Learning Methods

INTRODUCTION

First of all we will look at the physiology learning which will explain us the natural process of retaining memory. Secondly we will present two learning styles, Visual Auditory Reading Kinaesthetic also called VARK as well as Honey and Mumford and analyze their different methodologies and finally we will discuss how those methods can be applied to my own past and future experiences.

Chapter One

Physiology of learning

Generally speaking, physiology of learning is commonly known as something arising from the stimulation of neurons in the brain. Current understanding of neurons and the central nervous system involve that the process of learning corresponds to changes in the relationship between certain neurons in the brain. Research is constant in this area.

Generally, however, it is recognized that retaining memory is easier when multiple parts of the brain (such as hearing, seeing, smelling, motor skills, touch sense, and logical thinking lobes; informal names given) are stimulated.

Types of learning

Habituation

In psychology, habituation is an example of non-associative learning in which there is a progressive reduction of behavioral answer probability with repetition of a motivation. It is another form of integration.

“An animal first responds to a stimulus, but if it is neither rewarding nor harmful the animal reduces subsequent responses. One example of this can be seen in small song birds - if a stuffed owl (or similar predator) is put into the cage, the birds initially react to it as though it were a real predator. Soon the birds react less, showing habituation. If another stuffed owl is introduced (or the same one removed and re-introduced), the birds react to it as though it were a predator, showing that it is only a very specific stimulus that is habituated to (namely, one particular unmoving owl in one place). Habituation has been shown in essentially every species of animal, including the large protozoan”

Stentor coeruleus

Imprinting

Imprinting is the term used in psychology to describe any kind of phase-sensitive learning (learning occurring at a particular age) that is fast and apparently independent of the consequences of behavior. It was first used to describe situations in which an animal or person learns the characteristics of some stimulus, which is therefore said to be "imprinted" into the subject.

Observational learning

The most basic learning process is imitation; first personal repetition of an observed process, such as a smile. Therefore an imitation will take time (attention to the details), space (a location for learning), skills (or practice), and other resources (for example, a protected area). Through copying, most infants learn how to hunt, feed and perform most basic tasks necessary for survival.

Play

Play generally describes behavior which has no particular end in itself, but improves performance in similar situations in the future.

“This is seen in a large variety of vertebrates besides humans, but is mostly limited to mammals and birds. Cats are known to play with a ball of string when young, which gives them experience with catching prey. Furthermore with non-living objects, animals may play with other members of their own species or other animals, such as orcas playing with seals they have caught. Play involves a significant cost to animals, such as increased vulnerability to predators and the risk or injury and possibly infection. It also consumes energy, so there must be significant benefits associated with play for it to have evolved. Play is generally seen in younger animals, suggesting a link with learning. However, it may also have other benefits not associated directly with learning, for example improving physical fitness.”

Stentor coeruleus

Chapter Two

In fact, there are many Learning Style methodologies that different people learn in different ways and that it is good to know some of the most useful methods nowadays.

VARK Model

The VARK model has been developed by Neil Flemming of Lincoln University

(Canterbury, New Zealand) and his colleagues. The VARK is related with four kinds of classification, i.e., it refers to the medium in which students prefer to receive information.

The VARK model identifies four distinct learning styles. These styles are:

• Visual (Learn By Seeing)

• Auditory (Learn By Hearing)

• Reading / Writing (Learn By Processing Text)

• Kinaesthetic Or Practical (Learn by Doing)

Let me consider them briefly one by one.

Visual

Speech is the most common mode of information exchange in human society. Anthropologists claim the development of speech to be one of the crucial stages in the evolution of ancestors of homo sapience.

Auditory

We receive a lot of information by ear. For people with aural preference it is the preferred and most efficient way of receiving information. Students with this preference learn best from lectures, discussions, and so on.

Reading / Writing

The development of writing and subsequently the invention of a printing press were no doubt crucial stages in the development of the human civilisation. People from the reading/writing group prefer to receive information from written or printed words. Students with this preference learn best from textbooks, lecture notes, handouts, and so on.

Kinaesthetic

The last group, kinaesthetics, need real, multi-sensory experience.

They learn by doing. Students with this preference learn best from practical sessions, field trips, experiments or simulation, etc. In order to obtain conceptual and intangible material they need it to be accompanied by analogies, similes, and real life examples.

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