Transcription
Hello and welcome. Today we are studying learning. Memorization, discussed in a previous video, and learning are two essential processes for human beings, both to acquire knowledge on an individual basis and for the evolution of our species.
Let's start with a definition of learning. We are constantly learning, even before birth. The future baby recognizes their surroundings during their time in embryo. Even though this learning is limited, they react to familiar voices, to music, and to their mother's emotions. This changes after birth, when the infant's learning becomes essential to their survival.
There are two types of perceptions in this process: Neo-behaviorist perception, which involves acquiring know-how and new information that can help improve skills; and cognitivist perception, which deals with the modification or evolution of previously learned information. Learning is a constructive and active process, linking new knowledge with knowledge that has already been acquired. For example, you can't learn a foreign language without mastering your own language.
Learning is long and sometimes arduous, and is affected by the person's age, skills, and interests. One theory, put forward by Donald Hebb in 1949, suggests that the more a neural network is stimulated, the stronger the connections between neurons become, facilitating learning. The phrase "cells that fire together, wire together" explains that the brain corrects its mistakes to reach a stable state.
Overall, learning is based on repetition, like the infant who learns to walk by falling several times before succeeding. This process is also cumulative. Past experiences help the child to perfect their walking ability.
Learning consists of three phases: acquisition, during which information is perceived and understood. From a pedagogical point of view, a teacher must adapt to each student's abilities and structure the data so that students can assimilate it; retention, where a memory trace is created depending on the student's abilities, previous experiences, learning techniques, and prior knowledge; and transfer, which is the ability to use knowledge in a different context. This ability is made easier when there is a similarity between the learned topic and the topic to be learned, for example, between tennis and badminton. But depending on the context, it is more or less simple to restore acquired information, such as applying mathematical formulas to everyday life.
The teacher must therefore help students to develop their metacognition, that is, to become aware of their abilities, to analyze the available options, and to transfer the learned concepts from one context to another.
Now let's talk about the two main learning types: associative and non-associative. Associative learning uses a stimulus to transmit a teaching. There are two forms: classical and instrumental. Classical learning, illustrated by the Pavlovian response, is based on the principle of stimulus and response. Associating a reward with success increases motivation. For example, during potty training, giving the child a sticker when they use the potty.
Instrumental learning uses reinforcement and punishment, which can be both positive and negative, to increase or decrease the probability of a particular behavior. For example, praise is positive reinforcement, but withdrawal from an obligation is negative reinforcement. On the contrary, the addition of an obligation represents a positive punishment, but the withdrawal of a privilege is a negative punishment.
On the contrary, non-associative learning does not link stimuli and behavior. The two forms of non-associative learning are habituation and sensitization. Learning by habituation is a passive process. We can also talk about desensitization. For example, the more we are exposed to violence, the less we pay attention to it. Learning by sensitization happens with intense or painful stimuli. For example, when a child avoids an iron after getting burned on it.
Other forms of learning include learning by imitation, that is, by copying others. This technique is effective but includes the risk of assimilating negative behaviors; constructivist learning, which encourages the analysis of the deep meaning of information, which allows for a thorough understanding of the concepts; learning by transmission of knowledge, the teacher shares the information as in a university course; cognitive learning, where the learner actively analyzes the information received; learning through research and experience, which is the most attractive form and therefore most effective for memorization; and learning by remote controlled actions, where the object to be learned is divided into objectives, which are completed at the student's own pace.
Repetitive exercises are also essential for memorization and for the acquisition of automatisms, while limiting analytical thinking. However, other techniques are more stimulating: oral presentations, where in-depth research on a concept makes it possible to approach new concepts; simulation, common in aviation and computer science, which helps the student to analyze learned concepts from different angles while putting him/her in front of the unexpected; and group activities, such as discussion, debate, play, or lab work.
Education should not be confused with learning. Education relates to an educational system, while learning encompasses all the skills acquired with or without a teacher, with or without experience. Education is limited in time, but learning lasts a lifetime.
Neuroscience thus facilitates learning, especially at school, by offering the following six tips:
1. For optimal memorization, make sure you captivate and maintain students' attention at all times.
2. Encourage active participation for effective learning.
3. To avoid stress and anxiety, don't stigmatize mistakes, but instead encourage efforts.
4. Offer a purpose: the information transmitted must answer the question, "What will it do for me?"
5. Involve all the senses for the best possible memorization.
6. Remember that students need enough sleep to have good memory skills.
Remember that it is a pleasure to learn. You know that we are better able to remember when we are interested in the subject because our attention is then at a maximum. That will be the topic of the next video. See you soon.