8 Big Truths About Learning

Learning strategies and trends come and go, but with all of the current issues and debates in education, a few ideas remain constant.  Here are 8 big truths that hold true  no matter which strategy, method, or curriculum you use.

 Understanding the big picture helps learning.

Have you ever tried to memorize random facts or bits of information?  Chances are that although you might have been successful enough to answer test questions, the information left your brain shortly afterwards.

The brain is a pattern seeking organ.  It wants to make connections.  Our memory works better when it can see how information fits together.  Connecting new information to the already known is a great way to build on existing knowledge and make learning stronger and deeper.

To helps students see the big picture, ask questions such as:

How does this connect to what I already know?

How and when will I use this information?

Why is this important?

Emotion helps memory.

How does learning become permanent?  Why do we remember some things forever and forget other things? Chances are, when things are connected to our emotions, we remember them.  Emotionally charged information gets our attention.  We make stronger connections when information is tied to our emotions, which leads to improved memory.

Leverage this insight by helping students to connect to emotions.  Make them laugh, or get angry or feel empathy.  Involve the senses or music.  Use stories to humanize topics.  Make it personal by connecting to their experiences or examples.  If students feel something, they are more likely to remember.

Visualization is powerful.

For many people, images are easier to remember than words.  Visualizing helps us to see things in our mind and remember them.  In some cases, visualizing an action evokes the same  biological results as actually performing a physical task.  Elite athletes have learned to harness the power of visualization to improve their skill.  Visualizing is a powerful tool. You can help students visualize by encouraging tasks such as drawing a picture or map  to explain a concept, using graphs, charts or graphic organizers, or asking them to close their eye and imagine how something looks or feels.

Practice makes permanent.

Remember the old adage practice makes perfect?  Actually, it is not true!  Practicing something over and over again does strengthen the neural pathways in the brain to make an action permanent. However, if you repeatedly practice something incorrectly, your brain will have learned how to do it the wrong way! Once the wrong habits are ingrained, it is even more difficult to try to do something the correct way.  Make sure students don’t practice incorrectly.  Guide students as they  do the first few math problems to see that they understand the correct procedure. Watch them as they practice a musical instrument to make sure their position is correct and that they are playing the notes correctly.  Once you know that they can do a task correctly, then  they can practice.

Creative thinking is not just about the arts.

 Of course the arts and creativity go together, but creative thinking is bigger than the arts.  Creative thinking  is an essential tool for problem solving.  When we think creatively, we combine things in new ways.  We look at problems from multiple perspectives.  We relax and play and allow our unconscious minds to work out solutions.  Albert Einstein once said that the solution to a problem will not be found with the same level of thinking that created the problem.  Solutions often require creative thinking.

We can encourage creative thinking.  We can teach students to brainstorm and  generate lists. We can teach students to reframe the problem.  We can also encourage open mindedness, exploration and divergent thinking. We can encourage imagination and flexibility, and focus on ideas, progress and growth versus rigid answers, set attitudes and one way of doing things.

We learn socially.

 For many years, learning was an individual, rather than a social activity.  The reality of learning is that often, we learn with and with the help of others.  Who hasn’t talked out a problem with a friend in order to find a solution?  Who hasn’t learned from a conversation with others?  Many times, we can do things with the help of another person that we cannot do alone.

Today’s teachers understand this which is why you will often see group projects, partnerships, and jigsaw activities where students divide up a task and deliver portions of the knowledge gained to each other.  Activities such as buddy reading or cross-age learning partners help both individuals learn better.

Talking in school, once a taboo, is now a method for learning.  A wise adage says that he who does the talking, does the learning.  Who is talking in your classroom?

Preventing a problem is better than fixing a problem.

The best learning environments are active and productive.  With lots of activity and many minds in one place comes the potential for off-task behavior and general chaos. Fortunately, preventing problems is possible.

Master teachers use many strategies to prevent problems.  They establish clear procedures and rules, and teach students how to use those procedures and rules. They also understand that students must be busy with engaging and worthwhile tasks. Good teachers show enthusiasm for the subject and help students to be interested and excited too.  Good teachers are actively involved in the classroom, and guide students throughout the activity.  They build relationships with students and guide behaviors rather than demanding them.

Intrinsic motivation is better than extrinsic motivation.

 When we have intrinsic motivation, we are generally interested in learning or doing something. We enjoy the activity and find purpose in it.  Think of the activities that you choose to do in your free time.  It is a good bet that no one is forcing your or bribing you to do those activities.  You do them because you see a benefit, because you enjoy them, or because it fulfills a need or purpose in your life.

The opposite of intrinsic motivation is extrinsic motivation.  With extrinsic motivation, an outside force is acting on you to get you to do something.  You work for the prize, the reward or the incentive.  Your students might work for the sticker, the extra recess or the grade.

Extrinsic rewards often work, especially in the short term or with unchallenging, repetitive tasks. But for long term gains, changing behaviors or creating life-long learners, intrinsic rewards work better.

How do we increase intrinsic motivation? Help students become interested in a topic by connecting it to their lives.  Offer students choices- of topics, process of learning or products of learning. Mix up teaching methods and activities to keep things varied and interesting.  Help students to set their own learning goals and to see how the learning will help them both now and in their future.

There you have it- our 8 BIG truths about learning.  What about your BIG truths?  What do we miss?  We would love to  hear your ideas in the comments.

Happy learning,