An Educational Myth – Instruction Tailored to Students Learning Styles Leads to Success

A new study offers further evidence against the "learning styles" theory-the idea that students can process information best when teachers tailor instruction to students' strengths. The present study looked at whether self-assessment and teacher assessment agreed in the identification of preferred LS in primary school-aged pupils. Results showed that there was no correlation between the two. Findings, moreover, suggest that the teachers do not see intellectual ability as a proxy for a particular learning style. This was the first study to investigate these questions and one of the few studies within the LS literature to employ a sample of primary school students. It adds to the growing body of critical literature about the use of LS in educational settings.

Papadatou-Pastou, M., Gritzali, M., & Barrable, A. (2018) The learning styles educational neuromyth: Lack of agreement between teachers' judgments, self-assessment, and students' intelligence. Front. Educ., 3(105). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00105

Reading studies

Few Parents See Reading as a Priority over the Summer
Despite research that indicates the importance of summer reading in preventing children from losing literacy skills, only 17% of parents say reading is a top summer priority, according to a new surveys. Conducted by Harris Poll, the survey also finds that children spend nearly three times as many hours weekly watching TV or playing video games as they do reading in the summer.
RIF & Macy's. (2014). Summer reading.
http://www.rif.org/us/about/press/Only-17-Percent-Parents-Believe-Reading-is-Top-Priority-During-the-Summer.htm


Reading Skills Still Developing in 4^th Grade
Brain scans of 96 students in third through fifth grades and college students suggest students are still learning to decode words in fourth grade, a time when many educators believe the process has become more automated, according to a published study. The lead researcher said the data indicate that the ability to automatically process words likely takes place in an unstudied area somewhere between fifth grade and college.
Coch, D. (2014). The N400 and the fourth grade shift. Developmental Science. DOI: 10.1111/desc.12212
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.12212/abstract



Strong Early Reading Skills in Children Yields Higher Intelligence Later
New research shows improved reading in child years will lead to development of higher IQ later on in life. "Early remediation of reading problems might aid not only the growth of literacy, but also more general cognitive abilities that are of critical importance across the lifespan," Stuart J. Ritchie, lead author of the study, said in a press release. .
Ritchie, S., Bates, T., & Plomin, R. (2014). Does Learning to Read Improve Intelligence? A Longitudinal Multivariate Analysis in Identical Twins From Age 7 to 16. Child Development. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12272
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdev.12272/full