Learning
Reviewed: January 2008
This page has been kept for reference.
It will no longer be updated by ICVET.
Most agree that learning is responsible for all the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that are acquired by human beings, that it is complex and varied, that it involves mental, behavioural and 'human' or humanistic elements. At some level learning is never completely passive. However, despite broad agreements, there is hardly a subject that arouses as much debate as learning.
Learning is a process of active engagement with experience.
Effective learning leads to recognisable or observable change. It may
involve an increase in skills, knowledge, understanding, values and the
ability to reflect.
Fran Byrnes
Learning is the continual process of discovering insights, inventing new possibilities for action, and observing the consequences leading to new insights.
John Dewey
Learning is the mechanism by which an individual becomes a competently functioning member of society. It results in a variety of different kinds of behaviours that are the outcomes of learning.
Gagne
There is a distinction between deliberate learning
and spontaneous, unplanned, even unconscious learning.
Knapper and Cropley
Incidental learning can happen at any time.
Unknown
Behavioral focus (important theorists Thorndike, Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, Bandura)
Learning is observable behaviour, consisting of stimulus-response connections. It is a result of environmental forces.
Cognitive focus (important theorists Dewey, Gagne, Ausubel, Bloom, Piaget, Bruner, Mayer, Scriven)
Learning is mental behavior: knowledge, intelligence, critical thinking . It is a result of mental operations/processing.
Humanistic focus (important theorists Rogers, Combs, Purkey, Maslow, N V Peale, Ziglar)
Learning is affect/values, linked to self-concept, self-esteem, goals and needs. It is a result of affect/emotion and goal-orientation.
Websites
Funderstanding
This web site is very comprehensive, clear and easy to follow. It enables you to explore and discuss ideas about learning. Each of the topics has comprehensive links and references attached:
- How Do People Learn?
- Curriculum: What Should Be Learned?
- Instruction: How Should Learning Be Designed?
- Assessment: How Will We Know If Learning Occurs?
- Organisational Theory: How Should Schools Be Designed?
Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Inc. (HERDSA)
This page has been prepared with the needs of individual teachers - mainly undergraduate lecturers, tutors and demonstrators - in mind. It is based on a large body of research literature, and on considerable 'hands on' experience in higher education institutions. It contains a list of self-check questions - or prompts - that can be used by individual teachers, course teams or other groups to think about their practice, not only in the classroom, but across the full range of teaching-related activities. The following issues are covered:
- Challenging conceptions of teaching: some prompts for good practice
- Designing for learning
- Relating to students
- Teaching for learning
- Assessing and giving feedback
- Evaluating teaching
- Developing professionally
- Influencing the context of your institution
A large part of learning is influenced by the ways that students perceive the course/subject and the expectations of the learner. Students' learning and skill development may be enhanced in many ways.
Learning Theories
Emtech – a site with over 15,000 resources organised by topics for teachers, students and parents.
Teaching and Learning Vol 3 #4 May 1997 – University of Western Australia
The Centre for Staff Development is responsible for online publications of Issues of Teaching and Learning. Check this site for articles on:
- Lifelong Learning
- Implications for Teaching
- Excellence in Teaching Column
- Resources from the Teaching and Learning Centre
- Resources from the Web
The theory into practice database
The Theory into Practice (TIP) database contains descriptions of 50 theories relevant to human learning and instruction. The author of TIP is Greg Kearsley, who is an independent consultant, specialising in online education. Further links to:
- The broad of theories
- Learning domains
- Learning concepts
- Other related web sites
Publications
BORK, Alfred 1999, The future of learning: an interview with Alfred Bork, Educom Review, Volume 34 Number 4.
Alfred Bork has worked in technology-based learning for forty years. He is Professor Emeritus of Information and Computer Science and Physics at the University of California Irvine. In this excellent interview he discusses some of the problems with current approaches to learning and what the future might hold.
GREDLER, ME 1997, Learning and instruction: Theory into practice (3rd), Merrill, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
This book looks at a range of learning theories, the way each theory contributes to our understanding of human learning and implications for practitioners. Though it may appear a little academic and inaccessible at first glance, of particular interest are:
Part V - Social-Context Theories which looks at Principles of Learning, Principles of Instruction and the Educational Implications of these.
The Epilogue - covers Contemporary Issues in Learning, the Role of Technology, Learner's Self Concept and the Influence of Culture.
KNAPPER, CK & Cropley, Arthur J 1991, Lifelong Learning and Higher Education. 2nd edn, Kogan Page Limited, London.
This easy to follow book explores how teachers in colleges and universities might respond to the pressing need for lifelong learning. In particular, it examines the changes in teaching methods, alternative teaching and learning strategies and organisational structure.
LONGWORTH, Norman & Davies, W Keith 1996, Lifelong Learning. Kogan Page Limited, London.
This book is a good, clear examination of the role and importance of learning in all fields of life. It makes a strong, compelling case for lifelong learning as a requirement for life in the 21st century, exploring relevant and essential practical applications in economic, political, social and educational life. The book presents in a non-academic way an abundance of knowledge, practical ideas, challenges and strategies.
SCHUNK, DH 2004, Learning theories: an educational perspective, 4th edn, Merrill/Prentice, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
This book provides succinct, complete overviews of all current behavioral and cognitive theories and presents their implications for learning and instruction. It covers motivation and self-regulation and contains a new chapter on development and learning. In addition to theory, it gives equal treatment to the applications of principles and concepts of teaching and learning.