PART 2- Different Children Learn Different Disciplines at Different Pace

Process of Learning or Internalizing Knowledge:

According to the researcher, psychologist David Kolb, learning is a process of acquiring knowledge, which happens by a combination of grasping an experience and then transforming it based on how you internalize it; it could be just for understanding it by reflection, or it could be by actively experimenting with it with a purpose of learning in mind.

So, learning can be understood as the combination of two essential processes :

Learning = Grasping Information + Transforming that Information into Knowledge

When a child encounters a real-world experience, the mind first attempts to grasp it. This grasping may occur in several ways. The child may relate the new information to an existing concept, belief, or symbolic representation, or the understanding may emerge from a felt experience associated with a tangible event. In many cases, the mind simply tries to connect the new information to something already known, using prior experiences as reference points

How information is grasped forms the foundation for how it will later be transformed, internalized and applied.

This first process of internalizing knowledge, or how we make sense of this new information, is called Grasping. During this process, our mind will try to organize this information in a way we can understand.

The information grasped is then figuratively written or represented in our minds, in the way we approach it. It could be either by comparing with similar mental images in the past to attain an understanding of this experience, which is called internal reflection, or by active experimentation to attain new possibilities. Accordingly, the new experience will thus be written into our minds.

Thus, this second process of internalizing knowledge through active experimentation, or how we work with that knowledge in a way that makes it usable in the future, is called Transformation. This process, called Transformation, is what takes the learner’s existing understanding into insight or knowledge.

 Note: – Depending on the intensity of this transformation, it will be memorized in our brains.

Example:- We experience a good dish in a restaurant, our learning involves experiencing it through our senses; either by relating it to an earlier experience with a similar dish or it could’ve been a completely new one; so this part of the process is grasping an information and when based on our understanding of the experience we figuratively represent this experience in our mind for future use as insight or knowledge; that is called transformation.

Let’s take another Example in the context of a child:-

  A Child Learning About “Hot Objects”

Grasping (Taking in Information)
A child touches a warm cup of coffee and quickly pulls their hand back. They feel heat and slight discomfort.

They hear their parents say, “That’s hot. Be careful.”

Through their senses (touch, sight, hearing), the child grasped information:

• The cup feels hot
• “Hot” is the word for that feeling
• Hot things can hurt
  

Transformation (Making Meaning of the Information)

Later, the child sees steam rising from a bowl of soup.They remember the coffee experience and think:

“Steam means it might be hot. Hot things can hurt. I shouldn’t touch it.”

Now the child:

• Connects this new situation to the previous one
• Forms a mental rule: Steaming things are hot
• Uses that rule to guide future behavior
  

That mental reorganization and generalization is a transformation.
So, depending on how the child grasps or transforms the grasped information, the knowledge internalized will also be different.

Learning Pathways – Grasping, Transforming & Knowledge Formation

When a subject/experience/discipline is taught in class, how the student first grasps the information and how they later transform it into knowledge depends on many factors and accordingly, it results in different forms of learning or knowledge as follows: 

•   If the child is not able to relate the new information to any previous concepts or experiences; then the child would rely on the tangible felt qualities of the immediate experience; then it means the child has grasped the information in apprehension [Experiencing it for first time] and if this grasped information is further internalized or transformed by an internal reflection of familiar states of mental imagery of events in the past then this would lead to internalizing of divergent knowledge. This form of knowledge doesn’t just point to a single fixed understanding about the subject, but instead allows for multiple perspectives or interpretations about it. 
• If the child can relate the new information to an already perceived knowledge or a similar feeling of a tangible event in past; then the child grasps the information/experience through comprehension and if this comprehended information is subsequently internalized or transformed by an internal reflection of mental imagery or mental structures (such as synaptic connections) in the past without any alteration, then this would create assimilative knowledge. Here, this new information easily gets inserted into the student’s existing cognitive framework.
•  If the child can grasp the information by comprehending it with an experience and use this information to solve a situation or, for example, a math problem, it is convergent knowledge. Here, the student reaches a definite conclusion or outcome using the information gathered.
• If the child grasps the experience in apprehension [Experiencing it for the first time] and then transforms by experimenting further on it [Trial & Error approach], the knowledge acquired is called Accommodative knowledge. This process involves creating a new neural network or mental framework instead of fitting it to existing ones. For example, a mindset to develop & explore a new idea further, innovate something, etc

“Memories are created by what we do, not by what we think “

~ Byron Pulsifer

Learning Speed Does Not Define Learning Ability

Internalizing information in the classroom depends a lot on the child’s prior exposure to similar situations or experiences. Equally important is how the child transforms themselves after grasping the information.

For this reason, a child who appears to be a slow learner may not necessarily lack ability. Once the child grasps the concept, the way they use, apply, or act upon that information is shaped by their learning orientation or thinking style. In fact, a child who takes longer to understand a new idea may excel at applying it in real-life situations, precisely because of how they have processed or learned it. (Please refer to earlier chapters that explore different forms of thinking styles in children.)

Ultimately, the learning environment matters deeply. When an event or experience within that environment stimulates the child’s brain, it is more likely to be expressed through the child’s actions. If such stimulation is absent, the experience may remain unfamiliar to the child. In these cases, depending on the intensity and novelty of the experience, the brain may form new neural circuits that are essential for retaining information and recalling it for future use.

Teaching faculty also need to be aware that the way a child grasps information is strongly influenced by the child’s learning orientation, including the child (Learning styles + Thinking modes + Learning space or ecosystem). As a result, a child’s learning orientation in the classroom plays a significant role in how effectively and accurately information is internalized.

Now this doesn’t mean the child cannot develop or adapt to the required learning orientation, it’s possible, just that the child needs more guidance & support. We will discuss more on how to attain a much more flexible learning orientation in children in future blogs.

Importance of the right Learning Space: –

We have discussed Learning styles & Thinking modes in earlier articles; readers are encouraged to refer to them to better understand the concept of learning orientation. When we talk about learning space, there is often a tendency to equate it solely with the physical classroom. However, learning space extends far beyond physical settings.

According to experiential learning theory and insights from psychology, a learning space is a multi-dimensional environment that influences how a child learns. It includes physical, cultural, institutional, social and psychological dimensions, all of which interact to shape the learner’s experience. 

Learning spaces in education should be designed with the learner at the center, rather than being created solely by teachers based on the content they intend to deliver. While children must develop a flexible learning orientation that allows them to learn across diverse situations and environments, nurturing this adaptability should itself be a primary objective of schooling.

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day, but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives“. ~ Clay P. Bedford

Conclusion:

When schools and educators are unable to facilitate the right learning space for every child, they often end up expecting children to learn within a highly objective environment- one designed primarily around the subject matter rather than for the learner. Such environments may or may not align with a child’s individual learning space or learning orientation itself. 

As a result, non-performance or slower learning is frequently attributed to the child when it may in fact be linked to the learning environment itself. Teachers need to recognize this possibility before thinking a child is weak, while parents should proactively support their children in developing the ability to adapt to diverse learning environments, especially during early childhood.

Achieving this requires a high level of awareness and collaboration among educators, schools, parents and children alike.