In a previous post I looked at how knowing differs from understanding. Knowing was more formal, surface-level, factual, whereas understanding was seen as deeper, more about application to new situations and insight; what Understanding by Design points to as the ability to transfer. Likewise, learning seems to have degrees (a comment to which my husband responded - yes, associate's degree, bachelor's degree...ha).
On the one hand, learning is clearly separate from mere memorization (although ironically this is what much assessment, especially at the lower educational levels - undergraduate college included - tests; my subject, college reading and composition doesn't really accommodate this, as much as I'd love to let the scantron machine be my grading assistant). However, learning does have a memory component. I can, for instance, say I learned Spanish verb tenses even though I don't really remember them, besides a touch of present tense conjugation, because I don't converse in Spanish.
This brings another component of learning, which is reinforcement. More reinforcement though repeated application deepens the learning in the memory as well as increasing understanding. Increased understanding gives one a bigger picture view (of the concepts, the pattern involved - could we call understanding the forest whereas knowledge is the trees?). This bigger picture, conceptual view seems to "stick" deeper in the mind. (This jives with what I know about the brain - the more connections made between things, the more structurally permanent they become.)
So perhaps instead of degrees there is depth of learning. If I carefully read and "learn" a book, long after the names and details fade, the major concepts (and the connections I made to my own life) will stay with me.
First, I have to say- haha! good one- to your husbands response to "learning has degrees". Ok, moving on. I really like your reference to learning Spanish and your comment that you learned Spanish verb tenses,even though you don't remember them. Languages seem to complicate the knowing, understanding, and learning conversation. For example, can I say I know Spanish, if I can translate what someone is saying to me in Spanish? Does this mean I understand Spanish? Now, what does it mean if I can't speak, write, or read Spanish? Somewhere there was a learning process that took place for me in my childhood where I understand what someone is saying to me but I can't conjugate verbs very well or use proper tenses on demand in a conversation. It takes time for me to recall everything I know about the language. I say all of this to say that I agree with your theory of reinforcement! Reinforcement is a crucial part of learning it allows a person to retain the connections they have made between what they know and what they understand and therefore produces learning. That's just my own observation after thinking about your comments and what we have read so far.
ReplyDeleteI see the two components of learning that you mention, memorization and reinforcement, as techniques to aid the learning process. I agree that committing something to memory certainly allows learning to happen. They are two tools (maybe there are others? I'm not a teacher so I haven't given this much thought, until now.)in the teacher's treasure chest of learning techniques. Students get to try them out and use them in different ways (note taking or flash cards, for instance) and the result is, they learn something (we hope).
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