The discomfort of learning
Last weekend, I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated to head out for my morning run when my daughter looked at me and said, “Get up, Dad, comfort kills.” As I set off, her words stayed with me. I began to think about the many practices in schools that, perhaps unintentionally, discourage our boys from embracing discomfort.
In the 1970s, a new wave of thinking swept through education. Its core premise was simple: when students struggled, the issue lay in the method of instruction not aligning with their preferred ‘learning style’. Verbal learners supposedly needed reading and writing, visual learners needed diagrams, auditory learners needed to hear information, and kinesthetic learners required hands-on experiences.
The theory spread rapidly. Parents appreciated the idea that their children’s individuality was being recognised, and teachers enjoyed the freedom to personalise their lessons. Even today, learning styles remain a foundational element of teacher training. Yet there is one significant problem: there is little evidence that teaching to a preferred learning style improves achievement.
A team of experts conducted a comprehensive review of decades of research and found no reliable support for the theory. Longitudinal studies consistently showed that students did not perform better when instruction aligned with their supposed learning style or perceived ability. The way you like to learn may feel comfortable, but it is not necessarily how you learn best.
Proponents of learning styles often argue that verbal learning works for one person and auditory learning works for another. However, learning is not always about finding the right method for you; it is often about finding the right method for the task.
Although listening can be more enjoyable, reading typically leads to deeper comprehension and better recall. Listening fosters intuitive thinking, while reading strengthens analytical processing. Unless you have a reading disability or learning challenge that makes text difficult to process, there is no substitute for reading when it comes to developing critical thinking.
If you want to learn a language, you must hear it spoken. And if you want to speak it fluently, you must practise speaking aloud. Similarly, if you want to improve as a public speaker, you can read about great speeches, but eventually you must step onto the stage. If you want to learn to surf, you must get into the water.
Likewise, one of the biggest mistakes students make when preparing for examinations is focusing on the content they know best. Why? Because it feels comfortable and gives the illusion of progress. In reality, what you should be studying is the material you don’t know well, but it is the harder and more uncomfortable.
In addition, to truly learn and grow proficient in any skill, you must be willing to make mistakes, willing to push through embarrassment and embrace the discomfort that comes with imperfection. Learning is often described as the process of recognising, correcting, and preventing mistakes. Yet, as any surfer knows, if you’re not wiping out every now and then, you’re not pushing yourself far enough, and your progress will plateau.
One of learning’s great ironies is that comfort is often the reward of mastery. However, the process of getting there is anything but comfortable.
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