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Netcheck

By Garry Platt (March 2008 Issue)
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http://www.lsneducation.org.uk/pubs/

I enjoy looking a sacred cow in the mouth and inspecting it for veracity and usefulness. It is amazing to see just how much we accept and swallow as true when, in fact, the supporting facts and evidence fail to verify much of what is claimed. It is also interesting to see how beliefs and theories slip into common usage when the underpinning evidence is actually ‘thin’, to say the least.

For instance, how often have you been told that open questions engender much wider responses than closed questions? Where are the facts to support this claim? In fact, related investigations undertaken by the Huthwaite Research Group provided no evidence to support this assertion.

And the glorious Mehrabian study, which is frequently referenced as stating that communication is achieved by 7 per cent words, 38 per cent para-linguistics and 55 per cent facial expression. The report actually says no such thing and yet this ‘fact’ is trotted out frequently on communication courses.

Some poor souls will even try to convince you that ROI of training is impossible due to ‘variables’, whereas the facts are quite the opposite. And don’t even get me started on some aspects of NLP!

I was recently introduced to an academic study that was undertaken back in 2004, which looks at several well-known theories and tools relating to post-16 pedagogy. It is essentially a study of popular models connected to adult development. Among the concepts reviewed are learning styles and the underpinning hypothesis of the Experiential Learning Cycle, developed by David Kolb.

To access the report you need to visit the url given above. You will be presented with a search function. Type in ‘learning styles and pedagogy’ and the report referenced
will be returned, namely Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning: A systematic and critical review. Click on the title and you can then download for free the 182-page report without registering; beat that Tesco!

The report’s front page blurb captures the gist of its intention: “This report critically reviews the literature on learning styles and examines, in detail, 13 of the most influential models.”

The report concludes that it matters fundamentally which instrument is chosen. The implications for teaching and learning in post-16 learning are serious and should be of concern to learners, teachers and trainers, managers, researchers and inspectors.

The content of this report is fascinating but, frankly, it is written with all the pizzazz and chutzpah of a dead donkey more than three months in its grave, although the academic rigour and in-depth analysis more than make up for that. Some of its findings on the validity, or otherwise, of some of the better known learning theories is chilling to say the least.

Essential reading, I think, for anyone referencing or using learning styles of any shape or flavour.

Garry Platt is a senior consultant at Woodland Grange, specialising in management development and trainer training. He can be contacted on +44 (0) 1926 336621 or at garry.platt@wgrange.com

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