PIXEL is the pen name of composer and educator Evan Combs. This playfully academic newsletter offers a behind-the-scenes look at designing and shaping learning experiences and culture. Supported by practical insights and actionable strategies, it’s perfect for teachers, leaders, and anyone curious about the art and science of learning through the lens of music.
The Lies of Learning 🃏
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Hey everyone, Pop quiz Which of these are scientifically proven strategies/statements for learning? (Select all that apply… except you can’t really) A) Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic learning styles If you picked none… congrats. This issue comes a couple weeks after April Fools, but some of the biggest pranks in education were never meant to be jokes. Let’s explore a few. Myth #1: Learning Styles Someone said to me recently, “Try presenting it in their preferred modality.” This idea largely comes from VARK (Visual, Auditory, Reading, Kinesthetic), developed in the late 80s by Neil Fleming. This model and theory pigeon-holes learners into a preferred “learning style” (I even gagged typing it, having to passive-aggressively slap quotes on it). There is plenty of literature debunking this, but a notable one is this 2018 study published in the ASE journal. The research shows: Even when instruction matches a learner’s “preferred style”… outcomes don’t improve. Why it’s bad, and actually hurts learners:
Myth #2: Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner’s 1980s theory suggests: Students have different types of intelligence, and we should teach to their strongest one. But even he himself was like: And yet… here we are. A blog titled “truth for teachers” slapping it around like the holy grail of learning design. The National Library of Medicine has a paper where Lynn Waterhouse bashes the HECK out of this one.
Doubling down on the flaws, she states: (For my returning readers, I hope you've tried SOMETHING from these newsletters, and felt similar enthusiasm.) Myths 3-6: Rapid Fire There are so many more. Left brain vs. Right brain NOPE: Your brain isn’t a personality split. Complex thinking requires both hemispheres working together. Harvard Health Article on this. “Students today can’t focus, keep everything short” NOPE: Attention isn’t fixed. It expands with well-designed tasks and shrinks with disengagement. My previous issue on Microlearning focuses on this. “We only use 10% of our brain” NOPE: Brain activity is widespread, even during simple tasks. MIT hacks this one. “If learners enjoyed it, it worked” HUGE GIGA NOPE: This meta-analyses claims about 10% (which is extremely weak) correlation between learner satisfaction and successful transfer. Strategies to implement from this “Fake News”?
Even myths tend to survive because they orbit something true. What we should take away: 🎨 Use multiple representations intentionally 👷🏼♀️ Build flexible learners ✅ Differentiate the right things 🤖 Leverage tools (like AI) to scale personalization Updates From the Music Room Another FREE work for string orchestra: Out of the Darkness (Grade 3). Inspired by the 5 stages of grief, it leans heavily into expressionism. Even the cover art reflects the journey. The 4 stages of grief (middle colors) that lead to the 5th, acceptance (white), from loss (black). 🤯 Here is a 2 minute video on the inspiration. New release season is just around the corner for publishers, so expect my next two issues to have new music for band, strings, and choir from my good friends at TUX People’s Music. Your Thoughts Which learning myths have you seen or heard people reference around you, and what was its context? Are there any that you used to implement but come to realize is a myth (judgement free zone)? Get Inspired, |
PIXEL
PIXEL is the pen name of composer and educator Evan Combs. This playfully academic newsletter offers a behind-the-scenes look at designing and shaping learning experiences and culture. Supported by practical insights and actionable strategies, it’s perfect for teachers, leaders, and anyone curious about the art and science of learning through the lens of music.
Hey everyone, Imagine every learner left your classroom with perfect scores and flawless performances. They demonstrated every objective you slapped down. BUT, they still… Struggle to collaborate. Panic when plans change. Can't communicate ideas clearly. Don't know how to learn something new without you. Did you succeed? According to "the book," yes! However, it begs a much bigger question: What the heck is education for?! (pause for your passionate response) If you answered, “To learn about...
Hey everyone, ⚠️ Warning: This issue leans heavily into music education. BUT, I promise the learning design underneath applies to any educational experience. ⚠️ Musical performances go like this: Lights dim Audience quiets Conductor steps on the podium like they’re summoning ancient magic (Fig. 1A) The learners (our performers) think: If I crack that note, civilization collapses. Figure 1A: Nézet-Séguin summoning demons conducting. All that pressure makes sense. Performances, final exams,...
Hey everyone, I’m celebrating 1 year 🎉 of writing these newsletters by revisiting one of the very first topics I covered: AI in education. A year ago, most conversations sounded like this: “AI is cheating.”“AI will replace teachers.”“AI is a terrible amalgamation of human history and now society is collapsing.” Well, the sky is still here, and AI hasn’t gone anywhere. So, I don’t want to talk about whether AI belongs in education anymore. It’s here. Your learners are using it. The better...