Learning


 * Learning **

Many may see this cartoon as humorous due to the major advances in technology. However, reading is one of many ways that people learn. Learning, as defined by Jeanne Ormrod, is the “long-term change in mental representations or associations as a result of experience.” Ormrod goes on to elaborate, “learning is a //long-term change // in that it isn't just a brief, transitory use of information…learning involves //mental representations or associations // and so presumably has its basis in the brain…learning is a change //due to experience //.” Going off of Ormrod's theory, we will use the example "Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492." Now, to put it to the test. You have learned this fact once it "sticks" in your brain, you won't necessarily use it once in your life and never again. Second, if someone asks you who discovered America and when, your brain will retrieve that information and you will know Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. Last, you learn by some kind of experience, which can be as simple as __reading__ an American History textbook. If all three of these steps are taken, congratulations, you have learned something!

This is quite a wordy definition so here is a video to help you to better understand the concept of learning.

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Learning does not just happen, several cognitive processes play a role in transferring knowledge from who or what is presenting it to people’s heads. How people interpret and remember the things they see, hear, and study, affects how they will learn. Bloom’s Taxonomy can be tied in with this idea for it describes the cognitive processes that occur in order to gain knowledge.

Learning encompasses many different aspects such as the different types of learning. Three main styles of learning are visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic. Basically, visual learners need to be able to see the material they are presented with. Auditory learners need to hear the material presented. Tactile/kinesthetic learners need to be able to touch the material with their hands in order to understand it. If you would like more information on the learning styles, see Learning Styles by Janelle Chong. References: [] (cartoon) [] (Bloom’s Taxonomy chart) Ormrod, Jeanne E. Educational Psychology. Pearson: Massachusetts, 2011. Print.

Created by Alyssa Hanlon on October 2, 2013