Our review of the literature disclosed ample evidence that children and adults will, if asked, express preferences about how
they prefer information to be presented to them. There is also plentiful evidence arguing that people differ in the degree
to which they have some fairly specific aptitudes for different kinds of thinking and for processing different types of information.
However, we found virtually no evidence for the interaction pattern mentioned above, which was judged to be a precondition
for validating the educational applications of learning styles. Although the literature on learning styles is enormous, very
few studies have even used an experimental methodology capable of testing the validity of learning styles applied to education.
Moreover, of those that did use an appropriate method, several found results that flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis.
We conclude therefore, that at present, there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning-styles assessments
into general educational practice. Thus, limited education resources would better be devoted to adopting other educational
practices that have a strong evidence base, of which there are an increasing number. However, given the lack of methodologically
sound studies of learning styles, it would be an error to conclude that all possible versions of learning styles have been
tested and found wanting; many have simply not been tested at all. Further research on the use of learning-styles assessment
in instruction may in some cases be warranted, but such research needs to be performed appropriately.
TESOL CALL-IS on 10 Dec 19"I love genius hour, I love Innovation Day, I love the idea of learning and creating something. But I felt we were starting to focus too much on the creation part rather than just the learning part. That too much time was spent creating the imagery of their learning rather than the learning itself. So instead I asked the kids to do what we have called project time, 30 minutes once a week where they just get to learn. Sure, they can create, sure they can make things, but they can also use the entire time to just read, study, ask questions, whatever they want to do. I decided on a big category to help them focus their curiosity, geography, and with held breath I sat back. "The last two weeks have been incredible. Students have read library books on countries, they have studied maps, they have created impromptu map quizzes, and yes, they have even created presentations. The learning that has happened has been tangible as kids ask questions about the broader world, about their place in it. When I asked them what they thought, the response was overwhelming; "We love it, Mrs. Ripp. Please don't change it. What will we focus on next?" (History for those who wonder)." T/h P. Ripp