Learning Styles and Unicorns

Do you believe in unicorns? It's a safe bet that you don't. After all, unicorns are a myth, and everyone knows it. So why do so many learning professionals still design for learning styles?

The Learning Styles Concept

The VARK model, developed by Neil Fleming, categorizes learners into four types:

• Visual learners supposedly benefit from diagrams and demonstrations
• Auditory learners learn best through listening
• Reading-oriented learners prefer text-based information
• Kinesthetic learners engage through hands-on manipulation

The framework suggests instructional designers should tailor programs to match individual learning preferences for optimal effectiveness. It's an intuitive idea — but the science doesn't back it up.

The Scientific Reality

Research does not support the idea that teaching methods matched to individual learning styles produces superior outcomes. The reality is:

• All literate people with functioning senses can learn through all four modalities
• Abilities and preferences don't constitute different "learning styles"
• Content nature — not learner preference — determines optimal teaching approaches
• Multi-modal instruction combining visual, auditory, reading, and kinesthetic elements typically works best

Practical Examples

Teaching music history: Auditory approaches dominate since listening to multiple examples is essential, supplemented by visuals and readings — regardless of learner "style."

Automotive brake training: Kinesthetic engagement proves most impactful, though verbal instructions, diagrams, and written materials enhance learning for everyone.

Key Takeaways for Learning Professionals

• People lack fixed learning styles; all can learn multiple ways
• Labeling someone as a particular type of learner risks limiting their potential
• Content itself determines the dominant instructional approach
• Combining multiple modalities strengthens most programs
• Well-designed programs benefit all learners equally — customization by style is unnecessary

It's time to consign learning styles to mythology, right alongside elves and unicorns.