Why’s and How’s of LEARNING

Sometimes I wonder why my teacher used to ask me to draw a house on a sheet of paper and what made me decide on its size? And do you realize why some people at the age of 70 remember the person they loved at 17? But, there are times when you don’t even remember your uncle’s name whom you met 10 years ago? Do you also remember how you used to learn rhymes by repetitive recitation AND you still remember some of those! So, is ‘Twinkle Twinkle little star’, memories of your childhood friend, and the house flashing across your mind?

Well, the answers to these lie in two simple words – Learning and Experience. Experts proposed three main approaches to learning that explains the phenomenon of Learning. So, let us look at these interesting theories to get answers to some of our intriguing queries.

1. Behaviorism
According to this theory, learning is all about change in behavior. It states:
1.1 We learn by repetition – For example, repetitive recitation of rhymes.
1.2 We learn faster when awarded or appreciated – This is known as Positive Reinforcement.
1.3 We avoid repeating the act for which we are punished – This is known as Negative Reinforcement.

2. Cognitivism
According to this theory, all our learning initially takes place in our mind. For example, when we learn driving, we first concentrate only on the road and get distracted by music or talking. However, as we get used to driving or when we become experts, driving for us becomes a psychomotor skill rather than cognitive skill.
Another important and interesting theory is The Schema Theory by Jean Piaget. According to this theory, human mind is a web of related information and its a dynamic changing mass of knowledge. In other words, related concepts are connected to each other. For example, when we learn or read about something new, say ‘animal’, we classify it or store it in one section of our brain. Similarly, when we learn about ‘Tiger’, we try and relate this with the existing information ‘animal’. Now, when we read about carnivorous and herbivorous animals, we connect this with the ‘Tiger’ and ’animal’ information that is stored in our brain. So, you can see how the schema grows in our minds continuously.

However, if a schema is not updated with any new information or if we forget about it, the schema in our brain gets lost. This is the reason why we forget our uncle’s name.

But, if we keep updating the schema, it keeps growing and does not get lost – as in the animal example.
Also, sometimes we leave a schema for a long time. In this case, the schema may not get lost as we are holding on to it. This is the reason why we remember the name of the person we loved so many years ago.

3. Constructivism
This is also an extension of the Cognitivism theory. According to the constructivism theory, We construct our own perception of life based on our experiences or our environment. We also create our own different world, give a different meaning to life or incidents, or fill our own colors. As a result, we think, learn, act, and behave differently. This is the reason why we draw houses with different sizes and colors.

I hope I made you think and instill some curiosity that would push you to explore the working of human mind. So, lets get started!

I find your post descriptive and I think the approach is prescriptive.

Great read.

Regards