What is Learning?

I believe that learning is the processes of absorbing, processing, understanding, and storing information to be used for later recall. This information can be perceived from a variety of sources and can be perceived in a variety of ways. I think you could actually differentiate learning into two different categories, direct and indirect learning. I think that direct learning is when someone sets out with the intent to learn a specific topic or task and they reach their goal when they have mastered the topic or task. When a student sits down in front of their specimen in Comp. Chordate Morph. and begins to dissect and identify, they are doing so with the intent to gain knowledge and be able to recall it later on the exam. This is direct learning. I think that indirect learning occurs when an individual gains and processes information that they did not intend to. I feel like this happens a lot in a non-academic setting. For instance, let's say your walking from Stevens to the IACC on a cold winter day and you are enthralled in a conversation about last night's episode of "New Girl". While discussing Zooey Deschanel's comic ability, you see someone slip and fall out of the corner of your eye. You are now aware that it's icy out and and you begin to move in more of a shuffle than a stride because you know that your pricey winter UGGs actually have very little traction whatsoever. You learned from seeing that other person fall and you adapted your actions to adhere to the new task, walking without slipping. I would say that this is indirect learning. You gained knowledge without seeking it out and you processed it to master a task.

I think that in order successfully learn, especially in a course like BIO 705, you must also go into it with an open mind. On occasion, our previous believes can cloud our receptiveness to new information and can interfere with our understanding. I feel that this is an obstacle that has to be overcome anytime that topic or task is on the forefront of the individuals prior knowledge or experience. For instance, some people in this course may have gone their whole academic career being taught in a traditional fashion. They have reached the graduate level so this traditional teaching style worked well for them. Now, they are being presented with data and evidence that a new teaching style is a better fit for most students. Without haveing an open mind, an individual with a traditional teaching backround will not effectively learn and understand this new information that's being presented to us, they will simply be memorizing.