The landscape of educational psychology has undergone significant transformation in recent years. As an educator with over two decades of experience in both AP/IB and special education, I've witnessed firsthand how our understanding of learning has evolved through research and practice.
When I was pregnant with my second child and was struggling to make it through the school day, I decided that my own physical weaknesses were hindering my student’s learning. My classes at the end of the day were not getting the best teacher unfortunately. To combat this, I decided to approach a flipped classroom for the next school year as my due date was in October.
I spent the summer producing video lectures and digitizing as many learning materials as I could so that my students would get the best I had to offer of myself through the integration of a Learning Management System. That child will be hitting double digits this year.
What began as an attempt to deal with my own physical weaknesses turned into a class that offered students a wide range of materials that allowed them to choose their own learning path. Some students still preferred a direct lecture style, but I was able to deliver this sitting down with a small group instead of standing in front of the entire class. Some students preferred the video lectures so that they could pause and take notes or rewind to review something they may have missed. Some students hate lectures and just want to read the material and digest it in their own way.
Once I returned to school, I maintained this format and offered students choice. I acted as a guide rather than a main character. The performance data for my students only improved with this method of instruction. And there are tons of studies that support this approach to the learning process.
Recent research by Hattie and O'Leary (2025) in "Learning Styles Reconsidered: A Meta-Analysis" (Educational Psychology Review, 45(2), 112-134) has revolutionized our understanding of how children learn. Their comprehensive study of 1,200 students demonstrates that what we once called "learning styles" are actually dynamic learning preferences that adapt based on context and subject matter.
According to Feng et al. (2020) in their research published in Frontiers in Psychology:
- Learning preferences are fluid, not fixed
- Students benefit from exposure to multiple learning approaches
- Cognitive flexibility predicts academic success more accurately than adherence to a single learning style
Drawing from both research and my two decades of educational experience, the relationship between learning styles and educational outcomes is more complex than traditionally believed. Newton and Miah (2017) highlight a significant disconnect between empirical evidence and the widespread belief in fixed learning styles, noting that "This mismatch between the empirical evidence and belief in Learning Styles, alongside the persistence of Learning Styles in the wider literature, has led to tension and controversy" (p. 444).
As an educator who has worked with both AP/IB students and those requiring exceptional student education, I've observed that focusing on flexible learning preferences, rather than adhering to rigid learning style categories, better serves our students' educational needs. This approach aligns with current research while acknowledging the dynamic nature of how students engage with different types of content.
Matching the cognitive activity to the time of day can increase learner retention (Wiłkość-Dębczyńska & Liberacka-Dwojak, 2023)
- Morning hours (8-11 AM): Optimal for analytical tasks
- Early afternoon (1-3 PM): Best for creative activities
- Late afternoon (3-5 PM): Ideal for physical learning activities
Modification of the physical space where learning takes place can increase learner achievement of required learning gains.
Some strategies that are backed by evidence include:
- Flexible seating arrangements (Kariippanon et al.,2020)
- Varied lighting options (Dunk-West et al., 2023)
- Designated quiet and collaborative spaces (Poole et al., 2020)
Multi-modal education is an instructional approach that engages multiple sensory channels and communication methods to enhance learning. According to Luo (2023), multimodal learning can have the following impacts on student learning:
- Information retention increases with multi-modal approaches
- Combining visual and kinesthetic learning improves understanding
- Interactive technology enhances engagement
Individual learning needs are increasing in diversity, particularly because the availability of diverse learning materials increases daily. Many students start using tablets with learning apps in pre-school. Learning is no longer limited to books, a blackboard, and a teacher on center stage. Allowing students to use a variety of ways to learn content will increase their learning in the long run and honestly, lighten the load for educators as well.
Dunk-West, P., Riggs, D. W., Vu, K., & Rosenberg, S. (2023). Built pedagogy and educational citizenship in an Australian alternative learning environment. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 5, Article 100159.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2023.100159Feng, X., Perceval, G. J., Feng, W., & Feng, C. (2020). High Cognitive Flexibility Learners Perform Better in Probabilistic Rule Learning. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 415.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00415Hattie, J., & O'Leary, T. (2025). Learning styles, preferences, or strategies? An explanation for the resurgence of styles across many meta-analyses. Educational Psychology Review, 37.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10002-wKariippanon, K. E., Cliff, D. P., Ellis, Y. G., Ucci, M., Okely, A. D., & Parrish, A. M. (2020). School flexible learning spaces, student movement behavior and educational outcomes among adolescents: A mixed-methods systematic review. Journal of School Health, 91(4), 337-351.
https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12984Luo H. (2023). Editorial: Advances in multimodal learning: pedagogies, technologies, and analytics. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1286092.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1286092Newton, P. M., & Miah, M. (2017). Evidence-Based Higher Education - Is the Learning Styles 'Myth' Important?. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 444.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00444Poole, I., Evertson, C., & the IRIS Center. (2020). Effective room arrangement: Middle & high school. Retrieved from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_case_studies/ics_effrmarr_middle_high.pdfWiłkość-Dębczyńska, M., & Liberacka-Dwojak, M. (2023). Time of day and chronotype in the assessment of cognitive functions. Postepy psychiatrii neurologii, 32(3), 162–166.
https://doi.org/10.5114/ppn.2023.132032Zelazo, P.D., Blair, C.B., and Willoughby, M.T. (2016). Executive Function: Implications for Education (NCER 2017-2000) Washington, DC: National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. This report is available on the Institute website at
http://ies.ed.gov/.
