Literally Literacy-Guest Columnist

- "THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF THE LEARNING PROCESS" -

by
Bud Pues, Pues & Associates*

RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH ADULT

Society expects each individual, by the time he or she reaches adulthood, to have the ability to independently and efficiently access information (find, input and decode through reading and listening), organize/process information (make sense of information), 3) remember/store information, 4) retrieve, recall or use stored information.

It is these three parts of the learning activity which I call the

The Four Dimensions of Learning
(1) Accessing Information

(2) Organizing Information

(3) Storing Information

(4) Retrieving Information

DIMENSION 1: ACCESSING INFORMATION

Learning begins with some type of stimulus of the senses - all the senses. Each individual learns from interaction with his/her environment. These experiences (interactions) bombard the nervous system with all manner of bits and bytes of information. From birth (and perhaps prior to birth) onward, the individual experiences sensations which must be acknowledged and processed. Over time, the senses become more highly developed and some might even be developed to an acute stage. An early life, rich in experiences, gives the individual greater possibility for a lot more stored information.

Learning is also a very individual process. No two people intake and process information in the same manner. Piaget suggests that all individuals develop by a process of active adaptation to environment - a process of assimilation and accommodation. Even though there is a definite pattern of development for children, each child develops at his/her own pace, and, in their own way.

As the individual grows and develops, the senses also shift their order of priority, i.e., the baby or infant is involved in a lot of physical activity, is experiencing handling, cuddling, petting, etc., is making and responding to noises, and is taking in visual images. The early school years are forcing the child to use the visual & auditory senses in far greater proportion to the other senses. In the process of moving from the tactile-kinesthetic learning of early childhood and early primary grades to the middle grades, many children aren't ready to "sit down and be quiet". The transition to greater visual & auditory learning is often delayed - wherein lies much of the cause of school failure.

The early work years and part-time employment give students an opportunity to try different types of jobs to determine which he/she likes best. Later on, as an adult with employment options, each person usually selects jobs and hobbies closely matched to individual learning styles. This also ensures that the individual will receive the greatest reinforcement and reward from these activities - both which they enjoy and usually, which they find easiest to perform.

Thus, if a person appears weak in visual perception or in auditory perception, it is important for both the instructor and the student to know what are the alternative modes of strength which that individual should use in order to be a successful learner. It also indicates the need for activities which can strengthen the areas of weakness.

LEARNING MODALITIES

It is crucial to understand and remember that all new information comes into the brain through the five senses! - hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, muscles. No matter the age, information is constantly being taken in by these senses. This information is then turned over to the brain to sort it and sift it and decide which will remain and which will be discarded. That's when a whole bunch of variables come into play such as motivation, immediate use of the information, perceived value of the information, and which modalitiy or learning channel is most activated by the learning activity through which the new information is coming in.

A Learning Modality is a "mode", "manner" or "channel" through which information is accessed or recorded in the brain, i.e., visually, auditorally, or tactually and/or kinesthetically.

The Three Main Modalities used in instructional and learning situations are:

1. Visual Learning: Processing Visual Images
- Observation: Scanning the area; scanning for detail: "reading" body language; noting color, shape and design

- Deciphering/Decoding graphic symbols: pictures; symbols/signs; words; phrases; sentences; stories

2. Auditory Learning: Processing Auditory Messages

- Listening; discriminating oral sounds; understanding oral messages;talking, discussion, oralcommunication

3. Tactile/Kinesthetic (Active): Processing Tactile & Kinesthetic Messages or Experiences

- Handling, touching, feeling; being in the activity or place; moving about; finger/hand dexterity; fine and gross motor activity; performing (dance, acting, sports).

Here is a more detailed listing of the characteristics of each of the learning modalities.

VISUAL LEARNERS

The Reader

• Prefers to learn by reading, not listening
• Reads during free time; reading material always available
• Magazine subscriptions, book clubs
• Prefers to see new information in print
• Studies by reviewing notes or skimming text
• Excellent recall of material that has been read
• Good at homework assignments
• Prefers to study alone
• Remembers addresses or phone numbers better if they see it in writing
• Likes to work on puzzles & workbooks

The Observer

• Scans everything; wants to see things; enjoys visual stimuli
• Stores visual images - and good at recalling visual images
• Enjoys shapes, colors, patterns, maps, pictures, diagrams,
• Can recall words after seeing them a few times
• Not pleased with lectures
• Daydreams - a word, sound, smell causes recall & mental wandering
• Can vividly describe the details of a scene

AUDITORY LEARNERS

The "Listener"

• Prefers lectures to reading assignments
• Good at remembering oral directions/instructions - even if they are written down
• Likes to listen to stories, poems, music, and tapes
• Seldom takes notes or writes things down
• Often repeats what has just been said - talks to self
• Subvocalizes
• Often moves lips while reading
• Likes "ghetto blasters"
• Likes to study with noise or music going
• Usually has a good "ear" for music
• Likes attending plays, music events

The Talker - (The Interactive Learner)

• Prefers to discuss ideas & concepts
• Often repeats or restates, aloud, what has just been said
• Asks, immediately after assignment given, "What's our assignment?"
• Remembers an address or phone number by saying it aloud
• Often needs to think aloud - thoughts must come out the mouth
• Needs a chance to reflect
• Likes brainstorming
• Likes to perform - to on stage: skits, role playing, charades, plays, drama, musicals
• Likes social activities, parties

TACTILE-KINESTHETIC LEARNERS

Tactual(Tactile): Touching;

• A "toucher"; hugger
• In touch with self & feelings
• Needs to touch, handle, manipulate materials & objects - especially while studying or listening
• Good at drawing designs
• Often doodles while listening
• Often "hugs" self while listening or concentrating; strokes hands, arms or clothing
• Likes computers
• Stands close during conversation

Kinesthetic: movement of muscles

• The "Doer"
• Needs to get up & move around often in order to process information
• Reads with his finger, card under line, underlines
• Talks with his hands, whole body
• Good at reading body language
• Likes charades, acting
• Good at sports, mechanics, using tools
• Often adventurers, hikers, joggers
• Non-desk types

Types of Learners

These three learning modalities are also used to describe the learners - visual learners, auditory learners, and tactile/kinesthetic learners (often referred to as 'active' learniers). It is important to point out, however, that when the term "visual learner" is used it refers to the main or dominant modality used by the learner to process new information. No one is a "pure" visual learner or auditory learner or tactile learner. We are combinations of these modalities. It is the relative strength of each modality which determines our Learning Style, as described earlier.

These three categories have been used by some educators for the past several decades. However, research and experience of the past decade has demonstrated that these three main groups can be further subdivided so that under the three main headings there are two sub-groups each, i.e, there are two types of visual learners: The Reader and The Observer; of auditory learners: The Listener and The Talker; for tactile/kinesthetic learners: The Toucher and The Doer.

Some areas of concern:

1. Visual Perception weaknesses demonstrate themselves when a person has difficulty with subtle differences in position or in relationships. A confusion with spatial positioning might show up with reversals such as "b" and "d", "p" and "q", etc., or "was" for "saw", etc. This problem might show up in both reading and writing tasks.

The poor visual learner might also have difficulty with left and right - referred to as position in space. Others might demonstrate a problem in focusing on the stimulus (figure/word) as separate from all the other background stimuli. This is sometimes demonstrated by skipping words, skipping a line, losing their place in the text.

The person with visual perception problems might also demonstrate this problem by being uncoordinated in either/both fine or gross motor activities: poor writing, typing, drawing skills; not good at sports. This is the problem you see when the eyes must tell the hand or legs what to do, such as catching, kicking or hitting a ball, doing a puzzle, using a hammer, jumping a rope.

2. Auditory Perception. Some people have difficulty distinguishing subtle differences in sounds. This is the person who has had difficulty learning to read with a pure phonics approach. This is the person who might appear to answer a question incorrectly. For example: A child in response to the question "How are you?", responds, "8 years old". The "are" was heard as "old".

Another problem in this area is demonstrated by a person's difficulty in understanding or carrying on a conversation or hearing a lecture in a noisy room. In its extreme, this person might actually experience discomfort in the ear to such an extent that they must leave the room or the area. With the child, this might also be evidenced by extreme agitated physical activity. Another might be the person to whom you are speaking hasn't discerned that you are speaking directly to him/her because of the surrounding noise - until you have been talking for several sentences, or may not even hear you. For this person, you need to be sure you have his attention, i.e., establish eye contact, speak his/her name, then proceed. With others, this problem might be evidenced by a auditory lag, i.e., the person is processing the first sentence/direction and you're already on sentence three or four. For this person, speak slower and pause so the person has time to process. Quite often what they must do is to repeat everything you say in order for them to understand it.

Another is the person who has difficulty understanding the words of a song because of the instrumental sounds.

 

DIMENSION 2: ORGANIZING INFORMATION: PROCESSING/INTEGRATION

"Accessing" and "processing/organizing" are often spoken of as one activity because they are so closely linked. The "messages" taken in through the senses are transmitted via the nerves to the central nervous system. It is in the nervous system (stem & brain) that the messages are processed, i.e., sorted, analyzed, questioned, compared, etc.

Processing information is how we perceive things. It is all those things that go on within our nervous system as we respond to external stimuli. The old illustration of "recording on a blank page" is only applicable to the newborn - then after that, each stimuli, experience, behavior is compared to previous "stored" information. Each new sound, visual stimuli, tactile stimuli (cuddling, holding, positioning, petting, slapping) is recorded, compared, sorted, evaluated & integrated into "storage". Everything new is analyzed, evaluated and compared to what is already in 'storage" (long-term memory).

As with the intake component, the processing is very individualistic. Because no two people see things quite the same way or have the exact same set of experiences, all new experiences will be interpreted, analyzed, etc., a little differently. And the process that an individual uses to arrive at conclusions will be totally individualistic. Every individual interprets and "understands" things just a little differently than others. A group or class may have been exposed to the same material in the same manner, but each student will process it and prepare it for response or storage on the basis of all previous experiences and stored knowledge.

All information which comes into the brain must be organized, put in the right order (sequenced) and understood (made sense of, related to previous information).

Sequencing problems: This person has difficulty in relating an experience or a story in its sequential happening. This person might also reverses numbers - either auditory or visually, writing a 32 when they hear 23 or copying 32 when it had been written as 23. This person might have all the letters in a word, but not in correct order. This person might speak in disjointed sentences or with interesting grammar or syntax.

Abstraction: A person with this problem has difficulty inferring meanings to words or phrases. This is the individual who has difficulty with some idioms, double meanings or often doesn't get the meaning of a joke. This person often has difficulty transferring or transitioning from a specific example to a generalization, or from something discussed or learned in one situation or setting to be transferred to another setting or experience.

 

DIMENSION 3: STORING INFORMATION

After information is processed, it is either responded to immediately, or, it is put in storage, i.e., Memory. There is a unique phenomenon which occurs here. There seems to be two distinct areas in "storage" - short-term memory and long-term memory.

The brain stores information mainly in five ways:

1) experiences,

2) images,

3) ideas,

4) feelings,

5) language/words.

Some people seem to have difficulty remembering things over time. Others seem very good at it. However, the difference in whether or not a person remembers things for long periods of time seems to depend a lot on the intake & processing channel that had been activated. In order for perceptions to remain in storage for long term usage, it must pass from what is termed "short term memory" into "long term memory". The successful transference of learned information into long term memory is influenced by a variety of factors. Four of the most important factors which cause learning to take place, i.e., information to move from short-term to long-term memory are:

Repetition, long touted as the most important activity to ensure learning, is still different for everyone. Some people can remember by 3 to 5 repetitions while others need 10 to 20 and some may need 100 repetitions. However, the more multi-sensory the activity, the fewer repetitions are needed.

A better word and practice to implement in the learning situation is rehearsal. Consider the difference in the meaning of the two terms. Repetition simple means to do something over and over and over. Rehearsal, on the other hand, carries the implicit meaning of preparing for a performance. In other words, there is a purpose in the doing of something over and over and over. It's not just an effort in futility!

 

DIMENSION 4: RETRIEVING INFORMATION

To retrieve information for a performance of some type is demonstrated through the ability to read words, produce speech, perform muscle activities (writing, drawing, gesturing, walking, running, etc.). Individuals might have problems in any of these areas of output.

To perform any task: to draw a picture, to write a word or story, to carry on a conversation, to give a speech, to drive a car or fly a plane, to walk, to run, all require the ability to retrieve information in a meaningful and accurate fashion from the storage area. If that information has been stored inaccurately, the performance will be inaccurate.

One of the ways in which the brain stores information is by developing a "program" which can be accessed when needed. An example of this is any physical activity which has been practiced until it is "automatic", such as riding a bicycle, brushing your teeth, driving a car. This information is not stored in muscles but as "programs" in the brain. These are things which you can do without consciously thinking about them. Did you ever get to work and realize you don't remember passing all those familiar places or making all those correct turns? Your brain simply "ran the program" and then allowed your thinking brain to concentrate on other things.

Performance is also a very individualistic matter. We may all hear a piece of music correctly but do not have the ability to process and store it in a manner to perform it exactly as we heard it. Some of us, over time and rehearsal, can learn to perform the piece accurately - though still not perhaps with the feeling to make it a stellar performance. Some of us know how to write, but don't have the interest or ability to write a novel.

Thus we see that the retrieval of information is only one phase of the performance. The information or ability to perform a task is based on a lot of variables other than the intake, processing and storage.

Motivation, rewards, reinforcements, interest, physical ability, personal satisfaction and monetary rewards can also have a tremendous impact on performance.

The ability to retrieve information and perform a task is also the validation that learning has taken place, or to validate the quality of the learning which has taken place.

* Bud is an expert in learning styles, workplace literacy, learning disabilities and correctional education. He can be contacted at Pues & Associates, PO Box 572033, Tarzana, CA 91357, (818) 776-8980.