Activity 1.3

Learning is a multifaceted process that occurs inevitably, cautiously and through interaction; it changes the learner unknowingly and occurs in large or small portions, over an entire lifetime and yet can be prevented if resisted.

Principle 1: Learning is Change.

 The learner changes as they acquire knowledge and information. The learner is unaware that they have changed but only that they have learned new information. This change can be large or small and occurs both immediately and gradually.  As the learner changes, their outlook, ideas and feelings can also change.  A couple years ago, I had a student that began first grade and couldn’t read CVC words. Daily, the student practiced reading and seemed to not make any progress.  Inwardly, he was grasping concepts and making connections. Several weeks later, he began reading CVC words and to put together sentences. This student was changed from the knowledge he had acquired and by practicing the concepts. The change took time and effort but it built a strong foundation that he’ll use in the future.

Principle 2: Learning is Inevitable, Essential and Ubiquitous.

                Learning occurs automatically for both humans and nonhumans. It is essential for learning to occur so that we can survive in our world.  Lastly, learning occurs despite the situation or environment. An example is when animals are kept out of the wild and then put back into the wild. If they haven’t learned the basic survival skills then they won’t thrive in wild. In the same regard, animals that have lived with humans inevitably learn commands and expectations of their master.

Principle 3: Learning can be Resisted

                People often resist learning due to personal reasons. The student doesn’t want to learn because they view the reward as too small and the effort to large. Another reason is that the person feels they will be unaccepted by their social group. Therefore, people resist or prevent learning from occurring. An example of students resisting learning is demonstrated in the autobiography, “My Posse Don’t Do Homework” by LouAnne Johnson. She demonstrates how students in her California classroom resisted learning due to fact that it was looked down upon.

Principle 4: Learning May be Disadvantageous

                Learning isn’t always positive or profitable. In fact, there are times when we have no control over what we’ve learned and we wish that the information was never acquired. Also, learning can be viewed advantageous to one social group and disadvantageous and undesirable to another social group. An example of learning as disadvantageous is learning proper English. In one social setting speaking proper English is considered positive and educational but step into a different social setting and you could be considered snobbish for speaking properly.

Principle 9: Learning is Interactional

Learning is an interactive process that occurs both within the learner and surrounding the learner. There is an ongoing interaction between the learner and the environment in which they are learning. This interaction is a constant push and pull between the learner and the environment.  An example of learning as interactional is during our last class discussion. The students’ interacted with one another as part of the learning process. This interaction was a push and pull of ideas and influences which shaped our ideas.