Learning to Learn

Learning has probably never been more important than it is in our 21st century, where the dynamics of change are occurring faster than most of us can maintain and keep up. Because of the constant and rapid change in our lives, as a society, we have never been more involved in the activity of learning as we are today. Learning is associated with our ability to not only survive, but certainly thrive. Those who truly desire to thrive, know they must continue to learn.

Learning has become such a major part of our lives, that the early years of this century previously known as the knowledge era, are now being called the learning era. Knowledge continues to be a major part of the equation, with the emphasis moving from knowing what to do with the knowledge one has; that is, knowing how to use our knowledge to solve unique problems and create the futures that we personally desire. Learning is huge today.

What does it mean to learn?

There are different ways to learn and different types of learning. To maximize your ability to use the learning that you acquire, it helps to understand the different ways we can learn, and the outcomes we can expect when we learn one way versus learning another. A great example can be gleaned from how we previously viewed emotions as being these horrible internal things with absolutely no value, and that existed only to cause us problems if they were not tightly controlled. Today, we know that emotions play a vital role in our ability to promote and succeed in business, home, and everywhere else. We see this by the emphasis placed on soft skills today where empathy is considered the most important skill for a leader and/or manager to have. We have learned better.

While it is true that many of us do not understand all the details involved with emotional intelligence, the more we understand and know, the more effective we probably will be in using our emotions to produce the outcomes we desire. Its why we make the effort to learn. The more we understand about emotions, the more effective we can become using them to our advantage. So it is with learning. The more we understand about the process of learning, the more effective we can become using the knowledge we have learned.

There are three primary thoughts about how we learn, and the type of learning that we might use based on what it is we desire to learn. The three types are: behavioral learning, which has to do with changes we see and observe; developmental learning, which has to do with internal change; and cognitive learning, which has to do with how our thinking contributes to our learning. ??

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Behavioral learning

Those who believe in behavioral learning, believe that when a person learns, there will be some type of change in their behavior that will be observable. When a person learns with the behavioral theory, it is in response to something that happens in the environment. An example would be an employee who solves a special problem for his boss, and that boss rewards the employee with a bonus. The bonus is the reinforcement that teaches the employee how to earn more money. The employee learns that if he solves problems for his boss, he will earn more money. Most of us use this type of learning in our personal lives as we often reward ourselves when we achieve a goal.

There are many examples of behavioral learning that are weaved into our lives, all with the goal of assisting us in changing our behavior. We have self-directed learning on our jobs that enable us to acquire new skills and competencies. There are managerial programs specifically designed to change our behavior, such as anger management. We have apps on our smart devices that can help us change our level of productivity, lose weight, and better manage our finances. These are all examples that represent behavioral learning, where we target certain behaviors we desire to change, and look for a tool in the environment that can help us achieve our goal.

Developmental learning

Developmental learning is a humanistic approach to learning that is the opposite of behavioral learning. This type of learning was highlighted by both Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers who believed in a more humanistic or person-centered approach to learning, where human beings are believed to have the freedom to make choices about their own growth and development, as opposed to being manipulated by things in the environment. Maslow’s goal was self-actualization, and the goal of Rogers was to become a fully high-functioning person.

Humanistic theory is the primary approach used in counseling and coaching today, which are taking center stage in the world of leader development and business success. This is the learning approach that highlights soft skills that are believed to be the essential aptitudes that will predict and determine professional success and creating a personally fulfilled and satisfied life. It is from this person-centered approach to learning where the emphasis on empathy and one’s ability to understand human interaction will determine one’s ability to succeed. Skills like empathy are no longer considered something good and nice to have. They are now associated with the ability succeed in providing human services.

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Cognitive learning

The cognitive theory of learning represents learning as a mental process as opposed to strictly observable behavior or internal personal development. This theory focuses on insight, information processing, memory, problem-solving; that is, how we think. We often say, it is not what happens to us, but how we view the things that happen to us. It is what we choose to think determines what we feel, which ultimately determines what we do. Therefore, if we manage our thought-world properly, we will think and emote properly, which will enable us to learn how to respond properly. You must think you are in danger before you experience the emotion of fear and act upon that emotion.

This theory is based on the concept that the mind sees patterns and uses prior knowledge and experiences to process information. For instance, information could be processed based on cultural upbringing, the ability to use one’s creativity, gender, life experiences, memory, even moral development. There are different theories about the many influences that can play a role in how we process information through our senses, including social cognitive learning which highlights how we learn from other people with whom we interact in social environments. This is often how we learn rules, accepted behaviors, strategies, and beliefs. The essence of cognitive learning is not to think in a positive way, but to think in an accurate and truthful way which leads to right responses and actions.

In closing, learning is the process of making good sense of our experiences, and remaining open to challenging our own beliefs and assumptions when necessary, so that we might continue to improve the usefulness of our knowledge. Through reflection, openness, and a desire to accurately understand our own perceptions, we become skilled self-directed learners, more capable of changing our own lives, and creating the outcomes we truly desire to have. ?