Learning

Lars Peter Jensen & Xiangyun Du xiangyun@plan.aau.dk

Agenda•Different perceptions on learning and knowledge•Individual learning styles•Discussions on developing learning strategies

When, where, how did you learn the following

things? • Ice is cold; flame are hot; water is wet; and

knives can cut… • To reading alphabet; to count numbers; to

sing songs… • To make tea; to cook; to play squash; to

drive a car … • To speak Danish; to understand Einstein’s

theory; to use formulas; … • To make a presentation in public, to make

a new friend, to know Danish culture…

What do these examples suggest?

• There are different sorts of learning: simple/complex; knowledge acquisition/skill mastery/knowledge creation

• Some things can be learned directly from experiences, some need initial or sustained instruction, some demands practice, some require reflection – some need a mixture of them

• Type of learning is changing based on context (time, place, targets, etc.)

 Duality of Knowing - Wenger

Reification: documents, languages, concepts, systems, maps, tools, methods, artefacts, etc.

Participation: conversations, interacting,

acting, relationships, belonging, Community, living in the world, etc,

Waves of Knowledge

Management

Knowledge come from books

Waves of Knowledge Management

Technology Domination

Knowledge as information Put information into database information - outdated database – useless

Waves of knowledge management

•People as the theme •Knowledge as practice•The key to managing knowledge is connecting expert•Develop communities of practice for strategic domains•Technology is used to support learning

Waves of knowledge managementStrategic Capabilities - knowledge as strategy

Domain

Communities

practice

stewardship

Business strategies

Business result

Learning

Shared knowledge

Original figure in Wenger 2004 the green one is my Original figure in Wenger 2004 the green one is my

contributioncontribution

A Social Theory of Learning - Wenger

Learning engineering

tobecome

an engineer

Learning

Learning can occur anytime everywhere in life.Learning takes place when people participating into different communities of practice.Learning makes us become who we are. Learning is about identity management.

Learning engineering involves not only mastering technological knowledge, but also learning the language, principles, socialized practice, and values.

Appreciating meaningfulness of learning

What is ’learning’?Yes, it’s actually true

– you can get a degree by repeating

everything the teacher says.

Teaching = Learning ?

Think about your past learning experiences

• Good/bad experiences of the most impressive teachers?

• Good/bad experiences of experiences you learn most, best/least, worst?

• Experiences where you appreciate/enjoy learning very much?

Learning is also individual!

Experiential learning - Kolb’s learning cycle

Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experiences - David Kolb

ActiveExperiment

Abstractconceptualisation

Reflective Observation

Concrete ExperienceGrasping via

APPREHENSION

Grasping via COMPREHENSION

Accommodative knowledge

Divergent knowledge

Convergent knowledge

Assimilativeknowledge

Transformation

Via EXTENSION

Transformation

Via INTENSION

What are Learning Styles?

Individuals’ different ways of taking in and processing information

- Richard Felder

How do you do reading? Some people…sometimes…

Factors Influencing Learning Styles

Before entering the University• Native ability (IQ)• Background (past experiences)

At the University• Learning environment e.g. match between learning style and

teaching style

Learning Environment- traditional

Outcome of learning is

more valued than

attitude, values, beliefs and students as creators of knowledge

Learning in PBL, Aalborg Context - Multi-resources - Integration of formal education and informal activities

Theme – a problem to solve at the beginning of each semester

Lectures

Supervision

Other teachers

Experts

Experiments

Literature

Family

Internet

Problem solving in

Group-organized project work

other groups

FriendsMore other resources

companies

Project report and oral exam at the end of semester

Purpose of Testing Learning Style

• To know about yourself - ‘in which way a student is smart’ rather than ‘whether this student is smart or not’

• To help learners to develop learning strategies and improve their learning by balancing it.

• To work with our teaching style to match and maximize student learning

The learning styles test (1)

1. Circle "a" or "b" for every one of the 44 questions.

The learning styles test (2)

2. Fill out the scoring sheet with a ’1’ for each of your answers.

3. Add ’1’s in column ’a’ and column ’b’ in each of the 4 fields.

4. Calculate the numerical difference between a-score and b-score and add an ’a’ or a ’b’ depending upon which is the larger sum.

The learning styles test (3)

5. Transfer your 4 preferences to the preference sheet which you keep yourself.

6. Each group member transfers her/his 4 preferences to the group preference sheet, as well as to the group acetate.

7. The scoring sheet is handed in to the lecturer. Remember to write name, sex and nationality. The group acetate is also handed in to the lecturer.

15 minutes’ Break

Different learning styles 1 Sensing Learners • Tend to like facts• Like solving problems by

well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises

• Be patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on work

• More practical and careful• don’t like courses that have

no apparent connection to the real world

Intuitive Learners• Prefer discovering possibilities

and relationships • Like innovation and dislike

repetition• Be better at grasping new

concepts and more comfortable with abstractions and mathematical formulations

• Work faster and more imaginative

• Don’t like courses that involve a lot of memorization and routine calculation

Everybody is sometimes sensing and sometimes intuitive. Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

Learning Strategies 1

Everybody is sometimes sensing and sometimes intuitive. Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

Sensing learners• Need connection to the

real world • Ask instructor for specific

examples of concepts and procedures and apply them in practice

• Find specifics by brainstorming with friends

Intuitive learners• Ask instructor for

interpretations or theories that link the facts

• Try to find the connections yourself

• Take time to read the entire question before you start answering and be sure to check our results carefully

Different learning styles 2

Visual LearnersRemember best what

they see - ‘Show me’

• Pictures• Diagrams• Sketches• schematics• Flow charts• plots

Verbal learners Getting more out of

words - ‘Explain it to me’

• Spoken words• Written words

Everybody is both visual and verbal. Preferring one does not mean that you don’t learn in the other way. Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

Learning Strategies 2

Visual learners • Find diagrams, sketches,

photographs, flow charts, etc.

• Find CD ROM version of teaching materials

• Use concept maps by listing key points, enclosing them in boxes or circles, drawing lines with arrows for connections…

• Colour code notes with highlighter

Verbal learners• Write summaries or

outlines• Working in groups can be

effective: to gain understanding of material by hearing classmates’ explanations

• You might learn more when you explain things to others

Everybody is both visual and verbal. Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

Different learning styles 3 Active Learners• Retain and understand

information best by doing something active

• Like discussion or applying it or explaining it to others

• ‘let’s try it out and see how it works’

• Like group work

Reflective Learners• Think about it quietly

before talk• Let’s think it through

first • Prefer working alone

quietly

Everybody is sometimes active and sometimes reflective. Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

Sitting through lectures without getting to do anything physicalBut taking notes is hard for both learning types, but particularly Hard for active learners.

Learning Strategies 3

Active learners • Try to compensate

discussion or problem-solving activities if they are lacking in classes

• Study in a group where members take turns explaining things

Reflective learners• Try to compensate time for

thinking about new information if it is missing in classes

• Don’t simply read or memorize the material

• Stop periodically to review what you have read and to think of possible questions or applications

• Write short summaries of readings or class notes in your own words

Everybody is sometimes active and sometimes reflective. Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

Different learning styles 4

Sequential Learners • Gain understanding in

linear steps • Follow logical stepwise

paths in finding solutions

• Feel comfortable explaining things

Global Learners • Learning in large jumps,

absorbing materials almost randomly without seeing connections, and suddenly ‘get it’. Need big picture to function

• Solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture

• Feel difficult to explain

Which is your preference? Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

Learning Strategies 4

Sequential learners • Most college courses are

taught in a sequential manner

• If you happen to meet a global teacher, ask him/her to fill in the skipped steps, or fill them in yourself by consulting references, or outline the lecture material for yourself in logical order

• Strengthen your global thinking skills by relating each new topic to things you already know to understand deeper.

Global learners• To get an overview by

skimming through the entire reading material before the fist section

• To relate the subject to something you already know to see the connections to find disciplines.

Possible Misunderstandings of Learning Styles

• Dividing people into a set category

• It is not like blood types – instead, it is just measuring height or weight along some point in life

Summary

• All types of learners are needed in every profession

• All learning styles are needed to addressed and satisfied in teaching

Where to do? How to deal with it?

Find a Balance!

An ideal learning style

Test

Generalisation/conceptualisation

Reflection

Experience

Tell me, I will forget; show me, I may remember; involve me, I will understand - Confucius

Active learning

• students learn (i.e. remember) :

– 10% of what they read– 26% of what they hear– 30% of what they see– 50% of what they see and hear– 70% of what they say– 90% of what they say and do

passive

active

Reflective Learning- Cowan loopy diagram

Reflection for in on action

Time

P0-proces analysis

P0-project start

P1-midway seminar

P1-process analysis

Exsperimental, testing

Consolidating, verifying

Next project

Everyday reflections – an enhanced Cowan loopy diagram

Planned and joint ’grand’ reflections

Incidential and personal ’small’ reflections

Reflection

Time

Can you think about some examples in

your life when you learn from your experiences and

reflections on those experiences?

Group Discussion and Presentation in Plenum

• Project group• Talk about your learning styles • Discuss learning strategies in PBL

environment - how to provide learning opportunities for

every type of learner in group work – how to make best of each other and make

the project work benefit from different ways of learning

• Make a presentation in plenum (representatives from each group)

Thank you for today and have a rest now!

Learn to enjoy life!