasizing its benefits for individualizing the learning process. Olga Kazan, a columnist for The Atlantic, notes that the popularity of the "VARK learning styles" concept may be linked to the self-esteem movement that became popular in the 1990s. The main idea of ​​this movement was that each person is unique, which implies the presence of an individual learning style. As a result, many began to emphasize the diversity of methods for perceiving information, which contributed to the spread of the VARK concept. Questionnaires and classifications of people by personality types can have a significant impact on the learning process. They help identify the individual characteristics of each student, allowing educational approaches to be tailored to their needs. Understanding different types of learners promotes more effective interactions between teachers and students, improving material acquisition. Furthermore, such tools help identify students' strengths and weaknesses, enabling the development of personalized learning programs that increase motivation and engagement. Ultimately, the use of questionnaires and typologies can significantly improve the quality of education and make it more accessible and effective for each student.

What is the evidence that the theory is inconsistent?

In 2018, researchers asked one hundred students to complete the VARK questionnaire to determine their dominant learning style. Participants then received recommendations on learning strategies that were intended to match their individual preferences. The study's findings provide valuable information on how different learning styles can influence success in the educational process, emphasizing the importance of adapting teaching methods to students' dominant types.

Research has shown that students often do not use the learning method that tests indicate suits them best. Moreover, those who, based on their results, tried to adapt to the so-called optimal learning style did not notice an improvement in their academic performance. This suggests that tests cannot always accurately determine the most effective learning method for each individual student.

The results of the VARK questionnaire showed that most students use multiple learning styles, such as visual and kinesthetic. However, none of these styles leads to significant improvements in grades and academic performance. The study's authors emphasize the importance of experimenting with different methods and learning styles, but caution against limiting oneself to just one approach. This underscores the need for an individualized approach in the educational process, which can incorporate a variety of techniques to achieve the best results.

Experimental psychology PhD candidate Abby Knoll and her team at Central Michigan University conducted a study that found that many people mistakenly perceive themselves as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. These misconceptions can influence how they learn and perceive information, which is important to consider when developing educational programs and approaches to teaching. Understanding your cognitive styles can help improve learning effectiveness and enhance retention. Students who identified as "visual learners" believed they remembered images better, while those with a "verbal" style reported the same for words. However, the results of the experiment did not support their assumptions about the superiority of these styles in memorizing information. This suggests that perceiving and memorizing information may be a more complex process than simply following a particular learning style. A dominant learning style implies a preference for certain methods of perceiving information, such as visual elements or text. However, this does not necessarily mean that one method is more effective for memorizing information than another. Knowing your learning style, whether auditory or visual, is unlikely to have a significant impact on the practical side of learning. Focus should be on a variety of learning approaches to find the most effective methods for yourself.

Beth Rogowski of Bloomsburg University and Barbara Calone of Vanderbilt University have refuted the theory of learning styles. Their research showed that people with "visual" preferences perform better not only on tasks with images, but on all types of tests. This suggests that learning effectiveness does not depend on individual learning styles.

Research suggests that teachers should avoid adapting lessons and assignments to different types of students. This approach can be ineffective and even detrimental to learning. Instead, they should focus on universal teaching methods that promote critical thinking and independence in all students.

A variety of methods that integrate different learning styles helps students master the material more effectively. This approach allows for the individual preferences and needs of each student to be taken into account, which significantly improves learning outcomes. A variety of techniques and strategies used in the educational process help create a more engaging and productive atmosphere, promoting a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Are there any effective ways to help students learn better?

Cognitive science has long been studying teaching methods, which has allowed us to identify many techniques that help improve learning effectiveness. Although none of these techniques can guarantee 100% success for everyone, many of them have repeatedly demonstrated their effectiveness. The study of cognitive processes and mechanisms of information perception helps develop strategies that optimize the learning process and make it more productive.

Students achieve significant success if they adhere to certain principles and methods of learning. Key factors contributing to their success are effective use of time, purposefulness, active participation in the learning process, and the use of modern technology. It is also important to develop self-organization and critical thinking skills, which allows for a deeper understanding of the material being studied. Interacting with faculty and classmates, as well as participating in extracurricular activities and projects, significantly increases the chances of successful completion. Systematic review and practical application of acquired knowledge contribute to the consolidation of material and the development of the necessary competencies for a successful career.

• spread the learning process over time (that is, do not sit down to prepare on the last day of the exam);
• use the concept of active learning (as opposed to passive listening and note-taking of lectures and lessons). That is, they engage in discussions with teachers and classmates, question what they have heard, brainstorm, and try other techniques;
• learn according to the concept of "flipped learning," the essence of which is that students first independently study the basics of a topic according to a specific plan, and then in class, together with the teacher, practice their knowledge, immersing themselves deeper.
• describe the material covered in detail in order to independently establish meaningful connections between what they already knew and what they have just learned;
• understand how the human brain makes connections and processes data, and use this knowledge of these processes to more easily remember and assimilate information.

These techniques have been deeply researched and proven their effectiveness. Why continue to believe a myth that has been repeatedly debunked?

The scientific community emphasizes that classifying students into visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners for the purpose of optimizing the educational process has no scientific basis. Research shows that effective learning depends on a variety of factors, including context, motivation, and the individual characteristics of each student. Rather than simplifying classification, it's important to consider a holistic approach to learning that will foster the development of all students, regardless of their learning preferences. There's an interesting challenge in the scientific community: the first team of researchers to convincingly prove the validity of the concept of classifying people based on their learning styles will receive a reward of $1,000. This challenge was initiated by blogger and researcher Will Thalheimer, who defined 11 criteria for evaluating the results. These criteria include experimental details, minimum requirements for statistical significance, and participant conditions—they must be adults learning on the job. The prize has not yet been awarded, highlighting the complexity and relevance of learning styles research. Focus is a key aspect of successful learning. It determines how effectively a person assimilates information. A student's learning styles become secondary to their level of focus. Effective learning requires not only the selection of appropriate methods but also the ability to maintain focus on the material being studied. This will significantly improve results and enhance the quality of knowledge acquisition.

The human brain prefers different ways of perceiving information. For example, for some students, using flashcards with pictures does indeed help them remember the material better. However, such flashcards will be of no use if the student does not pay sufficient attention to the topic being studied. Moreover, preparing flashcards as a distraction from the main tasks will only exacerbate the problem of procrastination. Effective learning requires concentration and active participation in the process, rather than a superficial approach to preparation.

The optimal approach is to offer students a variety of learning techniques to discover the ones that are most effective for them. This experimental method requires both curiosity and patience. However, this approach is more productive than sticking to an idea whose validity has not been confirmed. The use of various strategies allows us to adapt to the individual needs of students and improves the quality of the educational process.