What Can I Do With Learning Styles? Not much. The scientific evidence of effective use of learning styles is pretty weak. There are a couple of assumptions that can’t really be proved which are: 1). that somebody’s learning style can easily be measured, and 2). that there is a practical way to adapt the learning experience to those styles. Technology may solve this problem eventually, but for now we don’t really have effective examples of this. Learning styles are pretty popular but haven’t proven to be very effective. That may change in future, as people investigate better ways to assess and apply learning styles (Fleming & Baume, 2006).

The validity of the VARK model as well as other learning style theories has been questioned and criticized extensively.  Some critics have suggested that labeling students as having one specific learning style can actually be a hindrance to learning. One large-scale look at learning style models suggested that the instruments designed to assess individual learning styles were questionable.



The VARK model remains fairly popular among both students and educators despite these criticisms. Students may feel drawn to a particular learning style. Others may find that their learning preferences lie somewhere in the middle, such as finding both visual and auditory learning equally appealing.