Week of March 4

This week were are to come up with a definition of learning. I came across a lot of interesting things that made me think about learning. Most of this is in my group disucssion, but I thought it had a lot of neat things to share. I tried to cite everything the best I could. (Cites are in pink my input is in blue, my defintion is in green)

I found a few definitions of learning:
Definition from Webster’s New World Dictionary – (Agnes, M., 2003 – Pocket Books, NY)
Learn
1. To get knowledge of a subject or skill, by study, experience, etc
2. To come to know hear (of or about)
3. To memorize
Learning
1. The acquiring of knowledge or skill
2. Acquired knowledge or skill

I thought it was interesting that the Webster definition include “skill” I guess I always just thought about learning meaning to acquire knowledge.

Wikipedia Definition - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning

Learning is the acquisition and development of memories and behaviors, including skills, knowledge, understanding, values, and wisdom. It is the product of experience and the goal of education. Learning ranges from simple forms of learning such as habituation and classical conditioning seen in many animal species, to more complex activities such as play, seen only in relatively intelligent animals.[1][2] Learning has also been mathematically described as a differential equation of knowledge with respect to time, or the change in knowledge in time due to a number of interacting factors (constants and variables) such as initial knowledge, motivation, intelligence, knowledge anchorage or resistance, etc.[3][4]
"Thought," in a general sense, is commonly conceived as something arising from the stimulation of neurons in the brain. Current understanding of neurons and the central nervous system implies that the process of learning corresponds to changes in the relationship between certain neurons in the brain. Research is ongoing in this area.[citation needed]
It is generally recognized that memory is more easily retained when multiple parts of the brain are stimulated, such as through combinations of hearing, seeing, smelling, motor skills, touch sense, and logical thinking.[citation needed]
Repeating thoughts and actions is an essential part of learning. Thinking about a specific memory will make it easy to recall. This is the reason why reviews are such an integral part of education. On first performing a task, it is difficult as there is no path from axon to dendrite. After several repetitions a pathway begins to form and the task becomes easier. When the task becomes so easy that you can perform it at any time, the pathway is fully formed. The speed at which a pathway is formed depends on the individual, but is usually localised resulting in talents.[citation needed]

Wikipedia’s definition has some “citation needed” places, but I like how it put in the physiological aspects of learning, but to me learning has to be more than just a physical response. This lead me to keep searching and I found one of the fundamental questions about learning:
Is learning product or process?

Smith, M.K. (1999) ‘Learning theory’, the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm, Last update: December 28, 2007.

The main parts of the cited reference are a discussion about learning as a product or a process. To paraphrase: it says under learning as a product, that learning is defined as a change in behavior, learning is approached as on outcome – the end product of some process, it can be recognized or seen. (p1) “Learning is something external to the learner.” (p2)
There was also a ‘simple, but useful piece of research’ Saljo(1979) that asked adult students what they understood to be learning. These were their responses:

1. Learning as a quantitative increase in knowledge. Learning is acquiring information or ‘knowing a lot’.
2. Learning as memorizing. Learning is storing information that can be reproduced.
3. Learning as acquiring facts, skills, and methods that can be retained and used as necessary.
4. Learning as making sense or abstracting meaning. Learning involves relating parts of the subject matter to each other and to the real world.
5. Learning as interpreting and understanding reality in a different way. Learning involves comprehending the world by reinterpreting knowledge. (quoted in Ramsden 1992: 26)

The aurthor states that 1-3 are a less complex view of learning. However, the last two (4 and 5) are “’internal’ or personal aspects of learning. Learning is seen as something that you do in order to understand the real world.” (p2) Also as the author discusses learning as a process said that “learning could be thought of as 'a process by which behaviour changes as a result of experience' (Maples and Webster 1980 quoted in Merriam and Caffarella 1991: 124).”
The article moves on to a discussion about learning theories. It has an excellent table on page 5: with the following categories: Learning theorists, view of the learning process, focus of learning, purpose in education, educator’s role, manifestations in adult learning. This was very interesting to me, I had not seen some of this categories.
So with all of this said, I think learning is both a product and a process. My definition of learning would be something like this.

Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge to learn about the world, the product of this knowledge it to acquire skills needed to live in the world.