HOW WE LEARN KNUD ILLERIS Professor of Lifelong Learning LEARNING LAB DENMARK

1. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. HOW WE LEARN KNUD ILLERIS Professor of Lifelong Learning LEARNING LAB DENMARK The Danish University of Education

2. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. STRUCTURE OF THE THEORY BASIS BIOLOGY PSYCHOLOGY SOCIAL SCIENCE EXTERNAL CONDITIONS LEARNING SPACE SOCIETY OBJ. SITUATION INTERNAL CONDITIONS DISPOSITIONS LIFE AGE SUBJ. SITUATION LEARNING STRUCTURES LEARNING TYPES BARRIERS APPLICATION PEDAGOGY LEARNING POLICY

3. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. PROCESSES OF LEARNING CONTENT acquisition process INCENTIVE Individual level INDIVIDUAL inter action pro cess Social level ENVIRONMENT

4. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. LEARNING DIMENSIONS Meaning and skills FUNCTIONALITY Mental balance SENSITIVITY CONTENT INCENTIVE INTER ACTION Integration SOCIALITY

5. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. LEARNING TYPES • CUMULATION • Founding on schemes: Rote learning – Drill • ROUTINES – STEREOTYPES • ASSIMILATION • Extension of schemes: Everyday learning – school learning • KNOWLEDGE – SKILLS – EMOTIONS – ATTITUDES • ACCOMODATION • Restructuring of schemes: Problem solving • INSIGHT – UNDERSTANDING • TRANSFORMATION • Combining and revaluation of schemes: Overcoming crises • CHANGES IN PERSONALITY OR IDENTITY

6. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. LEARNING BARRIERS • MISLEARNING • LEARNING DEFENCE - Personal defence mechanisms - Everyday consciousness - Identity defence • AMBIVALENCE • RESISTANCE

7. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. LEARNING AND LIFE AGESMain characteristics • IN CHILDHOOD • comprehensive – uncensored – confident • IN YOUTH • struggle for independence and identity • IN ADULTHOOD • selective – self-directed – sceptical • IN MATURE ADULTHOOD • extremely selective and goal-directed

8. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. ADULTLEARNING • Adults learn what they want to learn and • what is meaningful for them to learn • Adults draw on the resources they already • have in their learning • Adults take as much responsibility for their • learning as they want to take • Adults are not very inclined to engage in • learning of which they cannot see the • meaning or have any interest in

9. .:: HOW WE LEARN ::. FIVE BASIC STATEMENTS ON LEARNING • Learning is always at the same time both an individual and a social process • The individual acquisition always includes both a content and an incentive • The acquisition happens by an integration between new impulses and the results of prior learning • There are two main types of learning: learning as addition and learning as reconstruction • In our time everybody is forced to develop a semi-automatic defence towards learning