Learning About Learning

The fourth view of education, and the one I propose as the most basic and far-reaching, is to see Learning as Growth. This view has four components: insight, mastery of cognitive tools, skill development and transformation.

The first aspect of Learning as Growth is development of insight. Insight, which goes beyond simple comprehension, is the essential foundation to learning. When we have insight, we “get it.” There is a thrill involved here which transcends ages and cultures. We are able to understand a problem or principle, and we can understand how to extend this understanding to similar or derivative issues. Education without insight development is robotic rote learning, a mind-numbing spirit-killer.

The second aspect of Learning as Growth is mastery of cognitive tools. Mastery of these tools, through strategic storytelling, can lay the foundation for insight. The cognitive and cultural tools that Egan (following a line of thought from Vygotsky - read more here) focuses on are the really basic ones of the 3 Rs: reading, (w)riting and (a)rithmetic. Egan’s full concept is more sophisticated than that, but it does begin with the basic tools of language, of mathematics, of scientific concepts, and of a sense of historical development. The genius of Egan’s perspective (read more here) is centered on this essential and basic content of education. But the means of transmission is equally vital: imaginative storytelling. Our children and youth must recapture the adventure of exploratory learning, and they do so by experiencing the saga of cultural and historical development in literature, in math and science, and in the great lessons of history. As long as we do not kill the spirit of this wonderful series of stories through analytical detachment and dismemberment into subsidiary drills and mind-numbing “exercises,” we have a very good chance of passing on the adventure and challenge of learning, of helping learners to master the basic tools of language, invention and logical thought. We must take great care in how we teach, and in this aspect, we are in debt to one of the central emphases of the Progressives, reborn these days as “critical inquiry.”

Followers of Jesus Christ have a powerful heritage, a metanarrative which holds all else together. Familiarity with the biblical stories, the faith that produced them and the communities of faiths that they have produced, forms a set of key spiritual tools which complement and fulfill the cultural tools we provide in a rounded education. Understanding and insight grounded in faith are indeed powerful tools that will enable our youth to be ready for the world of next week, next year, next decade, and the rest of their no-doubt challenging lives. There are other powerful metanarratives in other faith traditions and ideological systems, sometimes overlapping. What great and grand story pulls everything together for you? Whether you know it or not, whether you make it conspicuous or not, your understanding of the metanarrative of life and existence (or the lack of a cohesive one) will color how you teach and interact.

Storytelling can once again become a powerful force for education. It was used of old and can be recovered in this age of computer and DVD. But the themes we address in our storytelling must be noble, deep and worth our keen attention, not the mere formulaic drivel of most storytelling as entertainment. In mathematics and science there are fascinating stories behind each of the principles and discoveries, and we rob ourselves and our heritage when we define education in each of its constituent element as divorced from its developmental context. This is a key tenet of situated learning, which grew out of the brilliant observations of Vygotsky.

The third aspect of Learning as Growth is skill development (read more here - Romiszowski’s Psychomotor Learning Perspective). Learning a subject or skill must continue until “automaticity” is achieved, in other words, until it is mastered, and the mastery is shown in an automatic response that requires no deep pondering, but has become part of one’s identity. Romiszowski’s insights tie in well with those from Vygotsky and the Community of Practice perspective.

The fourth and culminating aspect of Learning as Growth is transformation. (read more here) Because of its intimate connection with mentoring, transformation is key to insight development and thus to lasting change in values and behavior. This is done in Christian circles through “discipleship,” and insights from the Community of Practice perspective are very helpful in understanding many of the processes. I believe in an Author of all truth, who enlightens everyone. So these principles are universal, as far as I can see.