My Definition of Learning

[The below discussion is a philosophecal discussion that pertains to my beliefs]

To me, learning is the process of converting information to knowledge. Below is a clarification.

Information, is a meaningful data that is accessible to everybody. Examples of information would be written text, audible sentences, an experience that is observed, a feeling that touch us or any other instigation of our senses. Usually our brain process this information and store them in its memory space. This information could be retained in our memory or it could be forgotten.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is a an information that goes beyond the mere storage in the brain… it becomes an integral part of the person whether in the conscience or the subconscieous. It becomes a personified information that affects the individual-self and that relates to him or her only. For example, when you learn driving, you are told that you have to stop at the Stop sign. You can handle this information in one of two ways: either you will remember it and everytime you see the sign, you have to make the effort of stopping consciously (an if usually, if you are busy with something you would forget!) or the information will become part of your subconscious which becomes a natural reflex you do whenever you see the sign. The first case is merly information, while the second case is knowledge. Mostly, knowledge is constructed (i.e. rediscovered) by the individual… but this is another topic about constructivism…

Basically, information is public (accessible to everyone) while knowledge is private that relates to the individual. When a person expresses knoweldge thorugh any medium (written, oral or otherwise), the knowledge become transmitted to the the other person as information. The recepient either take it as information (consequently store it in the memory) or personalize it to make his or her individual knowledge.

Teaching is the act of transmit knowledge to another individual. The other indivdual will either store as information in the memory (thus we have route learning) or s/he will interact with the information moulding it previous knoweldge to create a new knowledge thus evolving into a newer personal reality (thus learning takes place.)

So, learning is the process of converting information to knowledge.

Examples will follow in another blog applying this concept to teaching and learning… that is if I remember!