People may have a varying definition of learning but it all comes down to the simple things we learn from our everyday experiences. No matter how big or small that experience is, we always take something out of it. May it be something new, an addition to what we already know, or a realization. Learning takes place even when we don’t realize it, or even when we don’t intend to. Everybody learns! Some may not have a proper education and are not privileged enough to get wider access to other learning sources, but we all learn one way or another.
Regrettably, not much can be recalled from my school days. As many of you can probably relate to this, passing exams and getting good grades were my focus during those times. What year did World War I start? In 1914. What were its implications to the world? Uh, lots of lives lost and struggling world economy?! That’s how much I can tell you about it because back then, all I did was memorize facts without fully understanding its relevance. And as we all know, memory fades. What I did was called surface learning, as I would learn more than a decade later! Surface learning is characterized by the learner acquiring or storing information that can be used when necessary. Some things did, however, stick and made an impact on what I would become as a person as I grew up. I imagine, those things that captured my interest and those subjects with fun and effective teachers! J
After watching the videos and reading the articles in module 1, and from previous studies, I identify myself as a visual and kinesthetic learner. Although I agree that a person does not just identify as a single type of learner, I learn most effectively when I am presented with models or other representations, pictures, tangible objects, and when I am allowed to explore by doing experiments or manipulate objects. I can’t say I learn better than others or others better than I do because people learn differently, and our success in learning is greatly affected by our learning environment and how we are supported in our learning process. Genetics or physical capabilities may also play a part in one’s learning.
There have been a lot of theories and research that aim to uncover the realities of how people learn and explain the conditions or stages of learning. One of the original theories of learning is from Jean Piaget who said that students create knowledge rather than receive knowledge from the teacher. This statement alone can give a teacher an insight on what a classroom environment should be like and how teaching and learning should be treated. What I learned after this module is that, the learning theories are not concrete maps or plans that teachers must follow page by page, instead, they are to be seen as an outline. As somebody aspiring to become a qualified teacher, these theories serve as a layout that I could use as a guide in understanding my future learners and to effectively provide the best opportunities for them to be successful in their learning journey. Understanding all the different approaches to learning can help the teacher prepare a better suited lesson or employ a teaching strategy that will work best with students with particular ways of learning.
So how do we know if a person has successfully learned? Based from all the readings in the module, I deduced that learning is the endless acquisition of knowledge from experience that would create a change in a person’s behavior or way of thinking and produce a skill that will be useful in that person’s life. If these characteristics of learning are seen in a person after being exposed to certain situations, then learning has definitely taken place.
Resources:
Atherton J S (2013) Learning and Teaching; Deep and Surface learning
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/deepsurf.htm
HOW PEOPLE LEARN: INTRODUCTION TO LEARNING THEORIES- Developed by Linda Darling Hammond, Kim Austin, Suzanne Orcutt, and Jim Rosso
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