Criticism with Differentiated Instruction

Multiple sources in educational research have criticized differentiated instruction, and its basis in learning styles, as being unsubstantiated in any empirical fashion. These sources include Mike Schmoker of Education Week, who claims that after a lengthy email exchange with an architect of DI, she conceded "There is no solid research or school evidence" in support of DI. In Educational Research, John Geake states, "the evidence consistently shows that modifying a teaching approach to cater for differences in learning styles does not result in any improvement in learning outcomes", and that implementing learning styles, citing VAK specifically, does "not reflect how our brains actually learn, nor the individual differences we observe in classrooms". In Psychological Science for the Public Interest, Pashler et al. note, "the literature fails to provide adequate support for applying learning-style assessments in school settings. Moreover, several studies that used appropriate research designs found evidence that contradicted the learning-styles hypothesis...We feel that the widespread use of learning-style measures in educational settings is unwise and a wasteful use of limited resources".