1ast 1pdated:

11 june, 2012
Secton:
magazIne artIcIe
Your weekIy guIde to a whoIe-schooI Issue
The concept oI IearnIng styIes has become a cornerstone oI good practIce.
t's endorsed by the Government, reInIorced by IocaI authorItIes and taught at teacher
traInIng centres across the country. very newIy quaIILed teacher enters the
cIassroom traIned to teII a vIsuaI Iearner Irom an audItory one. ut the backIash has
started, wIth academIcs cIaImIng that many oI the resources on the market are
unproven, at best a waste oI tIme and money, at worst a potentIaI stumbIIng bIock to
chIIdren's progress. So how Important Is It to understand IearnIng styIes?
KeepIng It sImpIe
The basIc theory oI IearnIng styIes Is straIghtIorward. The centraI prIncIpIe Is that
chIIdren Iearn In dInerent ways. nthusIasts oI IearnIng styIes cIaIm that everyone
has a preIerred styIe and It Is possIbIe to test chIIdren to determIne theIr preIerences.
IavIng estabIIshed those preIerences, the teacher shouId take account oI them and
aIter hIs or her approach accordIngIy.
MakIng It compIIcated
The IearnIng styIes movement can be traced back to 1982, and the Iaunch In the !K
oI the Ioney S MumIord IearnIng questIonnaIre, stIII one oI the most popuIar
IearnIng styIes resources. t IdentILes Iour categorIes oI Iearner. actIvIsts, reBectors,
theorIsts and pragmatIsts. ActIvIsts Iearn best when conIronted wIth new Ideas,
reBectors preIer to observe others and IIsten to severaI vIewpoInts, theorIsts Iearn by
drawIng on theIr exIstIng knowIedge to anaIyse compIex sItuatIons, whIIe pragmatIsts
progress by makIng cIear IInks between work In the cIassroom and IIIe outsIde It.
SInce then the number oI resources on the market has expanded. There are now more
than 70 packages avaIIabIe to schooIs, each wIth Its own termInoIogy and Its own way
oI groupIng together types oI Iearner. ChIIdren can be deemed, among other thIngs,
to be adaptors or Innovators, verbaIIsers or Imagers, deep or surIace Iearners,
gIobaIIsts or anaIysts, assImIIators or accommodators.
ut the most commonIy used system In schooIs, and the one whIch has been most
wIdeIy promoted by the epartment Ior ducatIon and SkIIIs, Is the VAK modeI oI
cIassILcatIon, whIch dIvIdes chIIdren Into vIsuaI, audItory or kInaesthetIc Iearners,
those who IIke to Iook, those who IIke to IIsten and those who Iearn best through
physIcaI actIvIty, (sometImes caIIed "actIve Iearners").
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oomIng busIness
The IearnIng styIes phenomenon can partIy be expIaIned by the Iact that It has
coIncIded wIth the Government's push Ior "personaIIsed IearnIng", In many ways the
two go hand In hand. ven so, many educatIonIsts are bamed as to why the concept
has been embraced so enthusIastIcaIIy.
"'ve been amazed," says Ieter Ioney, one oI the orIgInators oI the Ioney S MumIord
questIonnaIre. "When we Lrst Iaunched our materIaIs expected a IImIted take-up
Irom a nIche market, but It soId very weII rIght Irom the on, and the market has been
buoyant ever sInce."
t's not just schooIs that have been buyIng Into the IearnIng styIes revoIutIon, bIg
corporatIons have aIso been buIIdIng up proLIes oI theIr empIoyees usIng VAK-styIe
assessments. Iart oI the appeaI may be that It seems to oner a quIck Lx, wIth the
promIse that a sImpIe questIonnaIre or two Is aII that's needed to gIve teachers an
InsIght Into how to reach a dImcuIt or underachIevIng student.
What am ?
Most IearnIng styIes anaIyses reIy on seII-assessment questIonnaIres, wIth chIIdren
tIckIng boxes to IndIcate the actIvItIes they IIke, and the type oI work they Lnd easy or
dImcuIt. SceptIcs poInt out the obvIous deIects In thIs approach, questIonIng whether
prImary chIIdren, In partIcuIar, have the abIIIty to anaIyse the way they work. Then
there's the Iact that many schooI actIvItIes are not pureIy vIsuaI, audItory or
kInaesthetIc, but a mIxture oI aII three. A chIId may be IookIng at a book (vIsuaI) whIIe
IIstenIng to a teacher (audItory) and makIng notes (kInaesthetIc). There are aIso
questIon marks over the IabeIs themseIves. I a chIId IIkes drama, does that make
them a kInaesthetIc Iearner, or just a buddIng thespIan?
r Iat rIcheno, a research assocIate In educatIon at CambrIdge !nIversIty, Is
InvestIgatIng the Impact oI a IearnIng styIes approach on cIassroom attItudes. nItIaIIy,
her IntervIews seemed to suggest that aII chIIdren, boys and gIrIs, preIerred
kInaesthetIc IearnIng. "ut It's not that straIghtIorward," she says. "On cIoser
questIonIng, It turned out that most oI the kInaesthetIc actIvItIes were done In groups,
and what pupIIs actuaIIy enjoyed was workIng wIth other peopIe, not the actIvIty
ItseII."
The dImcuItIes InvoIved In monItorIng the IearnIng process make It hard to assess the
enectIveness oI teachIng to a VAK IormuIa. ut one thIng seems certaIn. there are
other thIngs teachers can do, such as onerIng Irequent Ieedback, whIch have more
Impact on the IearnIng process.
MIx or match
ven II we accept that chIIdren Iearn In dInerent ways, It's not cIear how teachers
shouId respond. ShouId you try to deIIver Iessons In a way that matches a chIId's
preIerred styIe? Or shouId you deIIver them dInerentIy to stImuIate the Iess deveIoped
ways oI IearnIng? n others words, Is the aIm to make short-term IearnIng as easy as
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possIbIe, or Is It, over tIme, to deveIop compIete Iearners wIth a range oI skIIIs that
can be adapted to aII sItuatIons?
OpInIon Is spIIt. A mInorIty oI experts beIIeves that preIerred IearnIng styIes are
genetIcaIIy governed, and thereIore hard to change. So the most Important thIng Is to
make IIIe easy Ior chIIdren. Others argue that a preIerred IearnIng styIe Is sImpIy an
acquIred habIt, and that chIIdren need shakIng out oI theIr comIort zone.
Most schooIs that embrace IearnIng styIes try to encourage teachers to make Iessons
accessIbIe to aII pupIIs by IncIudIng vIsuaI, audItory and kInaesthetIc eIements.
Andrew owman, an advanced skIIIs teacher specIaIIsIng In IearnIng styIes, says that
he encourages hIs coIIeagues at aIIey's Court prImary schooI In rIstoI to ensure that
they are appeaIIng to dInerent kInds oI Iearner. "GeneraIIy, you want a mIx oI
actIvItIes,"
he says. "ut II a pupII has got stuck, that's the tIme when the teacher can IaII back
on that chIId's preIerred styIe to try to make the breakthrough."
nthusIasts beIIeve It's equaIIy Important Ior teachers to anaIyse theIr own styIe oI
IearnIng and teachIng. Most, they argue, aIIow theIr own preIerred styIe to become
theIr habItuaI teachIng styIe - to the detrIment oI those pupIIs who Iearn In dInerent
ways.
IossIbIe pItIaIIs
The danger wIth dInerentIatIng pupIIs accordIng to theIr IearnIng preIerences Is that
chIIdren wIII be IabeIIed. (IossIbIy quIte IIteraIIy, there are reports oI some schooIs
makIng pupIIs wear badges procIaImIng "'m a kInaesthetIc Iearner".) When thIs
happens, chIIdren can easIIy be Iorced Into a narrow vIew oI theIr own abIIItIes, and
may be dIscouraged Irom tryIng actIvItIes that don't Lt theIr own preIerence.
Ieter Ioney InsIsts that hIs questIonnaIre was Intended as a tooI to heIp buIId a wIde
repertoIre oI IearnIng skIIIs, but admIts that many schooIs see an anaIysIs oI styIes as
an end In ItseII, rather than a startIng poInt. "There are a Iot oI peopIe out there who
are mIsusIng and abusIng the materIaI," he says. "There are teachers who thInk a
chIId's preIerred styIe Is as unchangeabIe as theIr bIood group. ut IearnIng styIes are
just acquIred habIts. t was never our IntentIon that our questIonnaIre wouId be used
to typecast or pIgeon-hoIe chIIdren."
Iesearchers aIso report that, In some schooIs, materIaIs are used brIeBy and then
cast asIde. OIsted Inspectors IrequentIy Iook Ior evIdence oI a IearnIng styIes
approach and many schooIs, It seems, do just enough to "tIck the box", wIthout IuIIy
expIaInIng to pupIIs what Is happenIng.
A pedagogIcaI con-job?
The questIon oI occasIonaI bad practIce paIes Into InsIgnILcance aIongsIde the more
serIous Issue oI whether the whoIe IearnIng styIes revoIutIon has been buIIt on a
myth.
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A 2004 report by a research team at the !nIversIty oI ewcastIe, headed by IroIessor
Irank ComeId, was damnIng In Its assessment oI the materIaIs beIng used In schooIs.
OI the 13 methods oI assessIng chIIdren that the researchers examIned, onIy one was
deemed to be a "proper psychoIogIcaI test". IroIessor ComeId, now at the nstItute oI
ducatIon In Iondon, concIuded that most oI the methods beIng used In schooIs are
"unreIIabIe, InvaIId, and have a negIIgIbIe Impact on pedagogy".
MeanwhIIe, a revIew oI research Into IearnIng styIes by the Government's CT-In-
educatIon agency ecta oners a sImIIar warnIng, cIaImIng that "there Is no secure
evIdentIaI base to support any one theory". Or, as IroIessor Guy CIaxton oI the
!nIversIty oI rIstoI puts It, the Idea oI chIIdren havIng dInerent IearnIng styIes Is
based on "neuro-babbIe and phoney scIence".
At best, It seems, IearnIng styIes modeIs are a huge sImpIILcatIon oI the compIex way
In whIch chIIdren process InIormatIon. "The reaIIty," says IroIessor ComeId, "Is that
most peopIe Iearn In most ways. There Is absoIuteIy no scIentILc evIdence to support
a 'one chIId, one IabeI'
approach."
n denIaI?
The !nIversIty oI ewcastIe report hIghIIghts the need Ior an outsIde body to Impose
order on the proIIIeratIon oI resources beIng marketed to schooIs, and there have
been caIIs Ior materIaIs to be "kIte-marked" to provIde guIdance. So Iar, however, the
IS has done IIttIe to draw attentIon to the ewcastIe research. Ierhaps thIs Isn't
too surprIsIng, gIven that resources It has recommended through Its websIte and
IeaBets are among the most heavIIy crItIcIsed In the report. And, despIte the Iack oI
scIentILc vaIIdatIon, many provIders oI InItIaI teacher traInIng contInue to advocate a
IearnIng styIes approach, OIsted Inspectors are aIso stIII quIzzIng senIor managers
about theIr provIsIon Ior dInerentIatIng between styIes. "We're supposed to be movIng
more towards evIdence-based practIce," says IroIessor ComeId. "So why Isn't our
approach to IearnIng styIes beIng reassessed In vIew oI the Iatest research?"
WeII It works Ior me...
Whatever doubts the academIcs may have, pIenty oI teachers are convInced that
IearnIng styIes have changed theIr cIassrooms Ior the better. And even the sceptIcs
admIt that, despIte the Iack oI scIentILc evIdence, there may be beneLts. "The Iact
that teachers are startIng to thInk about thIngs Irom the Iearner's end has to be a
good thIng," says IroIessor CIaxton.
"And II you're aIso gettIng students to thInk about how they Iearn, then that's another
bIg step Iorward."
ndeed, It may be that the beneLts oI a IearnIng styIes approach are sImpIy the resuIt
oI useIuI sIde-enects. AIter aII, most teachers know that watchIng a vIdeo cIIp, then
movIng Into dIscussIon, then IoIIowIng that wIth a practIcaI actIvIty, aII makes Ior a
more InterestIng Iesson than II they just stand at the Iront and taIk. The reason that
IearnIng styIes - magazIne artIcIe - TS http.//www.tes.co.uk/artIcIe.aspx?storycode=2153773
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VAK works weII may have Iess to do wIth new-IangIed theorIes and more to do wIth
the proverb about varIety beIng the spIce oI IIIe. "t has at Ieast made teachers Iook at
themseIves and say 'perhaps sometImes do too much taIkIng'," says r rIcheno.
"There may be no such thIng as dInerent IearnIng styIes, but dInerent teachIng
strategIes certaInIy do exIst, and teachers who have a wIde range oI strategIes can
Increase the IeveIs oI engagement among theIr pupIIs."
ot so VAK-uous?
Some schooIs that pIoneered a IearnIng styIes approach have sInce revIsed theIr
practIce. Many are now goIng beyond a sImpIe assessment oI chIIdren as vIsuaI,
audItory or kInaesthetIc Iearners, and are IookIng Instead at the wIder condItIons
whIch enabIe chIIdren to succeed. As Andrew owman expIaIns, the emphasIs Is no
Ionger on dInerent kInds oI Iearner, but on dInerent kInds oI IearnIng. "IearnIng
styIes Is about how chIIdren IIke to receIve InIormatIon, but now we are IookIng at
every aspect, at how chIIdren IIke to work, and how they can get the best out oI
themseIves."
n hIs roIe as an AST, Mr owman encourages schooIs to consIder whether chIIdren
IIke to work In groups or on theIr own, In a dark or IIght room, In sIIence or whIIe
IIstenIng to musIc. And Instead oI taIkIng about "IearnIng styIes", he preIers to taIk
about deveIopIng a range oI "IearnIng skIIIs". "t's no Ionger about stIckIng IabeIs on
chIIdren," he says.
"There are as many dInerent IearnIng styIes as there are chIIdren In your cIass. ach
Iearner Is unIque."
Iesources
* The ewcastIe !nIversIty paper "ShouId We e !sIng IearnIng StyIes" by Irank
ComeId, avId MoseIey, IaIne IaII and Kathryn ccIestone can be downIoaded at
http.//www.Isda.org.uk/LIes/II/1540.pdI.
* The IS guIdance, "!nIt 19. IearnIng StyIes AImed at Key Stage 3 Teachers", can
be Iound at http.//www.standards.dIes.gov.uk/keystage3/downIoads
/sec_pptI044204u19Iearns tyIe.pdI.
* An InterIm report on Iat rIcheno's research at the !nIversIty oI CambrIdge Is
avaIIabIe at http.//www-rba.educ.cam.ac.uk/Iaper20I.pdI.
MaIn text. Steven IastIngs. Ihotographs. AIamy, orIIng KIndersIey. AddItIonaI
research. Sarah jenkIns
ext week. MoonIIghtIng
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