That every student is good at something is a very politically palatable idea, but there is very little empirical evidence linking multiple intelligence instruction to achievement and attitude. Learning Styles theory, in contrast, has strong evidentiary support to suggests that student achievement relates closely to perceived learning style. Proponents of the theory urge that asking "Is this student smart?" is an inappropriate question. "How is this student smart?" matters a great deal more.

The fundamental precept of LS theory is that individual learners perceive and process information differently. David Kolb (1992) presented a continuum model to describe these processes:

Concrete v. Abstract perceivers--Concrete perceivers absorb information best through direct experiences. Abstract perceivers, however, prefer to observe.

Active v. Reflective processors--Active processors learn by utilizing information practically. Reflective processors prefer to make sense by thinking.

Proponents of Kolb's theory suggest that teachers should design their instruction to appeal to all four learning styles, using various combinations of experience, reflection, conceptualization, and experimentation.

Like Gardner's MI, Kolb's Learning Styles theory has often been misinterpreted in educational practice as an open license for whole-brain (left and right) instruction, whereby teachers are encouraged to design instructional products that cater to all types of learners.

In Educational Technology environments, this application of the theory usually involves the inclusion of multiple media in the design of instructional products. This is a risky proposition, however, because it assumes that students, if given appropriate choices, select instructional experiences that are most consistent with their perceived learning styles and therefore most conducive to achievement.

Although there is ample evidence to suggest that this supposition is accurate when students are coached appropriately about their own learning styles, the research of Gavriel Salomon poses a legitimate concern to any educator designing multimedia instruction. According to his research in visual and verbal media delivery, students tend to report investing more mental effort in reading than in viewing film, and subsequently make information acquisition decisions accordingly.

Nevertheless, Kolb's theory provides an interesting schema by which educational technologists can classify certain technology-rich learning experiences. Let's brainstorm some examples of these experiences to complete the matrix below: