Defining Learning

What is my current definition of learning?
I felt the definition of "learning" as explained by Susan Ambrose in How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching most accurately matched my own beliefs on the topic.

"A process that leads to change, which occurs as a result of experience and increases the potential of improved performance and future learning."

I like how she uses terms such as "change". "result of experience", "improved performance", and "future learning" as they capture the dynamic and intrinsic process that learning really is, and how it relates to the past and future of the learner. 

How do I believe people learn?
I believe people learn from experiences they have, whether those be positive or negative, and from a book or from real-life. Learning is what happens when people live their lives, and learning can be manipulated to produce long term benefits.

What will learning look like in my classes?
I want my students to learn how what we discuss in class is applicable to their real lives, and the world they share with past and will leave to the future. By allowing students to relate and identify with the information we study, and by making an honest effort to differentiate the methods of teaching so everyone can comprehend the material, I believe we can reach that ultimate "change" that learning can produce.

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