Table 1: Definitions of learning types
|
Learning
type
|
The learning experience
|
|
Acquisition
|
Learning through acquisition is what
learners are doing when they are listening to a presentation or podcast,
reading from books or websites, and watching demos or videos.
This is
probably still the most common type of learning in formal education. The
student is playing a relatively passive role while the teacher uses the
transmission mode of teaching… We cannot avoid learning through acquisition.
Students need to learn what others have discovered, to hear about expert ways
of thinking and practising, and what is known already about the subject.
Enabling students to build on the work of others is fundamental to formal
education and the progressive development of ideas.
|
|
Discussion
|
Learning through discussion requires the
learner to express their ideas and questions, and to challenge and respond to
the ideas and questions from the teacher, and/or from other students.
The
discussion may or may not end with a consensual outcome. The pedagogic value
is the reciprocal critique of ideas, and how this leads to the development of
a more elaborated conceptual understanding.
|
|
Investigation
|
Learning through investigation guides the
learner to explore, compare and critique the texts, documents and resources
that reflect the concepts and ideas being taught.
Rather
than having to ‘follow the storyline’, as in learning through acquisition,
they are in control of the sequence of information, and can ‘follow their own
line of inquiry’, making them more active, and giving them a greater sense of
ownership of their learning, taking a critical and analytical approach, and
thereby coming to a fuller understanding of the ideas.
|
|
Practice
|
Learning through practice enables the
learner to adapt their actions to the task goal, and use the feedback to
improve their next action. Feedback may come from self-reflection, from other
students, from the teacher, or from the activity itself - if it shows them
how to improve the result of their action in relation to the goal of the
activity.
This helps
them to develop, understand and use the knowledge and skills of a discipline,
like ‘learning by doing’, or ‘learning through experience’.
|
|
Collaboration
|
Learning through
collaboration embraces mainly discussion, practice, and production. Building
on investigations and acquisition it is about taking part in the process of
knowledge building itself.
It is distinct from learning through practice because although it
builds something this is necessarily done through participation and
negotiation with peers. It is distinct from learning through production,
because although it produces something this is through debate and sharing
with others.
|
|
Production
|
Learning through production is the way the
teacher motivates the learner to consolidate what they have learned by expressing
their current conceptual understanding and how they used it in practice.
Producing
an output generates a representation of the learning enabled by the other
types. In its simplest form it is the learner’s expression of their current
thinking, which enables the teacher to see how well they have learned, and to
respond with feedback, guidance and further explanation.
|
Table 2: Definitions of ‘learning types’ in terms of
typical technologies used
|
Learning
types
|
Conventional
technology
|
Digital
technology
|
|
Acquisition
|
Reading books, papers;
Listening to teacher presentations
face-to-face, lectures;
Watching demonstrations, master classes.
|
Reading multimedia resources, websites,
digital documents and resources;
Listening to podcasts, webcasts;
Watching animations, videos.
|
|
Collaboration
|
Small group project, discussing other
students’ outputs, creating a joint output.
|
Small group project, using online forums,
wikis, chat rooms, etc. for discussing other students’ outputs, creatng a joint
digital output.
|
|
Discussion
|
Tutorials, tutor groups, student seminars
(students leading discussion), discussion groups, class discussions.
|
Online tutorials, tutor groups and seminars,
email discussions, discussion forums, web-conferencing tools (synchronous
and asynchronous).
|
|
Investigation
|
Using text-based study guides;
Analysing the ideas and information in a
range of materials and resources;
Using books, people, field trips, to collect
data for analysis;
Comparing texts, searching and evaluating
information and ideas.
|
Using online advice and guidance;
Analysing the ideas and information in a
range of digital resources;
Using digital tools to collect and analyse
data;
Comparing digital texts, using digital tools
for searching and evaluating information and ideas.
|
|
Practice
|
Doing practice exercises; using tools; doing
practice-based projects, labs, field trips, face-to-face role-play
activities.
|
Using digital tools, models, simulations, digital
games, microworlds, virtual labs and field trips, online role-play
activities.
|
|
Production
|
Producing their own representations of what
they have learned, using statements, essays, reports, accounts, designs,
performances, artefacts, animations, models, videos.
|
Producing and storing digital documents,
representations of designs, performances, artefacts, animations, models,
resources, slideshows, photos, videos, blogs, e-portfolios.
|
Reference
Definitions are taken from Chapters 6-11 in
Laurillard, D. (2012). Teaching as a
Design Science: Building Pedagogical Patterns for Learning and Technology.
New York and London: Routledge.
