The Culture/ Learning Style Connection Educating for Diversity:

Abstract: This article by Pat Guild seeks to explain patterns between development within a culture and learning styles. The article notes that most experts agree that the culture a student grows up in will have an impact on their strengths in styles of learning as well as their academic success. For example, many agree that students from Mexican backgrounds are more likely to seek out a personal relationship with their teacher and tend to be more inclined to broad concepts rather than specifics. The article points out that though there are general patterns in learning style based on cultural background it can be difficult to find any generalizations that don't contain exceptions to these rules. Because of this, some experts believe that further research into these matters simply contributes to stereotyping the groups it attempts to understand. There are however many who believe that research into cultural learning styles could help tease out the debate about whether nature or nurture plays a greater role in determining how a student will learn.

Reaction: Personally, i do think that investigation into these topics could be used to help understand the relationship between nature and nurture in regard to individual learning. However, I think the impact that this information could have on successful education would be minimal. As the article points out in it's closing moments, there are many students who do well scholastically despite difficulties such as difference in style between the students learning style and the teachers transmission. Though understanding student learning can always be beneficial what we already know seems to have the most weight. We know that students tend to perform best for competent, caring and passionate teachers.