Learning Theory

Five types of learning have been defined, any of which can occur within training, education or professional development. They are:

1. Pedagogy - the traditional approach, where the teacher is seen as the fount of all knowledge and is expected to pass on their knowledge to the receptive pupils.
2. Andragogy - this conveys the principle that the teacher helps the pupils to learn; a term introduced in the 1960s as a reaction to pedagogy.
3. Self-directed learning - a term introduced in the 1980s, describing people as active in the processes of initiating learning, posing problems, seeking information, and evaluating their own experiences.
4. Transformative learning - in which people are enabled to reflect critically on assumptions they hold or held.
5. Participatory or action learning - in which people define the issues that are important, and develop their own unique educational experience in collaboration with a teacher or trainer (usually known as a facilitator).

These categories are often neglected, even in traditional learning environments. Yet clients who are aware of these distinctions are better able to define the type and style of training they want to commission to achieve their desired results (Kara, 2003).

We see adult learning as primarily an active process with concrete and abstract aspects. The concept of the learning cycle (Kolb, 1984) offers a useful way of understanding this process. There are four stages to this cycle:

Concrete experience. This can mean specific experiences related to learning, such as reading a book or attending a training course, or general life experiences.

Reflective observation, in which someone thinks about a concrete experience and considers the lessons they can learn from it.

Abstract conceptualisation, where links are made between the conclusions drawn from reflective observation and other experiences, attitudes or beliefs, which enable the creation of hypotheses.

Active experimentation. Testing out the hypotheses created through abstract conceptualisation, which translates abstract learning back into practical experience - and so a new cycle of learning begins.

This process doesn't just happen by itself. We each hold responsibility for the extent to which it happens for us. As researchers, we are constantly reflecting on and conceptualising our experience of our work, with the aim of improving our practice.