Let’s Talk About Learning Styles, Kids
Okay, full disclosure: I failed my first year of college. Failed. Like, epic, face-plant, ‘what were you thinking, Sarah?’ failure. I’m talking about back in ’98 at some community college in Ohio. I was there, I don’t know, probably texting (on my brick-sized Nokia, ha!) during lectures, half-asleep, thinking I could just wing it. Spoiler: you can’t.
Flash forward 20-something years, and I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit thinking about how people learn. I’ve interviewed educators, psychologists, even some of those annoying self-help gurus (you know the type). And let me tell you, we’ve all been sold a bill of goods when it comes to learning styles.
Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic? More Like Confusing, Misleading, Useless
You’ve heard it before: ‘Oh, you’re a visual learner,’ or ‘He’s more of a hands-on, kinesthetic learner.’ It’s like we’ve all been brainwashed into thinking that people fit neatly into these little learning boxes. Newsflash: they don’t.
I remember sitting in a teacher training workshop in Austin back in 2015. The presenter, let’s call him Marcus, was going on about how crucial it is to cater to all three learning styles. I raised my hand and asked, ‘Marcus, have you seen any actual evidence that this works?’ He looked at me like I’d just asked if the sky was blue. ‘It’s common knowledge,’ he said. Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But here’s the thing: there isn’t any solid evidence that learning styles actually improve learning. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in 2018 reviewed a bunch of research and found that learning style theories are basically bunk. The authors wrote that ‘there is no adequate causal evidence to build on the assumption that at least for some children [learning styles instructions] are more effective than other methods.’
So why do we keep pushing this idea? I think it’s because it’s easier to slap a label on someone than to actually figure out how they learn. It’s like we’re all looking for a shortcut, a magic bullet that will make learning effortless. Spoiler: it doesn’t exist.
Okay, So What Works Then?
If learning styles aren’t the answer, what is? Well, for starters, let’s stop thinking about learning as a one-size-fits-all thing. People are complicated, and how they learn is complicated too. I talked to a colleague named Dave over coffee at the place on 5th about this. He’s a high school teacher, been in the game for 15 years. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘kids don’t fit into neat little boxes. You gotta meet them where they are and figure out what works for them individually.’
And honestly, that’s the hard part. It’s easier to say ‘Oh, she’s a visual learner’ than to actually take the time to figure out what makes her tick. But that’s what we need to do. We need to stop looking for shortcuts and start putting in the work.
And look, I’m not saying that some people don’t learn better in certain ways. I’m just saying that it’s not as simple as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. It’s a lot more nuanced than that. For example, have you ever heard of property development trends 2026? No? Me neither. But the point is, we need to think about learning in a more complex way.
A Tangent: Why We Love Labels
Okay, so this is kinda off topic, but bear with me. I think part of the reason we love learning styles is because we love labels. We love being able to put people into categories and say ‘Oh, that’s why she’s like that.’ It’s like we’re all walking around with little labels on our foreheads that say ‘INTJ’ or ‘ENFP’ or ‘visual learner.’
But here’s the thing: labels are limiting. They put us in boxes and keep us there. And once we’re in those boxes, it’s hard to get out. We start to believe that we can only learn in certain ways, that we’re limited by our labels. And that’s just not true.
I remember when I first started writing for magazines. I was so worried about being ‘the education writer.’ I thought that’s all I could write about, that’s all I was good at. But then I started branching out, trying new things, and guess what? I was pretty good at them too. I wasn’t limited by my label.
So What Now?
I’m not saying we should throw out the baby with the bathwater here. There are definitely things that can help people learn better. For example, using visuals can help some people understand concepts better. And sure, some people might learn better by doing, by being hands-on. But we need to stop thinking about these things as rigid categories and start thinking about them as tools in our toolbox.
And we need to stop thinking that there’s one right way to learn. Because there isn’t. There are a million different ways to learn, and what works for one person might not work for another. And that’s okay. That’s what makes us unique.
So let’s stop worrying so much about learning styles and start focusing on what actually matters: helping people learn in the way that works best for them. Even if that means we have to put in a little more effort. Even if that means we have to think a little harder. Because that’s what learning is all about, right? It’s not about finding the easy way out. It’s about putting in the work and figuring out what makes you tick.
And honestly, that’s what makes learning so freaking awesome. It’s not about fitting into a box. It’s about breaking out of those boxes and figuring out who you are and what you’re capable of. And that’s something worth committing to.
So let’s get to work.
About the Author: Sarah Johnson is a senior magazine editor with over 20 years of experience writing feature articles for major publications. She’s also a lifelong learner, a proud Ohio State Buckeye, and an unapologetic fan of bad reality TV. You can find her on Twitter @sarahjwrites, where she tweets about education, writing, and the latest episode of The Bachelor.
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