Learning Is a Vital Mental Function - Essay Example

Learning Styles Learning is a vital mental function which relies on the acquisition of different kinds of information which can be sustained by recognized information. Once this knowledge is acquired, development of various new skills, values, understanding and capacities can be enhanced. Learning is thus a process, once sustained would assist an individual in perceiving and achieving ones goal and assist in developing and enhancing ones experience in life. This learning process is performed by the brain which again depends on various metal capabilities of an individual, the kind of knowledge which is to be acquired combined with the socio-cognitive and the environmental surroundings. Carl Rogers said, “I am talking about LEARNING-the insatiable curiosity that drives the adolescent boy to absorb everything he can see or hear or read about gasoline engines in order to improve the efficiency and speed of his cruiser. I am talking about the student who says, “I am discovering, drawing in from the outside, and making that which is drawn in a real part of me. I am talking about any learning in which the experience of the learner progresses along this line: ‘No. no, that’s not what I want’;” Wait! This is closer to what I am interested in, what I need; “Ah, here it is! Now I’m grasping and comprehending what I need ad what I want to know!” (Rogers, 1969) Learning began the natural way which was epitomized by conducting lessons in the open environment. Natural learning can be characterized by assuming responsibilities, asking questions, seeking answers, analyzing information which leads to more questions. Learning is a process which articulates questions which have no end and a method that trains the mind to go beyond boundaries in its search for answers. This is the key to educating one without being inter dependant. Benjamin Franklin was schooled for two years but his real education and learning was his process of life which sought the creation of challenging projects with familiar objects combined with his curiosity that there always has to be an alternative use. Learning is of different styles and approaches depending upon the individual and their mental framework. Individuals absorb and process the acquired knowledge through various methods. Through sight and sound, replicating, performing, motivating logically and instinctively, analyzing and visualizing. A learner can be classified into those who utilize the acquired knowledge and make things happen and produce a result or a learner can be those who watch things happen or rather those who wonder what happened and yet there are those who acquire data and produce nothing. The learning pattern should be established by a student in their journey and embarkation in the search for knowledge. How the student learns is the focus of learning style. Learning style can be defined as characteristic cognitive, affective and psychological behavior that serves as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with and respond to learning environment. The ELM model describes the learning cycle of every individual through a four stage concept. This theory states that individuals have two major competing dimensions of learning: the concrete/abstract and active/reflective. The concrete/abstract describes how an individual processes experience and information. According to Dewey, “Thinking and learning evolved because they are vital for survival in humans as well as animals. If in nature thinking was stimulated by problems that the learner was vitally interested in solving, the learner was both physically and mentally active and alert and engaged”. (Dewey, 1910). According to Fleming and Mills, there are four categories that reflect the style of learning: Visual style of learning occurs when the adopted teaching method is through ideas, concepts, data and other information which is associated with pictures, images, charts and other symbolic methods. This kind of teaching facilitates the students to focus on meaning, reorganization and group similar ideas. The institute for Advancement of Research in Education at AEL concluded that visual learning improves students academically. Areas such as critical thinking, retention, comprehension and organization are developed. Aural or Auditory learning describes the preference for learners who prefer to learn through hearing. The learner effectively learns by listening to the information that is delivered orally. Such students learn rapidly from lectures, group discussions, speaking etc. Yet there are other individuals who prefer the information to be displayed as words as in text books. This read and writes model emphasizes the learning style as input and output from the text book as well as the reading and writing in all forms. Kinesthetic style of learning occurs when the learner actually performs physical activity. This kind of learner become a natural discover and thinks before acting. According to Richard Felder and Barbara Soloman, every individual is a different kind of learner. An active learner through activity and application tends to learn and understand the information. They prefer group work. Group study enables every individual explaining the different topics. Working with others enhances ones horizon and outlook. In this manner active learners will retain the attained information. A teacher can assist active learners by discussions, problem solving activities etc. Reflective learners on the other hand prefer to think before action and prefer to work alone. By reading and memorizing one learns nothing. By thinking about the information a learner can develop their intuition and thinking power to reflect beyond the book. Teachers can assist reflective learners by providing them time to think about the lesson, write summaries and formulate questions. Sensing learners prefer to learn the facts and solve problems by conventional techniques. Such learners are practical and good memorizers. The best method adopted by sensors to understand and remember is when they try to connect everything with reality. Intuitive learners prefer to investigate the possibilities and innovations. Intuitors are capable of grasping new concepts and work with speed. The best way visual learners remember is by what they see i.e. pictures, diagrams etc. Visual learners can prepare a concept map by listing key points or drawing arrow lines between concepts to show the connections. Or they could color code their notes with highlighters to augment better learning. Verbal learners are capable to learning through words that are spoken and through explanation. By writing outlines of the lesson in their own words or by classmates explaining, thus enables a verbal learn to learn. Sequential learners tend to learn through a particular pattern where every step is followed by the next step in sequence. To strengthen the learning process and global thinking skills a learner should relate information and topics to known facts and thus acquire deeper knowledge. Global learners absorb material rapidly, solve complex problems but they perform without connections and though they solve problems they are unable to explain the procedure. Global learners before studying can skim through the lessons to have an overview and then relate the subject to things one knows. These connections can be done with the help of references. Such learners with faith and determination would be able to achieve higher academics. Burns “conceives of learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior with behavior including both observable activity and internal processes such as thinking, attitudes and emotions” (Burns, 1995). Reinforcement Theory developed by Skinner states that behavior is a function of its consequences. If the outcome is positive i.e. positive reinforcement which is followed by the behavior then such a learner will repeat the required behavior to attain results. Negative reinforcement proves positive on a behavior wherein a negative situation can be avoided or prevented. Punishment becomes a drastic impediment which weakens behavior for a negative condition is introduced or experienced as the consequence of the behavior. Burns states “punishment creates a set of conditions which are designed to eliminate behavior” (Burns, 1995) Cognitive approach emphasizes the importance of meaning, experience, problem solving and the development of insights. (Burns, 1995) Every individual have various needs and fulfillments that are required at different times and part of life and every individual expresses and interprets various contexts with their view point. Holistic learning style states that ‘individual personality consists of many elements …specifically…the intellect, emotions, the body impulse, intuition and imagination’. (Laird, 1985) Facilitation style of learning developed by Carl Rogers proclaims that learning would occur when the instructor performs and acts as the facilitator wherein learners become active and ready to acquire knowledge and accepts new ideas the theories. Learners thus acquire the responsibility for their actions and learning and combine this learning with their experiences and research and who further determine that their valuable evaluation is their self evaluation and who focus on learning as a tool for solving problems and achieving ones goal. Kolb proposed the experiential learning which begins at any stage and has no end to the process of learning. Thus every individual learn in four stages- through concrete experience, through observation and reflection, through abstract conceptualization and through active experimentation. Basing styles of learning on Kolb theories Honey and Mumford identified four types of learning styles which are activist, reflectors, theorists and pragmatist. (Mc Gill & Beaty, 1995). Other styles of learning can be classified as perceptual modalities wherein individuals biological reaction can be based on the surrounding environment combined with the manner in which a learner perceives efficiently the acquired data. Perceptual modalities refer to the primary manner in which a learner system absorbs information. Howard Gardner stated that there are seven modalities that can be linked to the style of learning in a learner. Every learner can be verbal linguistic wherein a learner is sensitive to the various meanings of the acquired information and order of words. Musical traces the learner sensitivities to the pitch, melody, rhythm and tone. The logical mathematical style of learning enables a learner to reason and recognize models and categories. The spatial assists the learner in perceiving reality. The bodily kinesthetic assist the learner to skillfully face and control objects dexterously. Interpersonal enables an individual to understand everyone around and relationship or intrapersonal enables an individual emotional life wherein this is used as a means to recognize and how to perceive oneself and other. Information processing establishes the manner, in which a learner senses, thinks, solves hitches and retains the acquired knowledge. Every learner has a set and favored method of being consistent, perceiving and organizing. The personality pattern focuses on the individual’s self, the inner emotions and values. This is vital for once an individual identifies and studies these differences then prediction and reaction to various situations would enable a learner to be face and handle together with being competent. Learning to concentrate in class and during studying requires practice. One is aware of their individual study environment. Without concentration learning is hampered. Ability to concentrate on the specified lesson will depend upon how interested the student is and how effective the adopted study methods are. Interests will change with the different course materials. Because of such shifts and depending upon ones interest levels at the specified time of study, adaptation of study techniques should be adopted to strengthen concentration. For example let’s illustrate the concentration pattern by a student during a study period of over 2 ½ hours. To begin the student should spend time conditioning ones mind to study. After say 35minutes of strong concentration, say the student’s attention begins to weaken. This time take a break, five to ten minutes and then the concentration would be better. Again the student after studying for about fifty minutes the concentration begins to be affected. At this stage the student may be tired or the willingness to study is lost. This part entails the student to decide whether to end studying or to take a break and then begin studying again. A method of learning can be to first consider the first few paragraphs of the chapter as a group. Then read only the first sentence of each paragraph to get an idea of the subject. After which one returns to the fist paragraph and starts to read it in detailed. This manner would augment ones motivation and understanding of the reading. A student can challenge their comprehension and to improve their understanding they can try talking to and questioning themselves. A student must be persistent and must continue in reciting until they have succeeded in concentrating effectively. Every student must commit oneself to whether they should study or not, if so what subject to study and how long one study would the subject. Having established the various styles of learning one should now utilize methods in utilizing the information and thus become an efficient learner. Combined with the style of learning a learner should also become aware of their weakness and limitations and learn to accept and improve the learning process. Awareness of the weaker aspects in the learning process would enable steps to be taken to strengthen a learners approach and outlook. For instance if a learner is weak in the auditory style of learning, attending a public speaking course, improving ones listening skills or studying with another person who is an auditory leaner could assist. Similarly weakness in visual learning can be handled and improved by learning when and how to illustrate, studying functions of graphics or study with a learner who is a visual learner and learn to read visuals. Difficulties in applied learning should render the cause for the answer and question to how to efficiently utilize information or write notes on directions, processes and procedures as well as to search for practicality in using ideas. By socially involving and paying attention to everyone feelings and understanding body language one can enhance social learning. Further independent learning would enable a learner to work on management skills and achieve goals. Thus learning is epitomized as a pattern that entails the teaching method, the learning style, the pattern of learning adopted by the student combined with the power of concentration. Bennett emphasizes “the value of a learning style perspective: The concept of learning styles offers a value- neutral approach for understanding individual differences among ethnically different students ..The assumption is that everyone can learn, provided teachers respond appropriately to individual learning needs.” (Bennett, 1986) For every successful result there are hundreds of incomplete answers and total failures. Self motivated projects are natural learning. References Bennett, C. (1986). Comprehensive multicultural education, theory and practice. Allyn & Bacon. Boston Burns, R. (1995). The adult learner at work. Business and professional publishing. Sydney. Canter, N. (1972). Dynamics of Learning. Agathon Press, Inc. New York Dewey, John. (1910). How We Think. D.C.Heath & Co Felder, Richard M. and Barbara, Soloman A. (2006) Index of Learning Styles. Retrieved August 13, 2008 Laird, D. (1985). Approaches to training and development. Reading Mass. Addison Wesly. McGill, I. & Beaty, L. (1995). Action learning: a guide for professional management and educational development. Kogan page. London. Rogers, Carl. R.(1969). Freedom To Learn. Charles E. Merril Publishing Company. McGill, I. & Beaty, L. (1995). Action learning: a guide for professional management and educational development. Kogan page. London. Read More