Community Learning Development Resource 100 – 05
WHAT ADULTS UNDERSTAND ABOUT LEARNING
SUMMARY
Most adults describe learning as something that happens and they have experienced within education and training. Many adults struggle to identify any learning that they have experienced or gained outside the formal confines of education and training. This resource (100 – 05) explores the status of learning in people’s understanding and therefore the implications for practice which seeks to enable people to recognise and understand that learning is a natural and universal human activity.
The following statements are about our perceptions of learners and their learning
- Learning is frequently described as the gaining of knowledge, understanding and skills by an individual. Much less commonly learning is also identified as the process through which personal feelings and attitudes develop
- It is unhelpful that many adults seem to believe that learning only occurs within formal education and training situations and that they need to attend classes or courses in order to learn
- For most adults formal learning has been through group learning within taught classes and courses in education and training and some describe their learning as ending when they left school
- The learning experiences of most adults have been within a statutory education system, with a requirement to attend and learn, rather than through a voluntary commitment to participate
- Most people do not see learning as a life changing process.
- Adults who have had unhappy experiences of learning within educational and training settings, can have been damaged as learners and may have negative views about learning and their own ability to learn
- People learn informally throughout their everyday lives as they have new experiences and respond to them, but most do not recognise or acknowledge this natural and universal life-changing process.
Prompting people to think about learning – ask two questions of almost any group of adults
1. Can you identify something that you learnt at school or at college, university?
Almost always 100% are able to remember and give an example
2. Can you identify something that you have learnt in the last 24 hours before coming here today?
By contrast, usually the response to this question is that over 90% asked cannot think of anything they have learnt in the last 24 hours
– Most people see learning only as formal education.
– Most people don’t recognise natural, lifelong informal learning
– Most people don’t understand learning
– Many people don’t see themselves as learners and don’t value learning, some don’t think that they can learn and a few aggressively deny that they are learners!
- People learn to make sense of their experiences, to solve problems when they face them and to gain security, to build relationships and build their own self-esteem. Thus people are learning, when dealing with new challenges and experiences
- Formal learning occurs in a planned for and purposeful learning environment usually with someone in the role of ‘teacher’ – e.g., group leader or organiser; community worker; coach; information and guidance worker; co-learner
- Most pieces of learning are complex in that each has several components, e.g., to learn a physical skill, the learner will need to understand the use of the skill, know when and how to apply it successfully and also will need to become willing and confident to use it
- Teaching exists to enable people to learn and is only successful if it has enabled someone to learn. In any situation where there is teaching and learning going on, it really only matters that the learning is successful
- In the same way that everyone is naturally a learner and can learn, everyone is a teacher and can teach
- Learning changes people, more or less permanently and once someone has learned something, they are changed by what they have learned and by their experience of learning it.
Prompts for reflection and discussion:
- Do the ideas about the nature of learning fit with your understanding of learning and learners?
- Are there ideas, which you don’t understand and need to explore further?
- Are there ideas, which you disagree with and would like to explore further?