The classic study on K-12 education, How People Learn, has been updated. The original work, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School, came out in 2000. The National Academies has now issued an updated report, this time called How People Learn II.
The study director sat down for an interview with Campustechnology.com to discuss the the project. She says that the original report in its expanded version has been the third most downloaded report from the National Academies Press site.
Key Findings of Study
According to Sujeeta Bhatt, some of the key findings include:
One is that culture plays an important and complex role in shaping how people learn. We already established in How People Learn I that people are not a blank slate; to really understand learning, you have to learn all the context that can affect learning. Culture is a big one. There are examples in the report of groups where learning is done through observation of adults or experts doing a task. You have this culture of the school itself and the culture of the classroom; but you’ve also got culture of each individual student that needs to be kept in mind.
Another key finding is the fact that learning is a dynamic process that continues across the lifespan. It doesn’t just stop when you’re done with high school. There are other things that affect learning throughout life. This is related to the issue of context. Because the brain adapts throughout life, there are things that can affect how people learn: social engagement, physical exercise, sleep, nutrition — these are all things that have to be kept in mind to understand the science of learning.
Another key finding is on mental models, which are important to develop knowledge. And there are a whole host of strategies that can help learners develop mental models so they can retain knowledge and use it. It’s not just the retention of the information, but actually using it and applying it appropriately to solve new problems or make inferences that’s [important].
Another really important factor in learning is motivation. It’s pretty clear that’s important — and motivation in early childhood to early adulthood to adulthood evolves. The report does make mention of some ways that educators can support learners’ motivation. One of the things is to help to set desired learning goals and performance goals that are appropriately challenging. They create a learning experience that learners value and support the learners’ sense of control and autonomy. They help them develop a sense of competency by assisting them in recognizing, monitoring and strategizing about their learning progress. And they create a supportive learning environment that’s not threatening, that helps them feel safe and valued.
The full interview with Sujeeta Bhatt is available here.
More posts on How People Learn can be found here.
Rick W. Burkett runs the John A. Logan College Teaching and Learning Center, teaches history, heads runs an educational nonprofit. He publishes blogs on a wide variety of topics, including history, teaching and learning, student success, and teaching online.
