JA WestenbergThings that are fake:
- Alpha males (debunked by the original researcher)
- MSG causing headaches (never replicated)
- Learning styles (no evidence)
Things that are real:
- People will believe anything if it confirms their priors
Panicky_Patzer@Daojoan I still hear fellow teachers peddling learning styles nonsense. It just won't die.
Abram Kedge🏴🇨🇦@panicky_patzer @Daojoan I don't get it... I learn with better retention by reading and making notes, other people prefer to hear the course content. How is that not different learning styles in action? Am I misunderstanding the assertion?
@AbramKedge @Daojoan People have their preferences, sure, but there is no evidence that catering to those preferences leads to improved learning outcomes.
@panicky_patzer @Daojoan I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. Mind you, I'm speaking as someone who finds pair-programming painfully uncomfortable and counterproductive, whereas many people swear that it is the best methodology ever. Different people are... different.
@AbramKedge @Daojoan You're perfectly welcome to disagree, but your anecdotal evidence doesn't really sway the argument much for me. Sorry.
Pablo Martínez@AbramKedge @panicky_patzer @Daojoan I don't think pair programming is a good example, as you are trying to achieve something rather than trying to learn something. Pair programming can be akin to the "rubber duck" technique. I am inclined to say that if programming with someone is anoying to you, it may make it difficult for you to learn. I learn nothing if all I can think about is how badly I want out of the situation, no matter the "learning style".
@pablo_martan @panicky_patzer @Daojoan I agree in part; having mentioned the reading vs listening difference earlier, I was highlighting that there is no One True Way for any intellectual processing. For me it wasn't annoyance at my partner, it was losing the freedom to take time to think, or to investigate deeper into the code rather than skimming the top.
I feel I was let down by my senior school (highschool equivalent), getting mediocre grades. Later I studied in the Open University, a combination of home study and weekly tutorials, getting high 90s marks for coursework and exams.
I later taught a few hundred three and four day system design courses around the world for engineers and university professors learning to use ARM processors.
Teaching methods do have an impact on learning success rates.
@AbramKedge @pablo_martan @Daojoan I understand there are factors that affect your ability to learn, and they are too numerous to list, but there's no evidence that supports that teaching to someone's preferred learning style is worth the time it takes to tailor lessons to each student's style. There's really no evidence that these styles exist at all, except in one's imagination.
In fact, I've found them limiting for students who believe they can't learn if a lesson doesn't fit their "style."
@panicky_patzer @pablo_martan @Daojoan very good points.
Edit: perhaps the take away is to ensure that course material uses multiple techniques, exposing students to different information sources and media, to maximize engagement.
Individual tailoring would be an absurd extreme. You have more than enough to do as an educator as it is.
@AbramKedge @panicky_patzer @Daojoan I think I agree in part, and I most certainly agree that the richer the resources, the more enjoyable (and more probably succesful) the learning experience.