Learning is not merely about education nor it is about having the knowledge. Initially, I defined learning as continuous improvement, the life-long quest for acquiring knowledge but after the first module of this course my understanding and appreciation for learning changed, grew and motivated me.
Learning As a Student
Remember the saying “Life is the greatest teacher”, which reflects learning is not limited in schools and learning doesn’t stop in school. Everyone is learning, every day is a learning experience. As defined by Kendall Cherry (2019), learning is a relatively lasting change in behavior that is the result of experience. Positive or negative change of behavior can be the result of learning. Knowledge of a mathematical formula is not learned if one cannot remember or apply it. Since this “knowledge” came from memorization instead of continuous practice too, it was easily forgotten and there is no learning from continuous practice. I tend to confuse learning with knowledge but there are three essential components that comprehensively differentiate the latter. Apart from 1) change in behavior, learning should also 2) endure over time and 3) consequence of experience.
Learning As a Teacher
With the understanding of the three components of learning, my goal as a teacher is to facilitate instructional activities and provide tools that will deliver change in behavior, can be practiced or applied in real life to endure over time and a consequence of experience. These may be big tasks at first but with numerous philosophical perspectives and scientific approaches to learning available for pre training and in service educators it can be accomplished.
As educators, the hours and efforts we spend with our students are essential moments to facilitate their learning. There are different theories of learning like behavioral, social learning, cognitive and constructivism that can be adapted in the classrooms. No need to experiment with our precious time, these theories are available and can help us explain, predict and influence human behavior to deliver the best learning outcomes for our students.
Together, educators can guide our students to be able to adapt, apply, expand and think critically about knowledge that they can apply and function in the real world as wise, ethical and productive individuals.
Charry's Teaching Odyssey 