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The Learning Process: Level 3
At each level of the Learning Process, the learner takes knowledge and interrogates this using open/closed, rich, fertile, high order and/or Socratic questioning. This initially leads to the formation of an idea or ideas, which is a relationship between two or more variables within one or two contexts.
The focus in level 3 is to develop the learner’s understanding that most of our thinking makes use of concept frameworks. Ideas are applied to additional contexts to form concepts, as explained in level 2. With each additional concept that is created, there is the potential that the new concept(s) might build on to, and link with, existing concepts. For example, the learner may have previously developed an understanding of the following science concepts (underlined):160
• (Science 9E) Different materials, organisms and events are modified by different processes.
• (Science 28A) Every species impacts the environment where they live, in different ways. Learners can then start developing an additional science concept from their prior understanding;
• (Science 23D) Living things adapt or die out as their environment changes.
The learner may then be prompted by the educator to see whether the new concept they are looking at could relate to other concepts that they had learned earlier. The learner may connect the two previously learned concepts and start thinking about the possibilities of this third connection.
This process leverages the competency of ‘connect and reflect’; connecting new learning to existing learning. Over time, learners are continually improving their capacity to be able to connect their new learning to their existing understanding to form an ever deeper and more integrated understanding of their world.
These three concepts can be merged, allowing the learner to grasp a bigger picture; referred to as a 'concept framework' which is composed of a matrix of concepts, ideas and knowledge. The brain can link these patterns, or concepts (as above), to understand more deeply how different environments affect the lives of organisms and species, including us. For example:
As we modify our environment there is a possibility we might not be able to adapt quickly enough to the changes, and as a species, we could die out. How could we stop that happening?
The brain’s thinking agility in linking concepts and then being able to make predictions is amazing to watch being played out in learning environments every day. However, the educator may initially need to prompt this linking process. The connecting of ideas and concepts can all happen in a matter of seconds, or it can take years. With increasing agency, the learner can build these connections between knowledge, ideas and concepts to form new concept frameworks with increasing fluency.
160 The Global Curriculum provides a conceptual curriculum framework for each of the seven Learning Domains. A sample of this can be downloaded from the resources page at http://www.MarkTreadwell.com
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