Willingham's Learning Theory (OCR GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

The myth of learning styles

• Daniel Willingham, an American cognitive psychologist, is a strong critic of the learning styles theory

• This theory claims that students learn best when taught according to their preferred sensory style, such as:

  • visual – learning through how information looks

  • auditory – learning through how information sounds

  • kinaesthetic – learning through physical, hands-on activity

• Willingham argues that this idea is a myth — a widely held but scientifically unsupported belief

  • While learners may have preferences for how they receive information, research shows no evidence that teaching in line with these preferences actually improves learning outcomes

• Instead, Willingham emphasises that content matters more than the style of teaching

  • The nature of the task determines the best way to learn — e.g. reading is more effective for factual knowledge, while practice is essential for developing physical or procedural skills.

  • E.g. you can’t learn to play the piano by only reading about it - a kinaesthetic approach is necessary

• He also suggests that the learning styles myth continues to persist due to confirmation bias — people tend to notice evidence that supports their existing beliefs and ignore evidence that contradicts them

The importance of meaning for learning

• In his book Why Don’t Students Like School? (2010), Willingham argues that knowledge must be meaningful for it to be remembered

• Teaching should focus on understanding, not just rote memorisation, i.e. “drilling” facts

  • When students can link new information to what they already know, it helps transfer knowledge from short-term to long-term memory

• He recommends that:

  • teachers explain the reasons behind facts (e.g. why a historical event happened, not just what happened)

  • learning should involve reasoning and context, not just repetition

  • teachers avoid focusing on students’ personal interests if they distract from understanding the actual concept

  • teachers think about what benefit there is for students doing scientific experiments, as they can't think like actual scientists

• Willingham believes practice is still necessary — but it should be meaningful, consistent, and aimed at developing automaticity

  • e.g. learning times tables to free up working memory for problem-solving

Supporting Research

• Pashler et al. (2008): Found no evidence that teaching to learning styles improved performance

• Baddeley & Godden (1975): Context aids memory — divers recalled information best when learning and testing occurred in the same environment

• Rosenshine et al. (1996): Understanding is strengthened by connecting new knowledge to existing knowledge

• Mischel (1970): The “marshmallow test” showed that self-regulation (delaying gratification) predicted later academic success

Criticisms of Willingham's learning theory

• Willingham’s claim that students can’t think like scientists or historians has been challenged by many teachers and university lecturers

  • They argue that conducting experiments helps students experience real challenges, such as controlling extraneous variables, which supports a deeper understanding of the scientific process

• Some aspects of education benefit from repetition or ‘drilling’, particularly basic skills

  • For example, learning times tables by rote helps students with mental arithmetic, both in school and later in life

• Willingham’s theory leans towards nurture, focusing on how teaching methods and the learning environment influence progress

  • However, innate biological factors (nature) — such as brain development, attention span, or working memory capacity — also play a major role in how easily students learn

  • Therefore, some children may need to be taught in specific ways to support their natural learning differences, regardless of the content being taught