The Truth About Learning Styles and Why IKEA Instructions Feel Impossible
Have you ever bought a piece of furniture from IKEA, or somewhere similar, only to find yourself frustrated that you can’t put it together? Or annoyed that the pieces you have don’t seem to the same pieces that are in the picture? Or vice versa?
If you haven’t, then I’m jealous! And if you have, I have some idea of how you feel!
Let’s think for a moment if there is a better way to help assemble that furniture. Is there a better way to provide instructions other than abstract diagrams with strange legends?
Maybe a few paragraphs of written directions in which the pieces and process were described in words? Or perhaps calling someone on the phone and having them walk you through the assembly process as they described the steps verbally over the phone?
Surely either of these options would be better if you didn’t think that you learned things very well from visuals?
Sadly, no. In fact these methods would only make the task that much more frustrating!
Short of having a friendly person from IKEA accompany you home, or getting a job where all you do is assemble this kind of furniture all day long, it’s unlikely that much else can help.
“Why the pessimism?” I hear you ask.
It turns out that in a world where we are doing a task that we are likely only going to do once in a blue moon, we have little opportunity to actually learn anything well enough to apply it in the future. Much of our success probably rests in dumb luck vs. actually being able to make sense of the diagrams. And once we have figured it out—usually this involves a lot of trial and error (and, in my case, swearing)—we crumple up those directions, and stand back to admire our (somewhat wonky) handiwork.
And that’s that until the next time we embark on a similarly foolhardy mission.
This topic came up the other day as I was talking to a colleague about the sticky myth of “learning styles”. I’d written a blog for the Association of Talent Development and May’s installment was called “Just Because Learning Styles is Intuitive Doesn’t Make it True.”
As often happens when talking about “learning styles”, folks still want to be able to say, “but surely some people learn better visually and some are more auditory...” Unfortunately any such discussion really comes down to preferences, or favorite modes of presentation.
It’s certainly true, people have preferences. I like sushi, some people don’t. I like to read actual magazines, and don’t love reading them online. I like running and pilates and don’t like yoga.
It’s also true that people tend to have preferences that match up with things for which they have a high ability and at which they feel successful.
I like skiiing waaaaaaay more than I like snowboarding. Why? Well I’m waaaaaaay better at skiiing than snowboarding and so it’s just more fun to do it.
The other issue about preferences is in the content. And that is where the IKEA example comes in.
Think of it this way:
I say to a student I want to teach them something.
I ask them how they would like me to do it?
Would they like a video demonstration, slideshow, podcast, newspaper article, series of online modules, or a demonstration of a set of movements?
Could the student answer in a meaningful way without first asking what I am going to teach them?
No! But if you subscribe to the idea of “learning styles” then you ought to think that the student could choose a teaching modality independent of what was going to be taught.
And hopefully that sounds as inefficient as is!
The best way for me to teach the student something depends on:
What it is I’m trying to teach.
How much they already know.
The context we are in (and any constraints present)
And so as much as I would like to imagine there’s a better way for me to put together my IKEA bunk beds than a super-unclear set of odd diagrams and symbols, given what I’m trying to do, the fact that I have little to no prior knowledge, and unfortunately no friendly helper from IKEA, the diagrams are the best bet.
You can read more about this in my ATD post mentioned above and also in this excellent summary by Cedar Riener and Daniel Willingham (The Myth of Learning Styles).
