Effective Teaching: Sensory Learning Styles versus General Memory Processes

Tailoring teaching strategies to accommodate students' sensory learning styles (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic) is widely recommended across all levels of education from kindergarten to university. However, research stretching across five decades suggests that such tailoring does not enhance students' learning. In contrast, research does indicate strong learning benefits for methods such as integrative elaboration, distribution during learning, and frequent recall of learned material. This paper reviews evidence of learning associated with teaching focused on both sensory learning styles and general memory processes to encourage educators to adopt more evidence-based methods to enhance effective instruction.