An article that appeared in the December 15, 2009 issue of the The Chronicle of Higher Education, reports on a new study published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest. The study, conducted by four psychologists, Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjork, concludes that there is no evidence to support the commonly held notion that teaching students in their preferred learning styles leads to enhanced learning.
Therefore, according the study’s authors, instructors should not attempt to modify their teaching approach in order to match teaching style to a specific student’s learning style. However, according to other researchers in the field, the evidence does show that both teaching instructors about different learning styles, and having instructors use a variety of teaching methods catering to different learning styles does contribute to more effective learning outcomes.
Source: Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students. The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 15, 2009
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