Premised on the theoretical assumptions of social constructivism and multiple intelligences, the purpose of this study was to investigate teaching approaches which are compatible with the learning styles of first-year accounting student teachers from both theoretical and phenomenological perspectives. Being a predominantly conceptual study in nature, data was collected from a host of sources on learning styles, teaching approaches, social constructivism and multiple intelligences to adopt a theoretical position. Focus group interviews were then used to collect data from students to establish their phenomenological perspectives. To ensure the validity of data from these focus group interviews, triangulation, peer debriefing and member checking were used. The study established that while not all first-year accounting student teachers are able or do not prefer to learn everything in the same way, social constructivist centred approaches are highly compatible with most of the students' learning styles. Based on literature verdicts and the phenomenological voices of students, the study recommends the application of the principles of social constructivism in accounting lesson presentations. It is also recommended that accounting lecturers should orchestrate all teaching and learning activities around student needs and their learning styles. Furthermore, the study findings provide a sound basis to recommend that students must always be at the centre of all teaching and learning, regardless of the pedagogical beliefs and preferred teaching approaches of the accounting lecturer.