Learning Styles

Learning styles is a term generally used to describe an individual's natural or habitual pattern of acquiring and processing information in learning situations. There is no commonly accepted definition of learning styles; however, a core concept is that individuals differ in how they learn . The idea of individualized "learning styles" originated in the 1970s, and acquired "enormous popularity".

Proponents for the use of learning styles in education said that teachers should assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's learning style. Although there is ample evidence for differences in individual thinking and ways of processing various types of information, few studies have reliably tested the validity of using learning styles in education.. Critics say there is no evidence that identifying an individual student's learning style produces better outcomes. There is evidence of empirical and pedagogical problems related to the use of learning tasks to "correspond to differences in a one-to-one fashion" . Well-designed studies contradict the widespread "meshing hypothesis", that a student will learn best if taught in a method deemed appropriate for the student's learning style.