It's common knowledge, right? People learn differently. Some by listening. Some through visual cues. Some by reading.
According to quite a bit of research: not really.
The idea that people learn differently was made popular back in the 70s. And since then it's made it's way into business lexicon, almost un-contestedly.
So we went back and did a review of the literature. The Wikipedia page on this topic features 63 citations. And our favorite, non-nerd article - an Atlantic piece called "Are Learning Styles Real?" - features 4 recently published studies. Don't want to read all that? Here's a quick summary of what you'd find if you did.
Two Highlights From the Research
First, people like different types of information delivery. But many studies featured show little correlation between learners receiving new info in their proclaimed/preferred - or even test-proven - learning style, and retention/performance. For example, in the studies, if you were a visual learner, receiving learning content visually didn't make you any more likely to remember it than someone with any other 'learning style.'
Second, there's much more support for the effectiveness of using multiple types of content delivery, over time. For example, moving from conceptual learning, to observation, to practice, to feedback and discussion, and back to practice. But this isn't tied to the learning styles concept.
And that's, sort of, it. The majority of the research is pretty flatly against the concept. As one quote in the Atlantic link above goes: “It’s not like anything terrible is going to happen to you if you buy into learning styles, but there’s not any benefit to it either."
So What?
After some thought, it honestly makes sense.
First, because trying to ensure a class or eLarning matches learners' varying 'learning styles' - even if they were real - puts too much weight on a single moment in time. The way a person receives info in a single sitting is not the main predictor of their future success.
Second, even if learning styles were real, they would only apply to the ability of certain content to help people remember stuff. And ultimately, information recall is not the same as skill building. For example:
- A sales person may be able to tell you what an elevator pitch is, but that doesn't mean they can sell.
- A call center agent may be able to tell you what the prescribed call flow for a quality customer interaction is, but struggle to deliver it.
- A marketer may be able to pass every exam in the world on what marketing channels are, but fail to pick the right channel when they design a marketing strategy.
This is important because in a business setting, learning should be defined as skill-building and behavior change. Not just the ability to recall facts.
The Call to Action
If you're not sold on the idea that there aren't learning styles, that's ok. There are still a meaningful discussion point and call to action to consider.
There is one style of learning that research uniformly says works for everyone: practice. Purposeful, accurate, sometimes-painful practice.
So as you design learning strategies for your business, consider de-emphasizing learning styles, and re-allocating investment dollars to simulation, coaching, and opportunities for guided practice.