In a recent issue of BJSE, Sioned Exley published the outcomes of her school-based research into effective teaching strategies for students with dyslexia "based on their preferred learning styles". She reported improvements in performance and attainment in spelling and recommended a more wide-scale adoption of approaches focused on learning styles. In this article, Tilly Mortimore, author of a recent book on dyslexia and learning style, and lecturer in inclusion at the University of Southampton, argues for caution. She suggests that practitioners need to look more closely into recent research into learning style and dyslexia before committing themselves to dramatic shifts in their ways of working. She presents here a review of the research context for learning styles and some reflections on Exley's selection of a research focus. While welcoming practitioner research, Tilly Mortimore suggests ways in which the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of small-scale enquiries could be strengthened in order to increase their impact upon policy and practice.