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Learning is ever an individual project. Learning outcomes are the joint result of a college's best efforts -- in teaching, curricula, and advisement -- and of a student's own motivation, effort and time on task. Ted Marchese, American Association of Higher Education |
At first glance, this characteristic may seem to be contradictory. How can learning be both personal and social? Learning is deeply personal in that it occurs when we, as individuals, take the time to reflect on an idea or concept and attach it to our mental framework of understanding. Ruth and Art Winter, as quoted in Peak Learning, state that "learning is the ability to make sense out of something you observe based on your past experience and being able to take that observation and associate it with meaning" (Gross, 1991, p. 254). James Romig (1997), professor at Drake University, writes that "each learner must actively create mental representations of external 'facts' and actively create personal patterns of understanding. Learning is a process of active exploration, adaptation, and meaning-making" (paragraph 46). Learning is also social in that we learn with and from others. Research (Dickinson, 1994, Table of Contents) has shown "that when students learn together in pairs or small groups, learning is faster, there is greater retention, and students feel more positive about the learning process" (p. 8). This idea is further developed by Peter Ewell (1997), who suggests that "learning occurs best in a cultural and interpersonal context that supplies a great deal of enjoyable interaction and considerable levels of personal support"(p. 8). These interactions can take place during class with formalized group activities, or after class when students study together. They can also take place with members of community groups and with college organizations. The fact that learning is fundamentally personal yet also social does not require that these conditions exist simultaneously, although they could. Rather, for optimum learning to take place, the learner needs the opportunity to personally reflect on concepts and ideas and the opportunity to interact with other learners. This is the challenge for our instructors and our colleges. Where is the balance between presenting information and allowing students to consider it together? How should activities and class time be organized to provide the greatest opportunity for learning for all students? How should colleges be designed to provide ample student space for informal study gatherings? How can community bonds be strengthened to provide increasing opportunities for student/college/community interaction? The answers to these questions will be determined as a result of continued dialogue, experimentation and research, both within our system and with external constituents. |