There are many theories of
how people learn. Almost everyone who has written or spoken of learning has a
different opinion of how it takes place, and how the brain processes
information. From an experiential point of view, learning that can be
accurately retrieved is a direct result of how, and under what circumstances
specific information is encoded and stored in long-term memory. One of the most
effective ways this is done is through learning material with a view to
teaching that same material. In the academic, as well as the personal realm,
being able to teach someone else what is learned serves as proof that someone
has learned the specific information.
Clearer Knowledge
The foundation of learning
is thinking about the facts, and being able to restate those ideas in a truthful
manner with objectivity. From a teaching perspective it is imperative that we
understand that fundamental to all teaching,
“No progress can be made in
teaching any subject until the facts, the truth about it, are imparted. All
systems of education begin here” (Marquis, 1917)
The use of questions through elaborative interrogation, whether internally or
externally initiated, forces one to combine the new information with existing
knowledge for, expectantly, a clearer and more enduring store of knowledge. Donald
K. Adams adds to this thought with a poignant phrase when he says, “Any
constructs that require us to close our eyes to any of the phenomena of
experience are bad constructs” (Adams, 1954).
Along with clearer knowledge about ideas, the information to be learned has to
be meaningful.
Better Remembered
Meaningfulness is probably
the most important element in the learning environment, and it is usually
dependent on felt needs. This thought can be closely tied to Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs from his paper, A Theory of Human Motivation, 1943, because
instinctual needs are felt needs whether or not they reside in consciousness or
not. Meaningfulness is also an important component of behavior and cognitive
theories, in that people most often respond to and process information in ways
that meet their felt needs. Therefore, in light of the aspect of learning
addressed in this paper, finding meaning is paramount to better encoding
through connecting new ideas to current thought structures. To be useful
learning itself must, “imply at least some permanence in connections” (Thorndike, 1913). However, sometimes people do
get in their own way on the road to understanding.
Variables
Many things can derail the
learning process. Within the field of psychology many people often miss an
important fact, “In order to work, psychological laws have to use psychological
variables: i.e. acts rather than responses, organisms as personalities, rather
than proton-electron aggregates, pieces of protoplasm, or cell assemblies, and
objects rather than stimuli” (Adams, 1954). First, does the
individual have the intention to learn? Learning has many facets or acts that
can be visible, and they can be a products of trial and error based on
stimulus-response conditioning often taught though the implementation of
punishments and rewards, or they can be a self-directed efforts to improve
understanding of an idea or set of ideas. Second, is the individual interested
in the topic, and if not can it be incentivized? Incentive is a difficult
target to hit, and remembering that people have personalities that are as
varied as the people themselves is keys to finding the bull’s-eye. Positive
reinforcement in an educational setting can be very effective. When someone is
able to use the information learned in a positive way it elevates their
self-confidence, and enhances their self-image. Other learning environments
require other motivators. Some may require negative reinforcement to reinforce
the desired behavior. How do we know we have cleared the variable hurdles?
Proof
Why is teaching possibly the best way to
demonstrate what has been learned? The connection between learning and memory
is best exemplified by restating in a coherent way the knowledge acquired through
learning. A critical error is often perpetuated by instructors who think
testing is a good measure for what has been learned. It could be expressed this
way, “The average examination tests very little more than memory” (Schaeffer, 1901). Testing, for the most part,
is akin to teaching a parrot to speak. We can teach the bird to repeat a word,
but the bird cannot explain the meaning of the word, therefore, the bird has
not learned how to understand the word, only how say the word. Suffice it to
say, “In studying his lessons the average schoolboy’s sole aim is to be able to
repeat once, and only once, the knowledge before him” (Lyon, 1917). It is not problematical to memorize lists of names,
words, and numbers, but attributing meaning to each of these is proof of
learning. Regurgitation of facts is not necessarily indicative of true
knowledge of a subject. Adding meaning to what is regurgitated is evidence that
an idea is learned. What is gained by learning with a view to teaching?
Final Words
When we learn with a view to
being able to teach the material we become motivated during the encoding
process. Our motivation can produce openness to the ideas studied while our
schemas keep our storage of the information in perspective. This format retains
much in common with narrative theory involving sequential, action-oriented, and
detailed thought. Truth and reality must come first in the learning process.
Based on the correspondence view of the truth, ideas not based in reality
should not be considered to have been learned. This does not include ideas
presented as hypothesis or theory because those must be understood in light of
what they are and not presented as facts. Teaching as a proof of learning is to
exhibit comprehension of an idea, although not always exhaustively, in a
truthful manner with considerable depth of understanding.
Conclusion
Docendo discimus, are not
only words Seneca the Younger wrote in his letters to Lucilius Junior in Epistulae
Morales in 50 – 65 AD, they are the words that I believe best describe the
learning process. There are others in higher education that agree with this belief
as they have taken these words and employed them as mottos at their various institutions.
If we encode ideas, store them, and are able to retrieve them with an adequate
depth of true knowledge, we can be said to have learned the material. I believe
in this idea so deeply I have a blog with its namesake. Therefore, like Seneca,
I believe we learn by teaching or docendo discimus.
Works
Cited
Adams, D. K.
(1954). Learning and Explanation. In Learning Theory, Personality Theory,
and Clinical Research: the Kentucky Symposium (pp. 69-77). New York, NY,
USA: Wiley.
Lyon, D. O.
(1917). The Educational Value of Psychological Research. In D. O. Lyon, Memory
and the Learning Process (p. 156). Baltimore, MD, USA: Warwick & York.
Marquis, J. A.
(1917). Learning to Teach from The Master Teacher. Philadelphia:
Westminster Press.
Schaeffer, N. C.
(1901). The Materials of Thought. In Thinking and Learning To Think (p.
50). Philadephia: Lippincott Company.
Thorndike, E. L.
(1913). The Original Nature of Man (Vol. I). New York, NY, USA: Teachers
College, Columbia University.
TJ
