Memory/Types of Learning

September 12, 2007

Working Memory
When creating chains of information to train learners:
Remember - the working memory can remember 7 (+ or - 2) items at a time
The working memory can remember 5 to 9 items
If you chunk the items, you can remember 5 to 9 things within each chunk

Types of Learning
Declarative Knowledge - Verbal Information
Procedural Knowledge - Intellectual Skills
Discrimination
Real learning occurs at the discrimination level, not the association level
What is the difference between things? What is valuable and what is not?
Concrete Concepts
Principles
Procedures
Problem Solving
Cognitive Strategies
Attitudes
Psychomotor Skills

There has been some debate over how large a role learning types and learning preferences should play in designing instruction. I think it plays an important part in instructional design, but I do worry when people say things like, "I am a kinesthetic learner. I can only learn things if I'm moving, acting them out, and experiencing them."
There are two things I don't like about that: One, I don't like the label. People learn in a variety of ways. I fear that a label can limit people to that one category when they are really capable of much more. Two, I don't like the finality of the statement. People are capable of learning in many ways. The more ways in which someone learns a concept, the more that concept will stick with them. The world does not always offer information in the way you prefer. You must exercise your ability to learn in a variety of ways in order to be able to adjust to what is presented to you and still have successful learning experiences no matter how information is presented. One way may still be your preference, but you need to be flexible as a learner.