UDL 101: That thing called ‘learner variability’
Aisha leaned against her colleague’s doorway after school. “I’m so frustrated, Marcus. I planned this great science lesson on ecosystems, but it flopped.”
Marcus looked up from his desk. “What happened?”
“Well, I differentiated everything! Slides for my visual learners, a hands-on activity for my kinesthetic kids, and a reading passage for my auditory students.” Exacerbated, she added, “Even Jamie was off task! She’s a kinesthetic learner, but all she wanted to do was debate the concepts!”
Marcus nodded thoughtfully. “You know, I used to think that way, too. I was taught that each kid had a learning style. I used to assign specific resources to specific learners based on their learning style assessment. It made me feel good that I was giving them what they needed. But I’ve realized two things. First, there is no such thing as learning styles. Second, I learned about learner variability.”
Aisha stepped into Marcus’ room and sat at a desk. “Ok,” she sighed, “you hooked me. What do you mean when you say, ‘There is no such thing as learning styles’?”
Marcus paused for a beat and then began. “Well, we definitely have preferences when learning, but the idea of learning styles limits how we think about our fabulous brain.”
This caused Aisha to put a small smile on her face. She loved reading about brain science and she had recently been reading about the interconnectivity of the brain. “Keep going,” she said.
“If we claim that every person leans toward a single or even a couple of styles, we’re ignoring how the brain works. The brain is interconnected and automatically works across all of our processes and systems. Claiming that our students only use a certain set of processes, systems, or ‘styles’ when learning is just plain false. Even worse, we’re promoting a fixed mindset if we tell learners they have a certain ‘style.’ They can become convinced that they can only learn a certain way.”
Thinking about the books and articles she’d read, Aisha agreed, but she still had another question. “So, how does learner variability fit in here?”
“Learner variability is what happens when a learner interacts with the learning environment. Learner variability happens all of them time. Plus, learner variability reminds us that a learner is more than a learning machine. A learner is human!” exclaimed Marcus. He slowly leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. “I’ll use Jamie as an example. Let’s say she was completely engaged in your introductory kinesthetic activities about ecosystems yesterday.”
“Yes, she was!” agreed Aisha.
“But today was different. Maybe the materials didn’t connect to her prior knowledge about ecosystems, or maybe she was worried about her grandmother being sick. Jamie’s learning styles analysis pinned her as a kinesthetic learner, but those hands-on resources didn’t work today.”
Aisha was silently nodding.
Marcus continued, “Maybe she needed to process verbally today and that’s why she was debating.” Marcus paused again. “It’s not our job to ask why Jamie needed to process the information that way today, it’s our job to give her different ways to learn the information.”
Aisha paused. “You’re saying that when it comes to learner variability, it’s not just about who they are as learners, but how they’re interacting with that specific learning environment at that specific moment?”
“Exactly. Their prior knowledge, emotions, the task’s relevance, the classroom energy, the resources we make available—it all creates variability. Same kid, different day, different lesson, different learning needs.”
Aisha smiled. “That’s actually more hopeful. It means I am not focused on planning for each individual. Instead, I create different opportunities and ways they can accomplish the lesson and achieve the goal. I do have students who have specific needs and I will absolutely support them, but what you shared about learner variability just gave me an ‘ah-ha’. If I keep adjusting the environment over time based on how I see the students interacting with it, I’ll probably find some patterns or even a decision-making system I can use when planning.”
Marcus smiled and nodded. “And when you’re ready to think about that system, come talk to me about the UDL Guidelines. The sooner, the better.”
Audio version
Discussion Questions
Reflecting on Current Practice
- Marcus mentions he used to feel good about assigning specific resources to specific learners based on learning style assessments. Can you relate to this feeling? What made it appealing, and what might be the drawbacks of this approach?
Understanding Learner Variability
- Marcus explains that learner variability happens when a learner interacts with the learning environment. What factors in your classroom environment might contribute to variability in how your students engage with learning on any given day?
- How does the concept of learner variability challenge or support your understanding of differentiation?
Implications for Teaching
- Aisha shifts from thinking about planning “for each individual” to creating “different opportunities and ways they can accomplish the lesson.” What’s the practical difference between these two approaches in your classroom?
- Marcus warns that telling students they have a certain learning style might promote a fixed mindset. Have you observed this in your practice? How might we communicate with students about their strengths without limiting their potential?
Moving Forward
- If you were to let go of the learning styles framework, what would feel challenging about that shift? What might feel liberating?
- At the end of the story, Marcus mentions the UDL Guidelines. If you learned more about the UDL Guidelines, what would you want them to help you do in your classroom?