"Learning Styles: A Myth?"
Tags: learningstyle, multimodal, vark
Published: 2024-05-14 12:59:14

**Learning styles**. We all have them, right? Or at least that's what we believe.  
There exist several theories about learning styles, one of the most common ones being the **Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, and Kinesthetic** theory, commonly referred to as ***[VARK](https://vark-learn.com/)***. 

"I am a visual learner", I've said this countless times; When speaking with friends, looking for learning resources, or looking for a way out of reading a book, "I am a visual learner."  
It is because I enjoy watching, from movies to tech news and even more when learning a new language or technology. Which is how I have learnt most of what I know in web development. But what does this mean?

The buzz in this generation's education system is that students learn better with their preferred learning styles.  
If that's the case in a class of 50, then the teacher needs to do these two things:  
  i) Learn each student's preferred learning style, then  
  ii) Teach each student by their learning style  
Is that feasible?  

Dr. Derek Muller explains in his [**Veritasium** video](https://youtu.be/rhgwIhB58PA?si=o_s-lyjLLgASXLa2) how music is best learnt by listening, graphics design through images and videos, painting through painting _(kinesthetic mode)_ and poetry through reading.  
These subjects all have their optimum methods/modes of delivery. That is why when you're learning Geography and the teacher uses images and maps, you understand it better than without. It's not really because the teacher used your preferred learning style, visual, but because it's the most effective mode of delivery for such a concept.  

When I use video tutorials to learn about UI Design, I get a hold of the ideas faster than I do when I read articles or a book about the same. In this case, is it because I am a "visual learner" or is this the most effective way to learn about such a visual subject/concept? And after the fact, I might be like, videos really do it for me.  
Such an instance may reinforce your belief in your "preferred learning style" if you don't know any better, just as it happened to me 😬. Fortunately, now you know😉.

Think about it this way, what is your preferred learning style? Then think about, what mode you actually employ when doing deep study and research for an upcoming test.

You need to consider that all these preferred learning styles might be constructs, and based on [studies carried out](https://www.go1.com/blog/myth-learning-styles), they don't actually exist. 

You feel that void now, don't you? That's good. Fill it with this;  
There is a singular mode that has been studied and concluded to be the most effective mode of learning. That is the [**multi-modal approach**](https://www.workramp.com/blog/multimodal-learning/#:~:text=Multimodal%20learning%20uses%20multiple%20modes,engage%20multiple%20sensory%20systems%20simultaneously.).

This approach combines all the modes used in the **VARK** theory to convey information.

This learning method engages multiple sensory systems simultaneously allowing us to understand and remember more. This is why videos are very powerful tools for learning - when a narrator complements the visuals with words of explanation. This is the **[multi-media effect](https://www.linkedin.com/advice/1/how-do-you-balance-cognitive-load-multimedia-effect#what-is-the-multimedia-effect?)**.

That is why those YouTube tutorials you've been following have been effective in whatever you've been learning. Well, at least if the videos were made right. And adding note-taking to that results in an even more impressive outcome.  

The multi-modal learning approach has always been around, used even without our knowledge. Now that we know, applying it more [consciously and properly](https://www.workramp.com/blog/multimodal-learning/) is assured to give us better outcomes in our learning or teaching.  

Live Long and Prosper 🖖  

#### Main Ref Links
[Veritasium Video](https://youtu.be/rhgwIhB58PA?si=JlzhMCr793fVKkWa)  
[General Musings Podcast](https://youtu.be/djg69yaJL64?si=wPAOor0MWDFoW6vj) - Kevin Powell  


This is a cross-post from the original in my [blog site](https://thejoernal.netlify.app/posts/learning-styles/)