Learning Styles Revisited

In a recent podcast episode my friend Joe Clausi and I challenged Chat GPT in a game of “What’s Hot and What’s Not?” We asked the AI site for trending topics in education, and then tried to decide if they were accurate or not. The first topic we tackled was learning styles, and ChatGPT indicated that the notion of tailoring teaching methods to preferred student learning styles has been debunked by research. My initial reaction was can't be right, isn't supported by evidence, and it’s certainly not the consensus amongst educators. Well, did I ever have that wrong!

A quick google search led me to a host of articles that re-educated me on all the work that’s been done in the last twenty years on learning styles, and that there are in fact a range of theories. To be clear, there are ample theories and studies to support the various ways people learn. However, the validity of using learning styles in education has definitely been called into question. In fact, several studies have made the claim that learning styles are in fact a “neuromyth”.

Another interesting question that came up in a quick scan of the articles was putting learning styles aside, and wondering how to better meet the needs of students for whom public school doesn’t fit the bill. What about those who drop out or don't complete Gr. 12 , or their college or university programs? Do our schools meet the needs of all our students? Or do our systems and institutions themselves constitute a barrier for some of our students? 

For more in-depth reading check out these articles:

• “Learning Styles and Pedagogy in Post-16 Learning: A systematic and critical review,” Frank Coffield, Elaine Hall, and Kathryn Ecclestone (2004). London: Learning and Skills Research Centre. https://tinyurl.com/yfyjjkmy 
• Jérémie Blanchette Sarrasin and Steve Masson, (29 September 2015) in  "Neuromyths in Education", EdCan Network, Canadian Education Association
• Sanne Dekker, Nikki C Lee, Paul Howard-Jones, and Jelle Jolles, (18 October 2012) in "Neuromyths in education: prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers" in Frontiers in Psychology. 3: 429.

Creating a Digital Learning Commons

cc licensed flickr photo by Enkhtuvshin

Refreshed, rejuvenated, revisioning...

Having spent the weekend with school administrators from around BC I am feeling energized and ready to leap back into some of life's challenges again. It was great to reconnect with folks and to meet some people I've only ever known from social networks and blogs. While following the twitter feed at the conference (#bcpvpaconf) I came across this blogpost by Johnny Bevaqua (@jvbevacqua), one of the Principals who's blog I follow. It was great to read about a library project that is rethinking how we use that kind of space. It was also a good reminder for me that sometimes a blogpost doesn't need to be about a momentous "aha!", but can be about relating something exciting we are trying in our schools.
At one of my elementary schools this year we are rethinking how we use our library space, and how we access and interact with texts. We are planning to use tablets and an app like Overdrive media to borrow public library books. Teachers will also be using the devices to plan projects. The ultimate goal is to find a way to access digitized resources from our newly branded District Learning Commons.
Together with teachers and students from the school, community members,  district resource staff and admin from both sites, we have embarked on a journey -- one that is uncertain in that we don't know where it will lead. This makes me nervous, even a little afraid. It's funny though, because as a teacher this is what I did every day and every lesson. Somehow setting off into the unknown feels a little more risky these days. It's exciting, and I'm glad to be part of a team. I'm looking forward to documenting the journey here over the next few months.