Learning tricks

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Learning tricks

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/health/views/07mind.html?_r=1

http://psi.sagepub.com/content/9/3/105.abstract

Benedict Carey does a nice summary of what we do and don't know about different

approaches to enhancing learning.

Take the notion that children have specific learning styles, that some are

" visual learners " and others are auditory; some are " left-brain " students,

others " right-brain. " In a recent review... in the journal Psychological Science

in the Public Interest, a team of psychologists found almost zero support for

such ideas...Ditto for teaching styles...Some excellent instructors caper in

front of the blackboard like summer-theater Falstaffs; others are reserved to

the point of shyness...the common threads between teachers who create a

constructive learning atmosphere have not been determined

In recent years, cognitive scientists have shown that a few simple techniques

can reliably improve what matters most: how much a student learns from

studying…For instance, instead of sticking to one study location, simply

alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying

distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing

intensely on a single thing.

Varying the type of material studied in a single sitting — alternating, for

example, among vocabulary, reading and speaking in a new language — seems to

leave a deeper impression on the brain than does concentrating on just one skill

at a time. Musicians have known this for years, and their practice sessions

often include a mix of scales, musical pieces and rhythmic work. Many athletes,

too, routinely mix their workouts with strength, speed and skill drills.

When the neural suitcase is packed carefully and gradually, it holds its

contents for far, far longer. An hour of study tonight, an hour on the weekend,

another session a week from now: such so-called spacing improves later

recall…cognitive scientists see testing itself — or practice tests and quizzes —

as a powerful tool of learning, rather than merely assessment. The process of

retrieving an idea is not like pulling a book from a shelf; it seems to

fundamentally alter the way the information is subsequently stored, making it

far more accessible in the future.

None of ... these techniques — alternating study environments, mixing content,

spacing study sessions, self-testing or all the above — will turn a grade-A

slacker into a grade-A student. Motivation matters.

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Learning Styles

Concepts and Evidence

Harold Pashler1,

Mark Mc2,

Doug Rohrer3 and

Bjork4

+ Author Affiliations

1University of California, San Diego

2Washington University in St. Louis

3University of South Florida

4University of California, Los Angeles

Department of Psychology 0109, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA

92093; e-mail: hpashler@....

Abstract

The term " learning styles " refers to the concept that individuals differ in

regard to what mode of instruction or study is most effective for them.

Proponents of learning-style assessment contend that optimal instruction

requires diagnosing individuals' learning style and tailoring instruction

accordingly. Assessments of learning style typically ask people to evaluate what

sort of information presentation they prefer (e.g., words versus pictures versus

speech) and/or what kind of mental activity they find most engaging or congenial

(e.g., analysis versus listening), although assessment instruments are extremely

diverse. The most common—but not the only—hypothesis about the instructional

relevance of learning styles is the meshing hypothesis, according to which

instruction is best provided in a format that matches the preferences of the

learner (e.g., for a " visual learner, " emphasizing visual presentation of

information).

The learning-styles view has acquired great influence within the education

field, and is frequently encountered at levels ranging from kindergarten to

graduate school. There is a thriving industry devoted to publishing

learning-styles tests and guidebooks for teachers, and many organizations offer

professional development workshops for teachers and educators built around the

concept of learning styles.

The authors of the present review were charged with determining whether these

practices are supported by scientific evidence. We concluded that any credible

validation of learning-styles-based instruction requires robust documentation of

a very particular type of experimental finding with several necessary criteria.

First, students must be divided into groups on the basis of their learning

styles, and then students from each group must be randomly assigned to receive

one of multiple instructional methods. Next, students must then sit for a final

test that is the same for all students. Finally, in order to demonstrate that

optimal learning requires that students receive instruction tailored to their

putative learning style, the experiment must reveal a specific type of

interaction between learning style and instructional method: Students with one

learning style achieve the best educational outcome when given an instructional

method that differs from the instructional method producing the best outcome for

students with a different learning style. In other words, the instructional

method that proves most effective for students with one learning style is not

the most effective method for students with a different learning style.

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.

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Carruthers

Wakefield, UK