What is Learning

Definitions of Learning

There is no single accepted definition of learning, since it depends on one's point of view1) See: Learning paradigms . Some of the definitions we found useful are listed here.

Learning is:

a visible change in one's behavior which can be measured2) See: Behaviorism.

the active process of acquisition (including insight, information processing, memory, perception) of new knowledge and developing adequate mental constructions3) See: Cognitivism

a natural desire of human beings, a mean of self-actualization and developing personal potentials4) See: Humanism

“acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information.”5) Wikipedia: Learning. Retrieved September 6th, 2011. Updated August 11th, 2011.

“all relatively permanent changes in potential for behavior that result from experience but are not due to fatigue, maturation, drugs, injury, or disease.”6) Lefrancois, G. R. Theories of Human Learning: What the Old Man Said. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning. 2000.

“a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience. This refers to a change in behavior, an external change that we can observe.” 7) Behaviorist definition. Ormrod, J.E. Human learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1999.

“a relatively permanent change in mental associations due to experience. This definition focuses on a change in mental associations, an internal change that we cannot observe.” 8) Ormrod, J.E. Human learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1999.