If you have taught for any length of time, you have probably taken a quiz that sorted you into a learning style, or watched your students take one. The idea is familiar and appealing. Some students seem to learn best by seeing, others by listening, others by reading and writing, and others by doing. This framework, often called the four types of learners or the VARK model, appears in workshops, lesson planning templates, and countless blog posts. It offers a simple promise: identify how a student learns best and teach to that style so that you can watch your student’s achievements rise. The framework is worth understanding, and there is real value in knowing your students’ preferences. But, the promise that applying learning methods or preferences in your instruction improves student outcomes is overstated and is worth delving into so that you understand the true impact of what implementing learning style preferences does in your classroom. Decades of research now tell us that matching your instruction to a student’s preferred style does not necessarily improve academic outcomes alone. This article explains what the four types of learners are, what research actually shows, and how you can use the idea of learning preferences in a way that supports your students without overpromising results.