Willingham's ideas on the myth of learning styles
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Last updated 1:26 PM on 5/8/23
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7 Terms
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Learning styles
The theory that students have different ways of learning and they would learn better if taught in the style that suits them.
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Visual learners
Learn best from reading a textbook
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Auditory learners
Learn best from listening to teachers
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Kinaesthetic learners
Learn best from a hands on approach
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What does Willingham argue?
* Learners may have a preference for the way they learn but under experimental conditions it makes no difference to their learning.
* If asked how they would like to learn something, a person would want to know what they are learning about first. This shows that %%learning styles%% are less important than learning objectives.
* The confusion arrises from different abilities such as being skilled at processing visual information.
* A person’s ability, background knowledge and interest has a bigger impact than %%learning styles%%.
* Teachers should be more concerned about whether the method of teaching fits the content.
* If asked how they would like to learn something, a person would want to know what they are learning about first. This shows that %%learning styles%% are less important than learning objectives.
* The confusion arrises from different abilities such as being skilled at processing visual information.
* A person’s ability, background knowledge and interest has a bigger impact than %%learning styles%%.
* Teachers should be more concerned about whether the method of teaching fits the content.
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The importance of meaning for learning
* Teachers should ensure that they create links between information instead of giving a list of facts to memorise.
* Students will learn information much more easily and be more likely to recall it from their long-term memory.
* ‘Drilling’ information is damaging to students as it makes them find learning boring and dislike school.
* Students are unable to think like little scientists so there is often very little benefit from conducting experiments.
* Students will learn information much more easily and be more likely to recall it from their long-term memory.
* ‘Drilling’ information is damaging to students as it makes them find learning boring and dislike school.
* Students are unable to think like little scientists so there is often very little benefit from conducting experiments.
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Criticisms
* **Many teacher disagree that there is little benefit in students trying to be like actual scientists**. It is important for students to conduct experiments so that they learn the issues involved in conducting research, for example %%extraneous variables%%.
* **Things might benefit from being drilled.** Learning timetables by chanting them can help to access and recall their tables.
* **Favours** %%**nurture**%%**.** Ignores the impact of innate factors , ignoring that some children may need to be taught in a different way due to their brain being wired in a different way.
* **Things might benefit from being drilled.** Learning timetables by chanting them can help to access and recall their tables.
* **Favours** %%**nurture**%%**.** Ignores the impact of innate factors , ignoring that some children may need to be taught in a different way due to their brain being wired in a different way.