Learning Process Paper

In this paper, I will be discussing my beliefs about the process of learning. I will be answering the three questions is learning observable, is learning thinking and/or a change in thinking and can these two views of learning be integrated into one view about learning? Before I go any farther, I need to formally establish a definition of learning. Wikipedia defines learning as "the acquisition and development of memories and behaviors, including skills, knowledge, understanding, values, and wisdom. It is the goal of education, and the product of experience (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning)."

I believe that learning is very observable. Learning isn't easily measured, but you can easily watch someone in the process of learning something. I also believe that learning can be characterized by a change in behavior, but not always. If you get arrested for stealing, you learn that stealing is risky and are likely not to do it again unless you're a thief. However, many people learn about the risks and harms of smoking but don't do anything about it. Many people also learn that things like candy and soda are unhealthy and have harmful things in them. This makes some people stop eating and drinking them, but for other people it goes in one ear and out the other. If a person doesn't accept the learning, then there will be no change in behavior. As my definition clearly proves, learning is a development in behaviors. If behaviors are being developed, this means that they're changing. When I learned how to do my own laundry, I stopped relying on my mother to do it for me. I have been washing my own clothes whenever I need to ever since I learned how.

You can't learn if you are not thinking. When you're learning, your brain is working efficiently. Your brain can't work at all if you are not thinking. To learn, you have to be thinking about the things you just saw and did. In my mind, thinking and learning have always gone hand in hand. Learning does create a change in thinking, but how much it changes depends on the magnitude of what you learn. If you learn multiplication, you're likely to become more confident in your math skills and show it in your seatwork and homework. If you learn how to cook, you're likely to eat out less often and cook for yourself more often.

I firmly believe that these two views of learning can be integrated into one view about thinking. This view is that learning is observable because you can listen to someone think out loud, or even read their thoughts on paper. Learning creates a change in thinking, which will ultimately lead to a change in behavior. Even if this new learning is rejected or disregarded, the behavior of refusal to accept the learning will be noticeable. Both of these views see definition as a product of experience, which is the definition of learning.

The best way so observe learning is to have students read a story and ask them questions about it. With math, you can ask them how they fixed an incorrect answer and finally came up with the correct one. Overall, the easiest way to observe learning is to ask students questions and ask them to summarize things that they just did in the classroom. It's also clear to tell when a student has a "light bulb moment" since they're no longer confused or frustrated and have a happy and triumphant smile on their face. As I have noticed in my substitute teaching, students love to tell you what they've learned. This is especially true of students in the elementary school level since they love to boast and brag about themselves.

Although I'm not proud of it, I'm not good at math. I feel that the main reason for this is that my math teachers tended to do all the thinking for us. They would do a few problems on the board and then expect us to do the rest on our own. We would have to do them in a short amount of time so I didn't have enough time to think about the problems. Eventually, I would give up and just sit at my desk doodling until we quickly went over the answers and moved on to the next task at hand. A lot of the math problems were not in my zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development is defined as "the zone that is the range of tasks or skills that is slightly too difficult for a child to do alone but that she can do successfully with guidance or "scaffolding" by an adult or more experienced child (Bee, H)." I never had a teacher or someone who knew math work with me one on one and help me figure out how to do the problems. Unfortunately, I never had anyone help me scaffold my math skills. Scaffolding is defined as "the process by which a teacher structures a learning encounter with a child, so as to lead the child from step to step (Bee, H)." When you work with someone step by step, you are watching that person learn how to do the task at hand whether it is doing a math problem, reading a sentence, or learn the names of the states in America.

In conclusion, the answers to the three questions I discussed are all yes. In doing my substitute teaching, I watch students learn all the time and take pride in being a part of it. I believe that every student can learn. Students learn in different ways and at different speeds, but every single student is capable of learning. I firmly believe that no student is the same when they leave the classroom at the end of the school year. I have watched many students learn as a substitute teacher and look very forward to being a big part of the learning process for my students when I become a full time teacher.

Works Cited

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning

Bee, H. The Developing Child. (c 2007 Person Education