According to Dr Tesia Marshik’s TedX talk, yes, they are.
Her talk has really challenged what I understood about learning styles. People may have a preference for learning in a particular way but there is no perceivable advantage to learning in a particular way or teaching to a style (a lot of studies have been done to confirm this). This is interesting as I have undertaken professional development on how to use learning styles to my advantage as a teacher and as a learner.
According to Dr Marshik, learning styles are false because most of what we learn is stored in terms of how it is meaningful to us, rather than how we learned it. Also, the best way to learn about a particular concept or topic will vary and often multiple inputs are required (auditory, visual, touch, etc.) to fully understand a concept.
Learning styles are such a commonly held belief that it persists despite the lack of academic evidence to support it, just like the belief that vaccines cause autism.
I am now struggling to reconcile what I thought to be true with what could be (and most likely is) true – learning styles are a myth.
Critically evaluating ones commonly held beliefs when new evidence or information is available is not always an easy task. I encourage you to watch the video and evaluate your own perceptions about learning styles.