Learning about ABCD of learning

Introduction

Learning is interesting and important. Process is interesting and outcomes are important. Learning is natural. For ages, both people and animals learnt. Even today non-domesticated animals learn many things on their own in their natural surroundings. Many of the people used to learn the life tasks and survival skills on their own. Observing was one of the powerful tools. Observing helps one ‘how to do’ connection part of it. In terms of doing, ‘what gets one which’ understanding needs to be fulfilled. Contextuality is also important. What works at one place may not be at other places. Hence, learning about subjectivity is also important. Who is doing what is also important in learning settings. In hierarchical learnt and ‘civilized’ societies of defined hierarchy, the behaviour displayed by ‘powerful’ gets imitated and replicated. Learning about learning started happening as human and domesticated animals’ learning were to be moderated, manipulated in positive sense, and then elevated to next levels. Some of the postulates and models may be explored in one’s own learning about learning.

Model One

We focus on ‘higher’ when we come to orient students into learning. The typical memory based rote learning has its own applications and also limitations. All said and done we need to memorize bus routes, a few numbers, driving directions and other basic details required to be functionally OK. One may say that they shall shall seek ‘assistance’. We all know that assisted task delivery has its own speed limitations and possible glitches. Understanding the concepts is better and probably this shall obviate the need to remember by force. It becomes ‘part of you’. Application is the next level using the concepts in a different context. Generalizability empowers. Analysis comes to the next level. Evaluation of options and schemes we all experience in life. Creating the next level of edifice is always in many people’s dreams, including knowledge creation in this attempt. This comes only after ‘moving up’ from the above given ‘lower’ levels.

Model Two

People often learn from their concrete experience. Many also observe and learn. It is said that learning from other people’s experiences by observing may be better than waiting for one’s own experience. Learning from others’ experiences is time saving and less costly. People also experiment and learn. During growing stages and some grown-ups too keep testing the ‘boundaries’. There are also forms of experiment. Abstract conceptualization is also a way of learning. However, the intellectual capacity required for conceptualization may be sometimes demanding for many people.

Model Three

People are classified in to many styled/typed based on the way they learn. Content learning is different but here we refer to the process of learning. Activist puts the situation and self through experiment. Active experimentation and concrete experience are the zones of occurrence. Reviewing the experience makes one a reflector. Concluding leads one to become Theorist. Pragmatists move between conceptualization to experiment. Thus, one plans the experiment, reviews the outcomes, draws lessons and concludes the phase before moving to the next. Life is continuity.

Concluding note

On a closing note, we may say learning is ABCD - Active, Behavioral, Complex, and Dynamic. Contextual embeddedness matters. One’s own style of learning plays a role. Incentives make learning attractive. The anxiety levels shall hit the roof if the possible punishments are too big or stakes too high. Understanding the existing stock, experimenting in applying to draw the conclusion and reconciling are different forward and continuous stages. Taking it to the next level through creating and experiencing ‘flows’ and pushing further the knowledge boundaries is the next level ‘getting engaged’. The stock increases and pushes the next level of flow creation. Better mastery of the processes or creation of new shall happen.