The Science of Learning

Some theories I ‘currently’ hang my hat on…

Kurt Ewald Lindley
Aug 28, 2017 · 4 min read

In the last 5–10 years I have been exposed to multiple theories related to learning, those with a grounding psychology, sociology and more recently neurology (neuroscience of learning). Below I share the ones that sit well with me and have become my reference point for the designing of learning experiences….

The image below is my visual reminder/illustration of some of these principles in practice…

Learning must be effortful

If learning (the acquisition of new material/skills etc) is to easy it's quickly forgotten because it lacks effort to encode.

So I say learning should be hard work… well kinda…

One theory I like for this is that of ‘Desirable Difficulty’ in which cognitive psychologist suggest we should make things ‘effortfully’ difficult to learn as this deepens the level of processing needed to acquire and encode the new material/skills. This deeper processing means memories are more clearly fixed in place and thus easier to recall and use in a time of need.

Word of warning: if learning is two difficult it could lead to learner anxiety (and cognitive shutdown), if learning is to easy this could lead to boredom (and learners switching off).

Want to know more – check out: Robert Bjork a leading cognitive psychologist in this field & look at ‘pleasant frutration’ by James Gee

We can learn more with a guide

I can sit alone and read a book, I can watch an informative video clip solo and spend time gazing at the stars reflecting on all that I have come across. But what happens when I just don’t get it, no matter how hard I try, no matter which angle I take I still cant make sense of ‘it’. Its here where I turn to good old Lev Vygotsky’s theory of Social Development. Lev saw Social interaction as fundamental in the process of cognitive development and with it came 4 layered and interlinked theories:

  1. Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD all Vygotsky) – in its simplest terms this is the space where we learn best supported by another. Its outside of our personal comfort zone (so difficult) but we are supported by another (making it desirable I hope)
  2. Mediated Learning Experience (MLE see Reuven Feuerstein) – now that we have another person on board this becomes a shared experience. Where a mediating agent (parent, teacher, sibling, peer) filters, translates and transforms the learning enabling us to make sense of it.
  3. More Knowledgeable Other (MKO is a Vygotskyism) – The mediator above is often referred to as the MKO. Now don’t get caught up in the assumption they are subject matter experts as it may be they know more about problem solving thus can help you with the process of learning over pointing you toward the answer with questions.
  4. Scaffolding (introduced by Wood et al 1976) – this is all about offering temporary support to inexperienced learners in order to help them to complete a task or acquire a skill, and then gradually withdrawing that support. Scaffolding is what we put around people to help them move forward and can be systems, platforms etc..

Want to know more – check out: Lev Vygotsky’s theory of Social Development and the emerging work of Scaffolded Social Learning by Julian Stodd

Great learning is about the the whole 100% (a phrase of MPS)

Much literature exists regarding the 70–20–10 rule of learning which is based on work by Michael M.Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger done in the 90's. I’m less concerned by the proportions in isolation and more conscious as to how we maximise the ‘whole 100%’. To quote Charles Jennings a current pioneer for this approach:

“It’s important to be aware that 70:20:10 is a reference model and not a recipe. The numbers are not a rigid formula. They simply remind us of the facts…..that the majority of learning and development comes through experiential and social learning in the workplace (the ‘70’ and ‘20’) rather than through formal classes and courses (the ‘10’)”

Therefore my recommendations are:

  1. Make the 10% formal learning more reflective of the 70% informal learning, make it more social, interactive and sharing
  2. Make the 20% of guided learning more readily available build in external sense-making spaces and peer mentoring
  3. Make the 70% more deliberate, scaffold it with ‘valid’ optional experiences that can be done in learners own time. Don’t leave this to chance (and at the peril of poor google searches)

Want to know more – check out: Charles Jennings most recent work

Making learning land and last

When design a learning experience I look to the AGES model which challenges me to consider how I communicate learning and how I ensure learning ‘is felt’ so it lasts. The AGES model comes from the field of neuroscience and derived from the work of Lila Davachi and David Rock. This model suggest that great learning should be considerate of the following principles:

  • Attention – Learing must grab and maintain the focused concentration of learners without distraction (multitasking is the nemesis of learning)
  • Generation – We must create situation where learner have direct interaction with the learning task to generate their own meaning
  • Emotion – Connect emotional cues with learning tasks through strategies such as storytelling (yours and theirs) will improve retention
  • Spacing – Providing adequate time gaps for new learning to be digested, consolidated and rehearsed is a must (don’s squeeze lunch)

Want to know more – check out: the NeuroLeadership JOURNAL

These are just a few of the places I go to check I’m on track…

Kurt Ewald Lindley – Sharing some of the science (psychology, sociology, neurology) behind how I build learning experiences

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Kurt Ewald Lindley

Written by

Father 1st everything else 2nd, Owner@ https://www.bemorelnd.co.uk, passionate about learning & People Dev #lazydyslexic Putting myself in places 2B found

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