THE Problem
Almost all teachers, trainers and educators KNOW that every person they are helping to learn has different learning styles. In this new series we explore the basic modern concepts and constructs of this theory.
Learning styles are characteristic strengths and preferences in the ways we take in and process information. What this means is that some learners tend to focus on facts, data, and algorithms; others are more comfortable with theories and mathematical models.
Some respond strongly to visual forms of information, like pictures, diagrams, and schematics; others get more from verbal forms such as written and spoken explanations. Some prefer to learn actively and interactively; others function more introspectively and individually.
Functioning effectively in any professional capacity, however, requires working well in all learning style modes. For example, competent engineers and scientists must be observant, methodical, and careful (characteristics of the sensing style in one of the learning style models to be described) as well as innovative, curious, and inclined to go beyond facts to interpretation and theory (characteristics of the intuitive style in that model). Similarly, they must develop both visual and verbal skills. Information routinely comes in both forms, and much of it will be lost to someone who cannot function well in both of these modes.
The reasoning of learning styles has two outputs for educators. Firstly, people learn faster if we tailor learning to MATCH a persons learning style, or alternatively, we should advance a learners ability to learn by enticing them to learn differently, extending their learning styles to include their non preferred styles. 
This fundamental reasoning has problematic issues :
Whether at school or in an organisational context, helping learners learn though extending their learning style takes time, money and effort and therefore traditionally is ignored. We just don’t help people to learn how to learn.
Where learning styles are utilised by educators, they are designed to provide learning to match and extend EXISTING capacities, with the hope that this increases or speeds up learning. This has had some success but misses the point.
Initial thinking in this area presupposed that people can learn better by understanding and EXTENDING their style. In other words, work the muscles of NON PREFERRED learning ability, where they are weak, balancing these with areas that they learn well with. David Kolb, who critically started the debate in this area, talked of a sequence of processes to assist learners. This was then extended by others by focusing on elements of the process and realising that we all have a preference for particular parts. Again, the initial thinking was to EXTEND learners capabilities in areas that they were weak in. However, this thinking has tended to be ignored by the learning community and now focuses on presenting information in the PREFERRED style, or worse, to ignore the styles completely and go with the traditional style. How Adults Learn is exactly aboutv this issue, should we learn better in the long term?
Most ‘experts’ in accelerated learning for instance, fail to extend a learners capacity to learn, they just deliver ideas and thinking in different ways to help learners absorb data in their preferred style.
By ignoring or using learning styles in this way, which forgets to help learners extend weaker learning styles, just reinforces impoverished learning and learners.
Here is the dilemma then, if professors, teachers, trainers and educators teach exclusively in a manner that favours their students' less preferred learning style modes, the students' discomfort level may be great enough to interfere with their learning.
On the other hand, if they teach exclusively in their students' preferred modes, the students may NOT develop the mental dexterity they need to reach their potential for achievement in school and as professionals. And to get on in the world needs dexterity! This way of teaching means we do no favours to either the learners or the organisations we are helping to provide the learning for. So then, which is best? Pamper to the style or help a learner to utilise a non preferred style better in the future?
An objective of education should be to help students build their skills in both their preferred and less preferred modes of learning. Learning style models that categorize these modes provide good frameworks for designing learning interventions with the desired breadth of both information and building learning skills. The goal is to make sure that the learning needs of students in each model category are met at least part of the time and provide frameworks for students to work in their NON preferred style in an acceptable way. In Attitudinal Based Learning theory this is called ‘Layering Learning’. By helping learners learn to use their non preferences, we educators help them get more from the future. We grow learners, rather than impoverish them.
Implications for Educators
There are many!
Teachers and trainers should understand that they have a dual role in learning interventions:
Deliver the CONTENT, and
DEVELOP learners’ learning skills
There are two ways we can do this.
Design interventions that do both at the same time (done very rarely) Or
Provide stand alone training to extend and develop learning skills - known as learning how to learn (done almost never).
Learning professionals are failing learners and the organisational need in the long term, by not tackling this issue. So called 'blended learning' can create impoverished learners, add short term value only and uses theory in a way it was never intended by allowing learners to work in their preferred style rather than add long term value by ensuring a broad developmental process to extend the learners' learning style.
Better to start a learning career with a ‘learning how to learn’ intervention and then reinforce their balance of abilities throughout their learning career. The chinese proverb seems rather apt:
"Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you will feed him for life"
References
R.M. Felder and R. Brent, "Understanding Student Differences." J. Engr. Education, (2005).
Alice Y. Kolb and David A. Kolb, "Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher" (2005).
