How We Learn

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How We Learn

• Mike Walker
• UNIV1011 University Success
• September 11, 2002

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Learning Outcomes

• explore the questions
• What is learning?
• How do we learn?
• examine several theories of learning
• examine levels of learning understanding
  thinking
• discuss the roles in the learning process of
• attitude
• the brain information processing
• memory

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How Do We Learn?

• Were we taught to learn?
• Did we have learning class as babies?
• What is the process by which we are presented
  with new tasks or information then demonstrate a
  skill or write a paper?
• How might learning happen?

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Part 1 - How Do We Learn?

• Learning Theories Theorists

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Theories of Learning

• tabula rasa or blank slate
• John Locke
• Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690
• simply that the mind is like an empty vessel
  waiting to be filled

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Learning Theories - Activity

• Break into groups scan the handout
• Briefly identify the major philosophy or
  components of the theory
• Present
• Name of the theory
• Name of associated theorists (if identified)
• Time theory was popular (if identified)
• Brief overview of the theory and the core belief
  (main points - one paragraph)

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Theories of Learning

• tabula rasa or blank slate
• John Locke
• Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690
• simply that the mind is like an empty vessel
  waiting to be filled

• Jean Piaget1 (1896-1980)
• 4 Developmental Stages
• based on the idea that the developing child
  builds cognitive structures--in other words,
  mental "maps," schemes, or networked concepts for
  understanding and responding to physical
  experiences within his or her environment.

1. (source Online www.funderstanding.com)
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Theories of Learning

• Behaviorism1
• B. F. Skinner
• behaviour not brains
• a theory of animal and human learning that only
  focuses on objectively observable behaviors and
  discounts mental activities. Behavior theorists
  define learning as nothing more than the
  acquisition of new behavior.

• Control Theory1
• William Glasser
• B change is internal
• behaviour is never caused by a response to an
  outside stimulus. Instead, the control theory
  states that behavior is inspired by what a person
  wants most at any given time survival, love,
  power, freedom, or any other basic human need.

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Theories of Learning

• Observational Learning1
• Albert Bandura
• by watching
• a social learning theory which states that occurs
  when an observer's behavior changes after viewing
  the behavior of a model.

• Social Cognition1
• L. S. Vygotsky
• from culture
• a social cognition learning model asserts that
  culture is the prime determinant of individual
  development. Humans are the only species to have
  created culture, and every human child develops
  in the context of a culture.

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Theories of Learning

• Brain-based Learning1
• natural function
• This learning theory is based on the structure
  and function of the brain. As long as the brain
  is not prohibited from fulfilling its normal
  processes, learning will occur.

• Neuroscience1
• nervous system links brains natural function to
  behaviour
• The nervous system and the brain are the physical
  foundation of the human learning process.
  Neuroscience links our observations about
  cognitive behavior with the actual physical
  processes that support such behavior. This theory
  is still "young" and is undergoing rapid,
  controversial development.

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Theories of Learning

• Right vs. Left Brain1
• preferred mode (side)
• This theory of the structure and functions of the
  mind suggests that the two different sides of the
  brain control two different "modes" of thinking.
  It also suggests that each of us prefers one mode
  over the other.

• Learning Styles1
• preferred style (sensory)
• This approach to learning emphasizes the fact
  that individuals perceive and process information
  in very different ways. The learning styles
  theory implies that how much individuals learn
  has more to do with whether the educational
  experience is geared toward their particular
  style of learning than whether or not they are
  "smart."

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Theories of Learning

• Constructivism1
• current theory in favour
• a philosophy of learning founded on the premise
  that, by reflecting on our experiences, we
  construct our own understanding of the world we
  live in. Each of us generates our own "rules" and
  "mental models," which we use to make sense of
  our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply
  the process of adjusting our mental models to
  accommodate new experiences.

• Multiple Intelligences1
• our preferred way of understanding
• theory of human intelligence suggests there are
  at least seven ways that people have of
  perceiving and understanding the world. Gardner
  labels each of these ways a distinct
  "intelligence"--in other words, a set of skills
  allowing individuals to find and resolve genuine
  problems they face.

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Guiding Principles of Constructivism1

• Learning is a search for meaning. Therefore,
  learning must start with the issues around which
  students are actively trying to construct
  meaning.
• Meaning requires understanding wholes as well as
  parts. And parts must be understood in the
  context of wholes. Therefore, the learning
  process focuses on primary concepts, not isolated
  facts.

• In order to teach well, we must understand the
  mental models that students use to perceive the
  world and the assumptions they make to support
  those models.
• The purpose of learning is for an individual to
  construct his or her own meaning, not just
  memorize the "right" answers and regurgitate
  someone else's meaning.

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How you learned . . .

• Many (perhaps most) of the things that you do
  everyday, some which are cognitively complex,
  were not learned in school

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Things you didnt learn in school

• Walk and run
• Talk -- at least one language
• Ride a bike
• Swim
• Give directions
• Bake cookies

• Draw a picture
• Plant a garden
• Baby-sit
• Build models or crafts
• Interact with others

You are already an expert learner!
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However, learning in a new environment may
require . . .

• new skills
• new attitudes

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Some minds are like concrete thoroughly mixed
and permanently set.
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• Nude Descending a Staircase
• Painted in 1912 by Marcel Duchamp (1897 - 1968)
• . . . symbolic painting. . . a dynamic form of
  cubism

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Basic Precept

• Your mind is like a parachute -- it only works
  when its open.
• Anonymous

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Part 2 Learning the Brain

• Thinking and Processing Information

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The Potential of Your Brain

• Three basic learning modalities
• Seven intelligences

• Trillions trillions of brain cells
• 100 billion neurons in thinking brain
• 20,000 possible connections between neurons
• Three brains in one
• Two sides to the brain

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The Triune Brain

• Reptilian (lower)
• basic body function
• fight or flight
• Limbic (middle)
• mammalian
• regulates immune hormone systems, sexuality,
  emotion (memory?)
• Cortical (higher)
• reason, use language, plan, think abstractly

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Our Auto Pilot

• The brain helps us to learn, naturally and
  intuitively
• Demonstration 1
• Demonstration 2

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Demo 1 - Count the Fs

• FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-SULT OF YEARS OF
  SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EX- PERIENCE
  OF YEARS.

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Demo 1 - Count the Fs

• How may Fs were there?
• FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-SULT OF YEARS OF
  SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EX- PERIENCE
  OF YEARS.
• Many of you ignored the unimportant words - -
  automatically subconsciously!

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Demo 2 - Count the triangles?
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Our Auto Pilot

• The brain helps us to learn, naturally and
  intuitively
• Our brain wants to help us make sense of the
  world - achieve equilibrium
• Learning occurs because of disequilibrium -
  discomfort or a sense of wonder is natural

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However . . .

• the brain is also a tool that we mustconsciously
  use to learn and express our understanding.

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Domains of Learning

• As is reflected in Constructivist theory,
  Benjamin Bloom believed there was more to
  learning than memorizing the right answer.
• Three domains to learning
• Cognitive thinking
• Affective feeling
• Psychomotor - doing

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Blooms Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain

• 6 levels of understanding or thinking
• from simplest to most complex
• knowledge
• comprehension
• application
• analysis
• synthesis
• evaluation

simplest most complex or abstract
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Knowledge2

• observation and recall of information
• knowledge of dates, events, places
• knowledge of major ideas
• mastery of subject matter

• Question Cueslist, define, tell, describe,
  identify, show, label, collect, examine,
  tabulate, quote, name, who, when, where, etc.

2. source online Blooms Taxonomy. Learning
Skills Program. University of Victoria
http//www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloo
m.html
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Comprehension2

• understanding information
• grasp meaning
• translate knowledge into new context
• interpret facts, compare, contrast
• order, group, infer causes
• predict consequences

• Question Cues summarize, describe, interpret,
  contrast, predict, associate, distinguish,
  estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend

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Application2

• use information
• use methods, concepts, theories in new situations
  
• solve problems using required skills or knowledge
  

• Questions Cues apply, demonstrate, calculate,
  complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine,
  modify, relate, change, classify, experiment,
  discover

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Analysis2

• seeing patterns
• organization of parts
• recognition of hidden meanings
• identification of components

• Question Cuesanalyze, separate, order, explain,
  connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare,
  select, explain, infer

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Synthesis2

• use old ideas to create new ones
• generalize from given facts
• relate knowledge from several areas
• predict, draw conclusions

• Question Cuescombine, integrate, modify,
  rearrange, substitute, plan, create, design,
  invent, what if?, compose, formulate, prepare,
  generalize, rewrite

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Evaluation2

• compare and discriminate between ideas
• assess value of theories, presentations
• make choices based on reasoned argument
• verify value of evidence
• recognize subjectivity

• Question Cuesassess, decide, rank, grade, test,
  measure, recommend, convince, select, judge,
  explain, discriminate, support, conclude,
  compare, summarize

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How do we think . . .

• Information Processing

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A Simple Model of Learning Information
Processing

• Sensory Input
• Decoding
• Processing
• May include Storage and/or Retrieval processes
• Encoding
• Physical Output

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A Visual IP Model - Learning and Memory
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Info Processing the Analogy

• Brain
• The Senses
• see
• hear
• touch
• smell/taste

• Computer
• Input devices
• scanner
• microphone
• keyboard/mouse
• modem

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Analogy

• Brain
• Working Memory
• Central Processor
• neuro-network

• Computer
• RAM
• 4MB or 128MB
• Central Processor
• 286 or Pentium?

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Analogy

• Brain
• Long-Term Memory

• Computer
• Hard Drive

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Analogy

• Brain
• Encoding/Decoding, Absorption/ Retrieval
• abilities
• practice
• learned skills
• strategies

• Computer
• Operating system
• DOS or Windows
• Software
• Notepad or Word

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Analogy

• Brain
• Physical Output
• auditory
• kinesthetic
• tactile
• affective

• Computer
• Output Devices
• monitor
• printer
• speakers
• modem

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Where the analogy ends

• functioning computers have perfect memories - few
  of us do
• computers process information effectively but
  cannot make meaning (Constructivism) - we have
  the flexibility of human thought

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Part 3 - Learning Memory

• Learning Memory

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What is Memory?Poetically . . .

• Memory is history recorded in our brain, memory
  is a painter, it paints pictures of the past and
  of the day.
• Grandma Moses
• American Painter

Image source online www.thisisvermont.com/images/
story/ images/museum/moses.jpeg
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What is Memory? Neurologically. . .

• chemical connections between neurons caused by
  strong associations
• created by action, sensory or emotional event
• sustained by repetition

• Memory neural traces in your brain

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Where is Memory?

• Reptilian (lower)
• basic body function
• in the cerebellum
• skill memory
• Limbic (middle)
• mammalian
• hippocampus
• long-term memory
• Cortical (higher)
• prefrontal cortex
• working memory

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The Three Rs of Memory

• Registration
• something comes to your attention that has
  meaning
• Retention
• a conscious decision to remember followed by a
  strategy to make it happen
• Recall
• ability to remember usually linked to
  strategy/technique used in retention

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Another IP Model - Attention and Memory
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What do we remember?

• Demonstration 3
• Primacy effect
• Recency effect
• Frequency effect
• Distinctiveness effect
• Organization effect
• Reconstruction effect

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How do we forget?
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Overcoming the Curve
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Overcoming the Forgetting CurveAnalogy the
Fishing Trip
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So Review

• 10 min - After class or in evening by rewriting,
  typing or organizing notes (Cornell)
• 24 hr - During the week (before lab or next class
  if you have two periods a week)
• 1 week - Before class the following week
• Therefore, when you study for your midterms and
  finals, you have already review the material 3
  times

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One Technique to Remember

• Demonstration 4
• Half of the class - heads down
• Read the following list - Ill give you 15
  seconds
• Then write down as many as you remember

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Demo 4a
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Demo 4b
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Demo 4b

• Tally the score for the two groups

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Example of Chunking

• Random list
• verses
• Chunked list

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Improving Your Memory

• Relax
• Be active
• Use many intelligences
• Organize your time
• Chunk material
• Create strong associations

• Practice output
• Review early and regularly
• Develop memory aids
• Practice, practice, practice
• Sleep on it

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Memory Aids/Techniques

• Basic
• flash cards
• mind maps
• mnemonic devices - auditory and visual
• rhymes, rhythms, songs

• Advanced
• Memory Peg System
• Linking System
• Location Method (Roman Room)
• Rhyming Method

Read Chapter 3 from your text and implement the
strategies!
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Internet Resources - Memory

• Mind Tools-Memory Techniques Mnemonics
• http//www.mindtools.com/memory.html
• The Memory Page
• http//www.premiumhealth.com/memory/
• Exploratorium The Memory Exhibition
• http//www.exploratorium.edu/memory/
• University Sites
• www.mtsu.edu/studskl/mem.html
• www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/memory.htm
• www.uic.edu/depts/counselctr/ace/memory.htm

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20 Memory Techniques - Activity

• Pages 82 to 87 in text
• You will be assigned a technique
• Read it
• Try to put it in your own words
• Explain it to the class

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For Next Class

• Read Chapter 1
• Complete the Discovery Wheel
• Complete the KOLB Learning Style Inventory and be
  prepared to
• identify your KOLB learning style
• discuss how these results might relate to your
  course, program, and career choices

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. . . so, what did we learn about today?

• What is learning?/How do we learn?
• Theories of learning - 12 theories
• Constructivism learning is making meaning
• Attitude opening our minds to learning
• The Brain - our primary learning tool
• a bit about how it functions, automatically
• a bit about how it helps us learn

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. . . so, what did we learn about today?

• Levels of Information Processing from the
• Intuitive to the
• Consciously cognitive - Blooms Taxonomy
• Memory and how it works
• one memory system (of many)
• one memory technique (of many)

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. . . so, what did we learn about today?

• Where to find out more
• from our textbook
• from the web