Blog Posting Oct 21

What is learning?

Learning occurs when students are motivated to recognize that their current knowledge is limited or incorrect and have a desire to overcome the limitations and misconceptions. They need to look past what they have and desire more, which also requires them to look for answers and ask for help when necessary.

A teachers place in this is to help the students see their limitations and misconceptions. They can do this through many different means, giving new information through reading or lectures, showing them with examples, letting them discover with experiments, writing assignments etc. The lists are as unlimited as a teacher’s imagination and ingenuity, but it still boils down to the learner’s desire to increase their knowledge. The old adage “you can lead a horse to water, but you can not make him drink”, I think applies to learning as well, so the teacher needs to find a way to motivate and promote a desire for that student to want knowledge enough to overcome their hesitancy to ask questions and seek help. This week’s reading indicated that depending upon the goals of a student it will make a difference in their desire to look for help. Creating a classroom environment that directs the student’s goal towards motivational and performance goals, and wanting knowledge more than appearances and autonomy concerns will help their tendencies to seek help when necessary.