Learning is an important aspect of our lives. Not only does it make us more flexible, it also keeps us updated in a rapidly changing environment. If you were to relate the human brain to the computer then learning would be the software update. Just as we keep our electronic devices updated with the latest software to prevent obsolescence. Similarly, it is critical to keep ourselves up to date through continuous learning. Just as our gadgets become more efficient as technology progresses so should our learning strategies.
As students our purpose of studying is to stimulate learning in our brains. Not all forms of studying lead to learning. So it's necessary that we understand what learning is and how it occurs.
Two main goals of learning are:
1. Take in new information in a form that your brain can process
2. Retrieve the information to solve problems
But how exactly does learning take place?
Successful learning is achieved when we are able to understand/ retain the knowledge and then remember/ retrieve it to solve new problems. In this article we are going to focus first on the understanding aspect of learning.
Understanding occurs when we are able to connect new information to what we already know. Think of it like an interconnected web holding on to the new information. The more the connections the higher the chance of retaining the knowledge. If you are studying Newton's third law (every action has an equal and opposite reaction), think about what happens when you throw a ball towards the wall. Its comes back right? In the opposite direction you threw right? If you throw harder it will bounce back harder. See! that's exactly what Newton's third law is.
Let us dive deep and explore what happens when we are introduced to some new information for the very first time. To explain this we will utilize the information processing model.
We are continuously exposed to new information from our surroundings, the information is received through each of our senses. The information from our senses first becomes part of our sensory memory. Information received to the sensory memory is lost if it doesn't catch our attention. The bulk of information that our senses receive is lost. That probably explains why we don't learn anything when we passively read or listen without paying attention. This is the way our brain works and there is good in it, if our brain were to record all the sensory information, it would quickly become overwhelmed by the amount of information received. So our sensory memory acts as a filter to only let in the information that is important.
The information that receives our attention is then taken on to the working memory. The working memory is the few bits of information that is held in our brains when we actively think about something, this allows us to work on a task without loosing track of what we are doing.
The working memory aka. the short term memory, doesn't last very long, so it needs to be rehearsed again and again to keep it in the working memory otherwise it is also lost. Only certain information that is processed in the working memory is then taken to the Long term memory and the rest is forgotten. The processed information is stored in the LTM through a process called encoding.
Encoding is the process of getting information into our memory, it occurs when information is converted in a form that can be processed mentally. Think of it like a code that can be processed by the brain. The information that is received through sensory signals are processed and converted into code for storage.
There are three main ways in which information can be encoded (converted):
- Visual (picture)
- Acoustic (sound)
- Semantic (meaning)
Storage in the working memory is short term and tends to be through visuospatial and acoustic encoding, which means when a person is rehearsing a phrase or number and are verbally repeating to themselves the information is stored in the short term memory. Whereas information in the long term memory is mainly stored through semantic encoding (adding meaning), but it can also be done through visual and acoustic encoding.
The long term memory has an infinite capacity and with processing and effort it enters the long term memory, then it stays there forever. Although the capacity is very large, information retrieval becomes difficult if not practiced enough. The more we practice retrieving the information the better we get at remembering something. It is also important to mention that when we retrieve information from the long term memory, it goes back to the working memory for any application.
Key Takeaways
- The two main goals of learning are first to encode information to our memory and second to retrieve it to solve new problems.
- We cannot absorb in any new information if we don't engage with it, this is the reason passive learning is ineffective, we need to be active with our learning.
- Learning occurs when we connect new information to what we already know, the better the connection the better the learning.
- The more we practice retrieving the information the better we get at remember it, only then are we able to apply it to solve new problems.
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