Learning
Process
There have
been many definitions
of learning: most leave
teacher readers disappointed.
The followingdefinition draws out
key elements, which have individual and social implications for teachers and
schools: Watkins et. al (2002: 1) “Learning
… that reflective
activity which enables
the learner to draw upon previous experience to understand and evaluate
the present, so as to
shape future action and formulate new knowledge” Features
highlighted by this definition include:
a. An
active process in
which the learner
relates new experience to
existing meaning, and
may accommodate and assimilate new ideas
b. Past,
present and future
are connected, although
a linear connection is not assumed:
unlearning and re-learning may be implied
c. The
process is influenced
by the use
to which learning is to be put:
how the learning informs action in future situations is vital.
The above
definition stands in
contrast to prevalent views of learning, which imply that
it is a passive process of
knowledge acquisition, with
predictable and measurable
outcomes. Definitions do not cover
everything. The above does not specify prior conditions (for example how
learners select what to learn, the beliefs which the learner brings) or the
context in which learning happens. Indeed, this definition does not
refer to other
people in the
context: teachers, facilitators,
peers, etc
