Six learning myths that have been disproved by neuroscience

Here are six such myths that are particularly relevant to learning professionals.

Myth 1: Some people are good at multitasking.

The term multitasking is misleading. In fact, it is simply the ability to switch attention quickly between different tasks – although there are natural limits to this ability. This realization is particularly important for experts in the field of virtual learning. People who learn virtually have many more opportunities to be distracted than they would have in a face-to-face training. It is therefore crucial to continuously engage learners and maintain their attention.

Myth 2: We can learn in our sleep.

Sleep is crucial for learning – but contrary to what students hope, we don’t learn while we sleep. The reason we need to remember what we want to remember before we sleep is because short-term memories are “rebuilt” into long-term memories during sleep. So the more often we repeat and practise before sleep, the greater the chance that we will remember when it matters.

Myth 3: We have preferred learning styles.

Although it is a widespread assumption that individualized teaching methods adapted to preferred learning styles accelerate learning, there is a lack of scientific evidence to support this theory. Of course, there are preferences for certain teaching methods, but it is more effective for the learning process to focus on individual learning ability and existing knowledge. Adjusting the speed at which new material is to be understood and fine-tuning the difficulty level of tasks offers a far better approach to tailoring teaching content to the needs of learners.

Myth 4: We learn best when the learning material is simple and clear.

While it is an appealing notion, it is not the truth. Instructions that contain novelty and complexity prove to be more effective than a logical and simple structure.

Myth 5: We learn best when we feel safe.

People often learn more effectively when they move outside their comfort zone. This counterintuitive finding is supported by study results that show that making mistakes and forgetting – both sources of frustration and self-doubt – are actually reliable means of acquiring and retaining new information. In particular, those mistakes that are made with a high level of confidence are remembered for a long time.

Myth 6: Knowledge = action

Despite all of our experiences with the gap between knowledge and behavior change, the optimistic belief that a single event can change a person’s behavior persists. This phenomenon is a typical example of hope being stronger than reason – similar to a student who hopes that the contents of a textbook will be magically imprinted in his memory when he sleeps with the book under his pillow.

Short events such as keynotes and webinars are valuable for focusing attention on an important topic or an essential new skill. They serve to create awareness and spark interest and enthusiasm.

However, effective learning is optimized through regular repetition and practice of small learning contents over a period of time, which creates a solid basis for subsequent concepts. This explains the success of virtual learning, which can easily be implemented in short units over a longer period of time.

The human brain is an extraordinarily complex organ. The more we learn about it, the more mysterious it seems to become. It’s tempting to think that our brains work like computers or even the newer AI models, but the comparison falls short. However, there are some things we know for sure, and learning professionals should know them in order to target the right resources to effectively further their goals.