Learning Styles Theories

Several different learning styles theories have developed in the past decades, each analyzing and hypothesizing the ways in which individuals process and perceive information from their environment.

The theories have been incorporated into many educational settings as a tool to gain insights about the way children learn. Sometimes business corporations will evaluate employee learning styles. Adults might research their own mode of learning just for fun.

But even though multiple learning styles exist, there is no definitive scientific proof explaining how and why a child learns best, and to date no one learning theory has been agreed upon or recognized by all; in fact, some sectors of society have concerns regarding the learning style theories in general.

Although most people will agree there is value to be gained in evaluating the way in which a child processes information.

For example, if I find my son finishes his math flash cards twenty-minutes faster on the floor as opposed to sitting in a chair, I can file that knowledge for the next time he practices his math facts.

By observing where my child is in his environment and how he responds to stimuli, I can make conjectures and predictions about how to best present information and make natural and easy adjustments in the environment to fit his needs.

But at the same time I am making modifications in the learning environment, I keep in mind I am basing my changes on observation and opinion alone.

While I know for a fact my child has brown eyes, and will still have brown eyes the following day, I am not able to predict my child’s behavior will be the same from one day to the next.

Likewise, upon seeing my son, you would concur he has brown eyes, but you might not agree with my observations and resulting conjectures regarding my son’s learning behavior.

Still, common sense tells me, if my child is excelling giving a set of certain conditions, that recreating those conditions might produce the same effect, and likewise, if my child is struggling because of given circumstances, then changing those circumstances would be beneficial.


I use the learning style theories as I would a magnifying glass. I use the ideas presented in the different theories to look more carefully at my own child to see if I notice some trait or characteristic in his processing that I might not have noticed before.

I do not use the theories as a “catch all” or to “label” my child. A child’s mind is far to complex to place into one arena.

In looking at myself I can safely say I am a visual learner. I need lists. I need to rewrite the lists several times. I see memories in pictures. I have a hard time remembering names. But at the same time I am an auditory learner, as I like to talk, I like to hear myself talk, and I will repeat words to myself to remember. And sometimes, I use a more kinesthetic approach and need to be in the middle of something with my hands touching to truly understand how something works.

I don’t have to place myself in one learning style category. But looking at the specifics helps me to recognize things about myself I might not have taken note of prior.