Are there learning styles? That’s the question that Linda Nilson answered in her keynote. See her slides for all the details, but the short version is that several popular learning styles models, including Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences model, the VARK model (visual, aural, read/write, kinesthetic), the Kolb learning style model, and the Myers-Briggs personality model, have very little predictive validity. That is, a student’s “style” as determined by one of these tests doesn’t have an effect on how well they learn through various activities. (To be fair, the Myers-Briggs model isn’t meant to predict how students learn best. It’s a personality inventory that is geared more towards interpersonal dynamics and career choice.)