What Science Shows About Concept Attainment:
Learning is far more than memory. Learning is thinking about something and making connections to prior experiences and knowledge (Schmidt, 2012). In our brain, we develop schemas. A schema is defined as a cluster of knowledge about a concept or object (Martinez, 2010). As we encounter new information, our brain decides whether or not this new information fits into our existing schema (Schmidt, 2012). Our brain will then do one of two things with the new information. Our brain will either perform accommodation, the learner will change knowledge, beliefs, and actions in order to make sense of the new experience (Martinez, 2010). Or our brain will perform assimilation, the new experience fits into our existing schema, and the information is simply added to it (Martinez, 2010). This process of organizing and reorganizing information is how people develop an understanding of something (Schmidt, 2012).
What are the implications for educators? According to Schmidt we must acknowledge the following:
1. We need to recognize that every student has the flawless ability to learn.
2. We need to understand that learning is a constructive process, not a memory process.
3. We need to acknowledge that students, like adults, have things that are more important to them and prefer to direct their attention to those things.
4. We need to recognize that some students have not often been asked to think critically in school.
5. Students may not have the positive dispositions and habits of mind needed for learning when they enter the classroom.
6. Students have tenacious beliefs and perceptions, some of which may not be alterable if they conflic with personal beliefs.
References
Martinez, Michael. 2010. Learning and Cognition: The Design Of the Mind. Pearson Education.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Schmidt, Diane. Stephans, Joseph. 2012. Models, Methods, and Strategies for a New Era. Shifting
Emphasis from Teaching to Learning.
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