In light of the talk about "unlearning":
Current theories about learning based on cognitive research analyze the
learning process into five stages in one model:
calling up old knowledge
learning new knowledge
using new knowledge
understanding new knowledge
reflecting on the whole process
The steps do not have to occur in this order, of course. In fact, many of
us believe it's often best to start with "using new knowledge" because
"using" is hands-on and jumping right in and using something can change
existing misperceptions. Belief can follow practice (rather than always
preceding it).
For instance, you can show someone a graph with inches of water on the x
axis and time of day (6:00 am, 6:02 am, etc.) on the y axis. It looks like
a scary-to-some mathematical/ science thing. Then you tell a story that
explains your graph: I ran the water; got into the tub; got back out to
get the soap; and so on.
Math phobes, kids, other folks get a true and perhaps different picture of
graphs. Or maybe they get the picture--that everyone can learn and use
math, for instance.
It's been shown, too, that even if you get kids to "learn" something new
that they already intuitively "know," but incorrectly (like how the eye
works), they will go back to their old knowledge if ample opportunities to
reflect and use and understand aren't build in.
--Mary Apodaca mapodaca@carbon.cudenver.edu
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>