nikos dimitrakas - Knowledge Management (*78) spring 2005 - Learning

Understanding the process of learning

The process of learning

This process is what is commonly understood as learning. Learning can be achieved in many ways and there are several ways to classify learning. Säljö suggested in 1979 the following five categories of learning:

  1. Learning as a quantitative increase in knowledge. Learning is acquiring information or ‘knowing a lot’.
  2. Learning as memorising. 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.

Roger Schank classifies learning in a different way, based on how the knowledge is acquired, rather than Säljö's, goal oriented, why knowledge is acquired. From Schank's book Engines for Educators one could extract the following classification of learning:

These are all discussed in more depth here, but a short summary of the six types of learning would be the following:

Learning by Doing This is the type of learning you do when you want to learn something practical, a skill if you will. This is related to the Learning How discussed here.
Natural Learning This is basically the kind of learning taking place as we go about our day and try to become better. This is also related to what is mentioned as Learning by Experience. In my view Natural Learning involves all the other types of learning.
Incidental Learning This is basically learning as a side effect. Many things we learn, we learn without noticing while focusing on something else.
Learning by Failure This is about learning from when something goes against our expectations. This is a very common way of learning since things often happen differently from what we anticipate.
Learning by Reflection This is about learning from yourself, by asking yourself insightful questions that lead you to new conclusions. This can be compared to Socrates' theory that all knowledge lies already within ourselves, but just needs to be uncovered.
Learning by Exploring This is the kind of learning that is motivated by curiosity. Here is where interest comes into play. Or as Schank puts it: "Learning by Exploring simply means enabling students to pursue their own interests."

The activity "Study, Read, Listen, Watch/Observe" in the model above could be mapped to some parts of the two clasifications, while other parts could better fit the profile of the activity called "Try to do" in the model.