Did You Hear the One About the Kinaesthetic Learner…?

Learning styles is a typical urban legend which undermines teaching and learning but which teachers adhere to with little or no evidence Paul A. Kirschner & Carl Hendrick slay a few dragons

Did you hear the one about the little old lady (why is it always a little old lady?) who after walking her toy poodle in the rain wanted to dry it quickly? She put the poodle in the microwave – it used to be the clothes drier – and cooked it?

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      string(412) "... using learningstyles?’ can only be answered with a resounding “Yes!”because we have the evidence. Knowledge and applicationof the ‘Diversity Concept’ as I also call learning styles, iscapable of raising the quality of teaching and learning, butmost importantly, it gives hope and new learning abilitiesto students previously termed learning disabled ..."
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      string(5351) "whenlearning is difficult for them.Contrary to the description inthe team’s findings that an analysis of 30 inspection reportsfound no consistency on whether inspectors commendedthe use of learning styles they had identified as important,I have collected evidence from New Zealand, Australia andthe UK that learning styles do make a difference toacademic achievement and have often been reported asthe single most impactful intervention a school could offer.Therefore the posed question: ‘Should we be using learningstyles?’ can only be answered with a resounding “Yes!”because we have the evidence. Knowledge and applicationof the ‘Diversity Concept’ as I also call learning styles, iscapable of raising the quality of teaching and learning, butmost importantly, it gives hope and new learning abilitiesto students previously termed learning disabled and lost‘The academics have not performed the more usefultask of investigating on a larger scale how learning styleapplications based on complex but not complicatedinstruments actually work, how they do not label orlimit learners, and how they are also being usedsuccessfully in higher education. ‘performed the more useful task of investigating on a largerscale how learning style applications based on complexbut not complicated instruments actually work, how theydo not label or limit learners, and how they are also beingused successfully in higher education.Objection sevenAdvice given by theorists to classroom practitioners based onresearch on assessment instruments: It is regrettable that theresearchers have arrived at such a damning verdict, saying they‘found little good evidence to suggest that using a pedagogyinfluenced by the idea of learning styles, either directly orindirectly, has a significant effect on achievement of motivation’when countless teachers in many different countries have beenand are using the LS approach very successfully and can giveevidence to the contrary. I am currently writing my next bookabout applications of LS in different educational settings indifferent countries around the world, including reports andobservations from practitioners as well as my own experienceswith successful LS interventions and their encouraging, oftenastonishing results.I fully agree that a cautionary note is appropriate whensimplistic LS instruments label students and give eithergeneralised or rather limiting advice and their use shouldnot be recommended. However, appropriate assessmentinstruments raise awareness of style diversity in learnersand learning style knowledge always changes teachers’attitudes towards their so called ‘problem’ students. Manytimes over the past ten years I have seen that change ofattitude which results in often small but significant changesin their teaching strategies and interactions with students.This awareness that comes with a deeper understandingof style diversity has to be based on theoretical frameworksand LS models but must go beyond theory which willalways remain an empty shell without practical70www.teachthinking.comThe learning styles debateThe learning styles debateThe learning styles debateThe learning styles debateThe learning styles debateTeaching Thinking&Creativity  Summer 2004Imaginative Minds Ltd, thepublisher of Teaching ThinkingMagazine is pleased to offer itsown books and resources aswell as recommended titles fromother publishers. Our catelogueis now available online. Ourconcerns are inclusion, creativity,thinking skills and habits of mindfor learning – we hope they areyours too.Ordering resources online meansan end to leafing through piles ofbrochures to find what you want,and then waiting for thepaperwork to reach us.Which means you’ll have moretime to get on with other things.Visit our catalogue at www.thinkingonlinecatelogue.co.ukAnd, of course, if you’d rather notuse a credit card, we’ll gladly takeyour order by post, telephone,fax or email.for academic and lifelong learning. The many successful practicalapplications of our LS instrument in classrooms across the UK andaround the world give it what could be called ‘pragmatic validity’.In conclusion it has to be said that self knowledge andunderstanding of learning styles is becoming more important in our‘knowledge economy’, not only for developing greater flexibility inadverse learning situations but also for self-management ineducational contexts and later in work situations.Barbara Prashnig is Professor Emeritus Professor fromPädagogische Akademie Klagenfurt, Austria, now living inNew Zealand She is author of the The Power of Diversity,published by Network Educational Press and Director ofThe Creative Learning Company (CLC)www.creativelearningcentre.comThe Learning Style Analysis (LSA) and the Working Style Analysis(WSA) which CLC has developed over the past ten years areavailable through the NEP website www.networkpress.co.uk .If readers are interested in carrying out research projects based onour LSA instrument, or want further information, please contact theauthor via: barbara.prashnig@clc.co.nzTactile/visual learning tools for hands-on learning"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Debating Learning Styles

25 Feb 2011

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      string(3793) "styles movement canhelp teachers to re-frame old problems and re-examinetheir approaches to persistent problems. For example,Apter’s Motivational Style Profile uses the concept of reversalof motivational or emotional states to explain the fluidityand specificity of normally observed human behaviour. Hesays: ‘There are indeed characteristics that distinguishbetween people. But they are more like tunes than likecontinuously repeated single notes.’ (Apter, 2003, 474) andthis focus on ‘states’ rather than ‘traits’ can be a productivestart to imagining learning environments and interactionswhich could lead to greater engagement and achievement.The two theoretical models which emerged mostfavourably from our review were those of Entwistle andVermunt, since they are comprehensive, theoreticallycoherent and embedded in the theory and practice ofteaching and learning within a particular environment,35Teaching Thinking  Spring 2004www.teachthinking.com Learning stylesLearning stylesLearning stylesLearning stylesLearning stylesgreatly superior to the instruments which follow them,since they can all be misused to label or limit learners. Byoffering learners a vocabulary for understanding both howthey learn and why they learn more effectively in differentcontexts at different times, learning styles may helpstudents to become more autonomous, more motivatedand more likely to continue ‘learning to learn’.ConclusionIf we are in a ‘knowledge economy’, is self-knowledge,particularly in relation to learning styles, a valuable currency?Our research would suggest that learning styles are at best,only one part of a series of essential and related elements oflearning and thinking and at worst a red herring.Elaine Hall is a Research Associate in the School ofEducation, Communication and Language Sciences atthe University of Newcastle. This article was producedon behalf of the team: David Moseley, KathrynEcclestone and Frank Coffield.ReferencesApter, M. J. (2003) On a certain blindness in modernpsychology. The Psychologist, 16, 9, 474-5.Coffield, F. C., Moseley, D. M., Hall, E. and Ecclestone, K.(2004) Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning:Report A: findings of a systematic and critical review oflearning styles models. London: Learning and SkillsDevelopment AgencyCoffield, F. C., Moseley, D. M., Hall, E. and Ecclestone, K.(2004) Should we be using learning styles? What researchhas to say to practice. Learning styles and pedagogy inpost-16 learning Report B. London: Learning and SkillsDevelopment AgencyEcclestone, K. (2002) Learning autonomy in post-16education: the politics and practice of formative assessment,London: Routledge Falmer.Higgins, S. and colleagues (2003) Taxonomy Heaven.Teaching Thinking, Autumn 2003, 51-57Moseley, D. and colleagues (2003) Thinking skill frameworksfor post-16 learners: an evaluation. London: LSRCKolb, D., Boyatzis, R. E. and Mainemelis, C. (2001)Experiential Learning Theory: previous research and newdirections. In Sternberg, R. J. and Zhang, L.-F. (Eds.)Perspectives on Thinking, Learning and Cognitive Styles.London: Lawrence Erlbaum.Kolb, D. A. (2000). Facilitator’s Guide to Learning. Boston,Hay/McBer.namely higher education. However, they are also amongstthe most complex and are not easily accessible to thecasual reader.The theories which underpin these better models oflearning style have the potential to provide teachers andlearners with concepts of learning which can be bothmotivating and liberating. In this respect, the theories are"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Researching Learning Styles

25 Feb 2011

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      string(4470) "secondary school is working with Bristol City Academy, part of Bristol City Football Club which trains and develops local talent. I think tutoring will help me to pass my GCSEs and do well, which will mean I’ll get a good job.”Tailored supportSmall group tutoring enables tutors to cater to pupils’ individual learning styles, which in turn brings out the best in them. In a class of 30 pupils, tailoring support for every single pupil is a tall order – and it can be especially challenging to captivate and motivate hard-to-reach pupils.One of our volunteer tutors in Newcastle, Hope Parsons-Munn, was able to engage the two pupils in her English session by picking up on their interests, “In one session we were reading an extract from Cressida Cowell’s How to Train your Dragon. Both of my pupils were struggling to answer certain questions, so as they had both watched the film, “I asked them to think about how the behaviour of one of the dragons was conveyed in the film. This helped them to understand what to look for in the text. I find that using mixed media sources and tapping into kids’ interests really helps to engage them.”In the academic year 2019-20, Action Tutoring had 1,151 volunteer tutors from a wide range of backgrounds – from university and retired individuals to those in full-time or part-time employment. These volunteers supported over 2,500 disadvantaged pupils and worked in partnership with 84 primary and secondary state schools in England. 87% of pupils we worked with in that year were eligible for the government’s Pupil Premium funding. Upon joining the programme, pupils were all identified by their school as at risk of missing out on national standards in English or maths at the end of primary or secondary school.Action Tutoring works in partnership with schools across the UK to deliver its mission: to ensure that no child’s life chances are limited by their socio-economic background. Senior Leaders looking for solutions to help level the playing field and open doors for disadvantaged pupils can find out more at https://actiontutoring.org.uk/get-involved/be-a-partner-school/At a glance – positive impact of tutoring:Of the primary school pupils Action Tutoring supported in 2018-19, 74% met expected standards in reading and 81% met expected standard in maths (nationally 62% and 67% of young people from disadvantaged pupils achieved this). All pupils supported by Action Tutoring were considered at risk of not meeting expected standard when they began the tutoring programme.Of the secondary school pupils Action Tutoring supported in 2018-19, who attended 10 or more sessions, 61% achieved a Grade 4 or above in English and 58% reached this in maths (compared to 54% and 53% nationally for disadvantaged pupils). All pupils supported by Action Tutoring were considered at risk of not achieving a grade 4 when they began the tutoring programme.Full impact report available hereSusannah Hardyman is the founder and CEO of Action Tutoring. Susannah was inspired to start Action Tutoring following experiences working in the charity sector and as a private tutor, recognising the potential to make the benefits of tutoring available to those that might not otherwise be able to afford it, using volunteers. Today, Action Tutoring works in 8 cities supporting approximately 3,000 pupils a year.ReferencesAccording to a recent report from NWEA, preliminary ‘COVID slide’ estimates suggest all students will return in autumn 2020 with roughly 30% of learning loss in reading relative to a typical school year, rising to a potential learning loss of up to a full year for some students. Disadvantaged students were already lagging behind their peers by 18 months by the end of secondary school, and with projections of the attainment gap widening by up to 75% – as highlighted by Vicky Stewart, deputy director of the Department for Education’s pupil premium and school food division – this lag could rise to 31.5 months – more than two and half years. These combined factors are expected to have a devastating impact on academic and life outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-53804740 https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/one-to-one-tuition/ https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/teaching-learning-toolkit/peer-tutoring/"
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Special Needs

The Advantages Of Tutoring For Disadvantaged Children

5 Oct 2020

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      string(338) "... market and this can help to retrieve what they heard. This is a whole new version of a differentiated,multi-sensory approach to teaching and learning languages because ‘anchors’will help support the less dominant learning styles. It is a well-known fact that the brain makes countless connections to ..."
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      string(4673) "leaders fromacross the world. I talked about the benefits of enhancing learning andteaching through innovative use of technology like this. All agreed this was a fabulous approach to education butsome were nervous about how to implement the change, with so many teachersstuck in ‘traditional’ ways. One approach might be to step back from focusing quiteso much on teaching the curriculum and think more about teaching children. Because it inherently places learners directly into anenvironment, Virtual Reality (VR) is a wonderful resource to use in education.I have been a VR Pioneer for two years now and seen first-hand, the incredibleenhancements to learning and teaching it can provide. The key successes come from the fact it is multi-sensoryand therefore can engage all visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners easilyand in a fun and innovative way. To that end, it also creates an experience forthe learner because they have felt immersed in the lesson. This makes it farmore meaningful, memorable and engaging and that, ultimately, is what everyteacher wishes to provide for their classes.Virtual Reality lets us enhance the learning experience of everychild in the school in a truly multi-sensory and immersive approach. This isparticularly true for subjects such as History and Religious, Moral andPhilosophical Studies where we often expect learners to describeconditions which others experienced.By making learning a more meaningful experience, learners areless hindered by challenges and are more engaged in learning. I have created360 Virtual Reality tours of Edinburgh which supported our study of theJacobites in Primary 6 (Year 5). Video can be embedded into a 360 image (orvideo), along with websites, text and audio clips, as well as Microsoft Formsso learners can comment or answer questions on devices of their choice. Pompeii is no longer a distant and expensive school trip, nowthat our children can stand on the edge of Vesuvius with lava tantalisinglyclose. In Primary 3 (Year 2) classes used to study Rainforests using imagesfrom textbooks, now they can ‘visit’ them with VR.  I have even explainedthe concept of psychosomatics when the children find themselves ‘feeling’ theheat and intense atmosphere of the Amazon.It goes without saying that the children love the inclusion ofVR in the classroom but it is not just about making learning more fun. A boy inPrimary 3 told me once “…with photographs and TV screens I can see things in arectangle in front of me but with VR I can choose to look wherever I want.” Hecaptured the essence of ownership of learning and deepened my appreciation offlipped learning.Virtual Reality for learning languages I am currently working with the University of Glasgow and DrGabriella Rodolico on how to incorporate VR into the teacher training syllabusfor PGDE students.  Mostrecently, one of Dr Rodolico’s PhD students contacted me to assist her in herresearch into how VR can assist with alleviating anxiety when learninglanguages. Her study focuses primarily on Chinese to English and this is anincredibly exciting area to develop.Imagine using VR to immerse learners in an environmentwhere they can experience the spoken language, not just hear it or readit from a textbookI recall learning Spanish and French at school by listeningto audio tapes. Clearly, audio was not my strength and I relied on visual inputto reinforce this so, needless to say I did not learn well simply by listeningto people talking. However, when I was able to see people speaking and, albeitsubliminally, take in their gestures and body language etc. I became quite aconfident linguist and can happily get myself out of most situations in French,Spanish and now Arabic.We all know that most language is supported by theaccompanying gestures, inflection and facial accentuation which come withspeech. Soon we will exploit this aspect of communication in lessons. If childrenstruggle to recall the price of cheese on a market stall they don’t have torely on auditory memory. They will be able to close their eyes, picture wherethey stood in the market and this can help to retrieve what they heard. This is a whole new version of a differentiated,multi-sensory approach to teaching and learning languages because ‘anchors’will help support the less dominant learning styles. It is a well-known fact that the brain makes countless connections to make sense of its surroundings and to process information. Now, with new technology will  we  be able to exploit this as teachers?"
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        }
      }
      [3]=>
      array(4) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(25) "Leading Learning"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(7) "partial"
        ["fullyHighlighted"]=>
        bool(false)
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(1) {
          [0]=>
          string(8) "learning"
        }
      }
      [4]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(29) "Virtual and Augmented Reality"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Assistive Technology

Technology Can Help Us Tackle the Void of Differentiation

10 Aug 2020