Concept of learning - Essay Example

What is the Difference Between Learning and Performance Learning is the process of gaining new insight and information into the world around us. It involves a variety of factors and situations which can affect a student’s abilities to learn. Many students learn more than they are able to perform. Their performance isn’t always An accurate indicator of what they have learned. It can be affected by many factors; the assessment tool, the environment, the student’s health and emotional well being, and the students’ abilities to express themselves on any given day.

By using metacognitive skills such as strategic thinking, the students have a better chance of being successful on a much wider variety of performance measures than by just using rote memorization. What is the Difference Between Learning and Performance Learning is the concept of gaining new information. Most students are naturally curious and have an affinity for learning. Performance, on the other hand is a demonstration of what has been learned, or is it? There are many students who learn, yet are not able to perform what they have actually learned.

Many factors go into the issue of performance. Learning, as we know it in the classroom, takes a basic three step approach. Each concept must be presented orally, visually, and kinetically in order reach each student in a way that can be assimilated. For this reason, students are given many activities to perform while learning a new concept. Today’s children are much less auditorially oriented than their predecessors. They are no longer will to sit and listen to boring lectures about vague concepts; children learn what they do.

It is up to us, as educators, to make learning interesting and student focused. ( Shippey, 2010) The students of yesterday knew many facts; rote learning was the way education was done. The only problem is that it didn’t teach children how to think; how to respond to new information and process it along the lines of what they already knew. Students of today have the benefit of much research in education; they are being taught how to use metacognitive skills. These are skills that allow students to process new information by connecting it to what they already know through strategic thinking processes.

They actually build a stronger foundation of knowledge that is much more flexible and useful than rote memorization. (McGuire, nd) Teachers need to be more aware of teaching concepts based on a student’s readiness and abilities to take on new information. Struggling students eventually give up when they are constantly bombarded by new information when the previous information hasn’t been learned yet. For this reason, a teacher should constantly assess where the students are in their learning process, and review, revise, and reconstruct as necessary in order to meet the students’ needs.

This can present problems in large classes where students are at various levels. Some students become bored easily if they mastered the information quickly the first time. It presents a challenge for each teacher, especially today in the crowded classrooms with varying levels of learners. (Stiller, 2011) Performance doesn’t always reflect what a student actually knows. Many factors can affect a student’s performance. What assessment allows one child to perform to capacity, may hinder another child who understands equally the concepts being tested.

Not only the assessment tool, but the students’ amount of sleep, nutrition, health, and emotional stability may also affect performance results. As well, some children have learning disabilities that aren’t obviously noticeable; they don’t always surface until a student has lost a significant amount of education time. (Shippey, 2010) Too much emphasis is placed on performance as an indicator of learning. Performance is also an indicator of teacher effectiveness. The schools place a huge burden on the students to perform what they’ve learned as a key indicator of many things.

Students who learned and employed the strategic thinking skills learned on a regular basis have shown greater improvement in performance than those who do not apply metacognitive learning processes. Greater emphasis must be placed on enhancing these skills in order for students to actually perform with confidence on assessments. (McGuire,nd) References McGuire, S.Y. Crossing the border between rote learning and strategic thinking Metacognition is the key. Louisiana State University. Nd. : Web.

April 12, 2011. http://www.celt.lsu.edu/CFD/THE/mcguire.pdf Shippey, G. (2010). Learning the difference between learning and performance. counselingresource.com. December 14, 2010. Web. April 12, 2011. http://counsellingresource.com/features/2010/12/14/learn-the-difference-between-performance-and-learning/ Stiller, N. (2011) The difference between learning and performance. Brighthub.com. January 13, 2011. Web. April 12, 2011. http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/102860.aspx