Tailoring Lessons To Different Kinds Of Learners Not Effective, Researchers Say

NPR's Morning Edition (8/29, Neighmond) reports that according to psychologist Dan Willingham of the University of Virginia, "we're on more equal footing than we may think when it comes to how our brains learn," and that "teachers should not tailor instruction to different kinds of learners." Researchers say there is little evidence to suggest educational improvement based on targeting students with visual, auditory, and movement-based styles of learning. Instead, Willingham said, "it might be more useful to figure out similarities in how our brains learn, rather than differences." For example, NPR notes, "recent studies find our brains retain information better when we spread learning over a longer period of time, say months or even a year, versus cramming it into a few days or weeks."