Human Development

What is learning?

        Learning is acquiring a new skill or knowledge.   These are easiest to attain when connected to a concept the learner already knows something about or has experience with.  Piaget 's resounding theory for me is that of tying an abstract concept to a concrete one to help the learner grasp the abstract.  As a concrete learner I catch on easiest when the concept I am learning has an example or is a hands-on learning experience.  On top of that, I like learning in a class, and by hearing, rather than seeing or reading from a book.  As such, abstract concepts are extremely difficult, especially if I have to learn from a book and have nothing concrete to tie my learning to.   In high school I took algebra and geometry.  I did far better in geometry because there were shapes to deal with and I had en excellent teacher who gave examples and tied geometry to real-life situations.  

I'm going to come right out and say it.  I had a hard time understanding the
article for this week.  I don't know if it was the wording or what, but I had to
read the article at least 3 times before I grasped it.  Piaget's theories are
not that different from others we've seen, they just add a different way of
looking at the development and learning process.  I think, perhaps, that it
gives an easy to follow structure (I say "easy" somewhat sarcastically) by which
we can identify the developmental progress of a learner. 

If what he says is true, then we as instructors should be able to help a learner progressClick here to read more »

Keeping to my original belief that learning is understanding our self and the world around us, Piagets theory just helps me to understand how I do that. It is kind of interesting, I do not remember a whole lot from my childhood but I can remember instances when I must have hit the new levels. I remember a time when I realized that I was not the only person in the world and that other people could think and feel just like me. My mind was blown. I have always been a thinker. (I won't say just what I think about).