"Definition of Learning"
I believe that learning, at its core, is the process of incorporating knowledge into ones life in a meaningful and useful way. It is an active process that requires cognitive, willing engagement on behalf of the learner (meaning that, unfortunately for students, sleeping with your head on a text book to learn the material 'through the process of osmosis' will not work!) The process of learning includes encountering and engaging information, internalizing the information, processing and thinking critically about the information, and potentially forming an opinion about and using the information in everyday life.
How the learning process specifically occurs, however, depends on the person, the situation, and the material at hand. For example, learning the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States (a document) will occur in a different manner than learning how to change the oil in a car (a process). Even the process of learning the Preamble to the Constitution may change depending on whether an individual needs to memorize the Preamble, translate the Preamble into another language, or give a personal reflection on what the Preamble means to them. These are all very different mental tasks. Also, different people learn in different ways. For example, when new concepts are explained in a class, some students learn best when given personal space and time on their own to review materials, while other students can only learn with an educator guiding each step of their studies. Some students need to vigorously take notes to learn and to stay engaged with the material, while other students may look at the floor or out the window to think before writing anything down. It is essential that educators determine how each of their students learn, for the benefit of both the student and the educator.
I also believe learning occurs in many different situations in life. The most common place for learning to occur is in a formal educational setting. In this setting, students of all ages have the opportunity to learn facts and information, to learn social skills, and to learn about themselves, who they are, and who they want to be. Even out of school in everyday life, students can continue this process. Importantly, all people can learn things from observation of family members, friends, guardians, caretakers, advocates, mentors, public figures, and the like. To complete the process of learning, individuals need to use the information gathered from observation of others to learn more about themselves. I believe all human beings are lifelong learners: we are always interacting with new people, places, and things and encountering new information that we must process, internalize, and hopefully be able to form an opinion about, in an effort to better understand ourselves and our place in the world.
How the learning process specifically occurs, however, depends on the person, the situation, and the material at hand. For example, learning the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States (a document) will occur in a different manner than learning how to change the oil in a car (a process). Even the process of learning the Preamble to the Constitution may change depending on whether an individual needs to memorize the Preamble, translate the Preamble into another language, or give a personal reflection on what the Preamble means to them. These are all very different mental tasks. Also, different people learn in different ways. For example, when new concepts are explained in a class, some students learn best when given personal space and time on their own to review materials, while other students can only learn with an educator guiding each step of their studies. Some students need to vigorously take notes to learn and to stay engaged with the material, while other students may look at the floor or out the window to think before writing anything down. It is essential that educators determine how each of their students learn, for the benefit of both the student and the educator.
I also believe learning occurs in many different situations in life. The most common place for learning to occur is in a formal educational setting. In this setting, students of all ages have the opportunity to learn facts and information, to learn social skills, and to learn about themselves, who they are, and who they want to be. Even out of school in everyday life, students can continue this process. Importantly, all people can learn things from observation of family members, friends, guardians, caretakers, advocates, mentors, public figures, and the like. To complete the process of learning, individuals need to use the information gathered from observation of others to learn more about themselves. I believe all human beings are lifelong learners: we are always interacting with new people, places, and things and encountering new information that we must process, internalize, and hopefully be able to form an opinion about, in an effort to better understand ourselves and our place in the world.