The technical definition usually includes a statement about acquired knowledge or skills, a statement about it’s being semi-permanent (you can forget), and a statement about being caused by experience or training.
Some say it is practice that causes a relative permanent change in behavior. Others point out that it is a process more than a product. All definitions include something about acquiring new things but few include that you incorporate that new knowledge or skill into you existing structures. Learning is not independent. It’s interactive.
Learning doesn’t require effort. At least, it doesn’t always require effort. If I tell you that George Washington’s middle name was Clyde, you might well remember that without effort. It doesn’t matter that it’s not true (they had so few people they didn’t need to have middle names). It only matters that some things seem to stick and others don’t.
This is one of the things you know about learning: sometimes it is easy, sometimes it requires effort.
Another thing you already know is that less is easier to learn than more. This is an obvious truth. A short list is better than a long list.
In addition to varying in difficulty and length, you know that learning often include repetition. When you need to put in effort you usually start with repetition. It doesn’t always work. Repetition helps some things, sometimes, somewhat. You may know there are other things involved in learning than just practice. You may not know all of the factors that are important but you are aware that practice makes perfect, somewhat.
Obviously, thinking is hard work. Your brain uses about 25% of your daily caloric intake. It is working hard. Studying makes you tired, practicing makes you tired and writing a screenplay makes you tired. It doesn’t seem physical but learning is an active process of work.
In my view, there are only three things you can learn: facts, concepts and behaviors. Everything can be categorized into one of those three baskets. Each emphasizes a different part of the brain. Each has it’s own best approach.
Terms
- aim higher
- anxiety
- attention
- avoid
- backward chain
- bits
- chaining
- charting
- chess positions
- chunk
- cluster or infographic
- digit span
- distributed practice
- don’t forget
- encoding specificity principle
- expanded-retrieval strategy
- faces 71%
- facts, concepts and behaviors
- flash cards
- focus
- forward chain
- four score and seven years ago…
- inkblots 48%
- usefulness of a retrieval cue depends on the nature of the initial encoding
- Jacobs, Joseph
- keeping things in memory is easier than putting them in memory
- Lincoln’s (Abraham) Gettysburg Address
- live fire
- magical number seven plus or minus two
- match learning & recall conditions
- Miller, George
- mind-map
- negative recognition
- performance
- practice with heavy bat
- priming
- proactive interference
- quizzes
- recallable words
- recognition failure
- recognition requires less brain activity than recall
- reduce
- release from proactive interference
- retrieval cue
- retrieving makes it easier to remember
- retroactive interference
- snowflakes 33%
- state dependent learning
- switch tasks when tired
- The man lifted the piano
- The man tuned the piano
- tracking behavior
- use external memory aids
- warm up
- write is down; look it up
Quiz
- Focus, Avoid & Reduce are components of:
- a. Overlearning
- b. Clustering
- c. Chunking
- d. Attention
2. We become confident before we are actually:
- a. contralateral
- b. consolidated
- c. competent
- d. chained
3. The best way to learn a long poem or speech is:
- a. backward chaining
- b. forward chaining
- c. lateral chaining
- d. recognition failure
4. Concepts include:
- a. names
- b. places
- c. things
- d. rules
5. George Miller suggested that working memory holds:
- a. seven items (plus or minus two)
- b. twelve items (plus or minus two)
- c. six items (plus or minus three)
- d. two items (plus or minus twelve)
- Focus, Avoid & Reduce are components of:
- a. Overlearning
- b. Clustering
- c. Chunking
- d. Attention
2. We become confident before we are actually:
- a. contralateral
- b. consolidated
- c. competent
- d. chained
3. The best way to learn a long poem or speech is:
- a. backward chaining
- b. forward chaining
- c. lateral chaining
- d. recognition failure
4. Concepts include:
- a. names
- b. places
- c. things
- d. rules
5. George Miller suggested that working memory holds:
- a. seven items (plus or minus two)
- b. twelve items (plus or minus two)
- c. six items (plus or minus three)
- d. two items (plus or minus twelve)
Want more?
Is
You can only learn facts, concepts and behaviors.
That’s all there is. Facts are mall individual items such as names, dates, places, and things. Concepts are rules and ideas. Behaviors are all of the actions you take.
Learning is a complex process that works on facts, concepts and behaviors.
One mistake people make is to assume learning is a single process. They assume that learning the names of cities is the same as walking. Or that learning a life lesson is the same as learning a poem. Learning is more complicated than that. There are three processes you need to understand. There are three ways we process our environment, minimum. There are more than these three but let’s stick with this simple model for the time being
There are only three things you can learn: facts, concepts and behaviors.
Here are 5 things we’ll cover:
- Why this class matters
- What is learning
- Anxiety
- Three things you can learn
- Top Ten Tips
Notes
Preview
1. Why this class matters
2. What is Learning
3. Anxiety
- What triggers it?
- How to reduce it?
- What causes it? Is it learned?
4. Three Things You Can Learn
1. Attention
-
- Focus
- When trying to learn, don’t multitask
- Avoid
- Use external memory aids
- Write is down; look it up
- Reduce
- Less is easier to learn than more
- If you have to carry an elephant, pick a small one
- Focus
2. Bits
- Joseph Jacob: schoolmaster; digit span, 1887
- George Miller: Magical number seven plus or minus two
- Depends upon the type of material
- Digits, letters, nonsense syllables, etc.
- Chunk = any meaningful unit
- Digits, words, chess positions, or faces
- Chess positions
3. Chaining
Forward chain
-
- Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
- November 19, 1863.
- Four score and seven years ago…
Backward chain
-
- That government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.
4. Don’t Forget
- Keeping things in memory is easier than putting them in memory
- Which is harder canning things or storing them?
- Retrieving makes it easier to remember
- Store your memories
- Expanded-retrieval strategy
5. Distributed Practice
6. Encoding Specificity Principle
- Match learning & recall conditions. State dependent learning. Live fire.
- Tulving & Thompson
- Usefulness of a retrieval cue depends on the nature of the initial encoding
- Barclay et al.
- People got 1 of 2 sentences
- “The man lifted the piano”
- “The man tuned the piano”
- Waited
- Gave retrieval cue: “something heavy”
- Helped “lifted piano” Ss recall (Ss stands for subjects)
- Didn’t help “tuned piano” Ss recall
7. Switch tasks when tired
- Release from Proactive Interference
- Keppel and Underwoord (1962)
- Learn several lists of words
- Performance decreases
- Switch categories, performance increases
8. Aim Higher
Recognition of photos
-
- faces 71%
- inkblots 48%
- snowflakes 33%
- Tulving & Thomson (1973)
- Recognition failure of recallable words
- Tulving et al. (1997)
- Recognition Memory Requires Less Brain Activity Than Recall
- Brown, Lewis & Monk (1977
- “negative recognition” = know not happen
- Examples:
- Teach someone else
- Practice with heavy bat
- faces 71%
9. Overlearn
-
- Confidence precedes competence
10. Warm Up
-
- Priming
