One of my previous supervisors tried to teach one of my previous advising departments about advising theories when she joined our advising unit. I remember how often she would say that Learning Style theories were debunked and invalidated through research. I remember how offended I felt at these claims because I had fully embraced that myself as a visual learner.
I just came across the following on Dr. Harapnuik’s portfolio and finally felt ready to tackle this issue once and for all, for myself (admittedly I was ready to be offended again).
Finally, the concept of multimodal learning makes the most sense to me. In college I would write lectures by hand or later by using a laptop. Then I would come home and read/record my notes to a mini-recorder. Then I would listen to these tapes (yes mini-cassettes then later on digital recording devices) on repeat day and night (in the shower, as I slept, in the car, non stop). This method of my personal multimodal learning was in no way “visual learning” but somehow I completely embraced my identity of being a visual learner.
What is more accurate is the cited finding that “people learn best when they are actively thinking about the material, solving problems, or imagining what happens if different variables change” (Vertasium, 2021). This is an interesting finding within the context of the ADL Program where we strive to become catalysts for change by leveraging technology to improve learning outcomes.
What we really need to ask ourselves when we implement educational technologies is will “this revolutionize education” (Vertasium, 2014)?
Throughout the ADL Program we are asked to think about learning, to reflect on our own learning experience, to be willing to stretch ourselves.
References
Vertasium. (2014, December 1). The Most Persistent Myth. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEmuEWjHr5c
Vertasium. (2021, July 9). The Biggest Myth In Education [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhgwIhB58PA
The Advisor That Cares 