Learning How to Learn, Learning How to Understand

Wolfgang Fries

• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9783751938389
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Scienze sociali
• Subtopic: Sociologia

Well, I was sent to school and I was told to learn. But nobody ever took the time to tell me how to learn... and worse, nobody explained to me how understanding worked. So it was up to me to find out what learning was all about and to find out how understanding worked. Indeed, there are tools with which this work can be done, a thinking grid of how to understand. No matter how you may choose to apply this knowledge, I wish you success in whatever you hope to achieve.There are countless books for teachers on how to teach and for students on how to learn, but Learning How to Learn stands alone in the clear, practical approach it takes in providing teachers, students, parents, administrators, and government officials the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in today's diverse educational settings. It is more than just a philosophy of education. It is a guide of incomparable value for students of all ages who aspire to be autonomous learners and for others, experienced or novice, who may be charged with planning, programming, and executing educational curricula and programs. The many illustrative examples add to its exceptional readability, and the book can be read in its entirety or used as a desk reference for specific topics.Francis C. Pengitore, Ed. D.Adjunct Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration

OF WHAT USE IS THE LANGUAGE IF ONE CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE WORD!

The Theory* of the Superior Datum

Definition, datum; plural data: Something known or assumed; information from which conclusions can be inferred. [lat. dare = to give]

The professional part actually begins with some philosophy*. If one wishes to understand something, it requires an assignment, meaning an explanation of what is to be achieved with something. A superior datum is a datum to which all subordinate data are aligned. The name of a specialized field usually is the datum to which data of the specialized field is aligned.

Example: Frank wants to build a house. First, he goes to the bank to find out about his financial status. Then he goes to city hall to inquire about a lot. He already has a rough idea of what his future home should look like and, thus, goes to the architect. This now continues step by step from the contractor to the furniture to the finished house.

The superior datum as mentioned in the example above is building a house. All other data will be assigned to the superior datum to fulfill the purpose of the superior datum. The sequence would be the idea, the planning, the action and the product. The building of a house is divided into several phases, and each area consists of an idea, the planning, the action and the product. For example, what plasterer do we hire, how much are the costs associated with his work, how much does he charge, is he reliable, and is his work of good quality?

Learning as a superior datum is defined as follows: “The recording of data resulting in a valid final behavior.“ It is about that information is recorded, stored and understood to be retrieved in a certain behavior. Consider the elementary school student who is supposed to learn the multiplication table that he can use after elementary school. Thus, he has taken up data, stored and understood them and is able to recall them for calculation – as a result, he has learned.

The content in this book is structured in such a way that learning is geared toward the superior datum. This requires a certain sequence to get a functional whole, starting with the most important foundation, which is developed and again advanced. Imagine a specialized field as a pyramid. The tip represents the goal, which was designated by a word and represented by its definition. There are different levels in this pyramid, each having equal importance. However, before ascending to the next level, the current level must be completed, otherwise the structure will no longer work.

The same applies to the procedure in this book: First the most important things are addressed so that the mind is oriented towards understanding. In regard to pyramid and pyramid levels: At the beginning of his life, the human being starts at the bottom of the pyramid and works his way up to find the superior datum at the next level. When he has found the superior datum at that level, he advances to the next level, the exception being the one who remains on one level. Interestingly enough, he truly then starts to understand when he has found the superior datum. Thus, the human being understands more and more, from level to level, from one superior datum to the next.

Remember, a pyramid is three-dimensional* and at its tip becomes one dimensional to its origin itself. In fact, at the tip of the pyramid is only one word: SURVIVAL!

Thus, the most important part of learning is communication. The human being perceives his environment through the senses. It is a very specific process which is described below.

First one has to perceive things in order to learn them!

Communication

Definitions:

Duplicate: To have the same concept in the head as the sender. The recipient duplicates the statement of the sender. A duplicate is an exact copy of the original.

Duplication: The creation of a picture in the mind (image) that corresponds exactly to what has been heard or read or that has been perceived with the five senses*. (B03)

Concept: (lat. concipere = “to take in“) A concept is an idea about what is going to happen to something. A complete concept describes a situation with its components and the intentions of what is going to happen to the components, e.g. the building of a house: It requires building materials and individuals where each has its function. A concept, therefore, regulates everyone’s responsibility. One also can have a concept (an idea) about a person or thing with regard to the estimation of value, such as whether the individual or thing is good or bad for oneself or a project. Everyone assesses things when he perceives them. The direct assessment may be dangerous or not dangerous, sympathetic or unsympathetic, helpful or useless, depending on one’s current situation and what is to be achieved.

Communication is achieved when the recipient has the same concept as the sender. (lat. communis = mutual) (Everybody is familiar with the usual communication model: sender – distance – recipient, or cause – distance - effect). Communication requires a medium, such as a language or symbols, unless one has sufficient mental power where he can directly put a thought into someone’s head! Pedagogy’s* (education’s) main goal is only based upon one thing: How can I successfully install a thought into the head of someone!

Therefore, after communicating, the recipient has a duplicate in his mind of what was expressed by the sender. The end result: the recipient is duplicated. Here it is again in all clarity: The imprint of the rubber stamp on the sheet of paper is the recipient, and the rubber stamp is the sender.

Naturally, one must know the words of the language, as well as the meaning of the symbols. I mean, of what use is a word or symbol if one cannot understand it and does not have a precise definition for it? One must be able to define the symbols and words precisely, regarding what is being expressed about the situation, the thing and the purpose.

For this purpose, an unabridged dictionary, e.g., Merriam Webster’s, is very helpful, but keep in mind, the lexicographers* are human beings, and they see things from their own point of view. When the definition of a word from a dictionary is inadequate for one’s purpose, then it is helpful to define it differently or to invent a new word to bypass associations with common words.

As Voltaire* said: “Define your language.“ ... THAT IS IMPORTANT!!!

In order to avoid being misunderstood in a conversation, it is very helpful to clarify the topic; therefore, one should portray the topic figuratively or define it. Usually words are not looked up in a dictionary (important where they look it up!), and the individual does not have an exact idea of its meaning. This is why one should make it clear to others what the topic is about, or ask someone what he understands about “thingamabob.” JJJ

Trying to put into someone’s head to 100% the exact, same idea by means of words or symbols? Here is a quotation from the movie Robin Hood with Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman: “There are only perfect* intentions!“ The material world around you has been created with very specific intentions; however, it is difficult to find something perfect, as there are almost always deviations from the result and the intention.

Words have limited ability that is subject to a scale of 0% - 100%. If someone says red to you, what does he mean, light red, dark red? Being pregnant? One is always 100% pregnant. However, there are different stages of pregnancy. Also with a disease: Does being 100% ill mean being 100% limited? Being pregnant is not an illness, but one is rather limited during the end stages of pregnancy.

One can bypass explanations through words by showing pictures. Pictures give no room for error to interpret something differently. They are unequivocal. As far as the human being is concerned, regarding the essential more important part of the thing, a picture does not show the motive why one does what he does. Is he friend or foe? When two individuals fight each other, is it a dispute or a competition? When the other says, “I love you,“ is it for purely selfish, sexual interest, or does he want to be there for the other?

Communication and understanding? True communication results in assured understanding. The human being tends to demand traceability from the communication; he wants to understand things, and he wants an explanation. See for yourself. When someone tells you something, a reason is given, or the listener will ask for a reason if he does not understand the context.

Communication and agreement? To understand something is the basis for a decision: Agreed or not agreed. Even if one understood and does not agree, one can still negotiate to reach an agreement that both parties can accept (compromise)– even if both sides are not truly satisfied. Maybe the circumstances do not allow it. Not willing to give in? What have wars* brought forth up to now?

Communication simply means just that: communis = mutual. No matter how one wishes to describe the way to get there, it is about the recipient having exactly the same concept or idea in his head as the sender, period!

Let us make communication to mean a precise matter. There are still other terms like conversation or talk methods of intellectual exchange where accuracy is not that important.

Communication not precise? Now, what is usually the cause of most misunderstandings and mistakes?

Communication Formular

“Communication is the consideration and action of impelling a particle or impulse from source point across a distance to receipt point, with the intention of bringing into being at the receipt point a duplication and understanding of that which emanated from the source point.” (B01)

The Complete Communication Cycle

The complete communication cycle takes place between two individuals. It starts, changes, stops and turns around: The communicator perceives, understands and acts, and then the other perceives, understands and acts.

If there is no answer in this cycle, the communicator will become hungry for an answer, and he will be dissatisfied and displeased after a while.

Here are some examples of a complete communication cycle:

Mother: “Do you want milk?”

Child: “Yes.”

Mother: “Ok.“

Also in baseball: The pitcher throws the ball, and the batter tries to hit the ball with his bat.

Thus, there is intention and attention - cause, distance and effect.

When Does the Child Know That the Sky is Blue?

There it is now, the new life. It sees the light of the world for the first time in the United States of America. But when does the child know that the sky is blue? For instance, in France it is completely different, there they say: Le ciel est bleu. It is strange, in the USA: The sky is blue; in France: Le ciel est bleu. Same statement different language!

When the child opens his eyes, it sees what it sees. The adult in the USA points up and says: “Blue sky.“ The child, without any knowledge of the language, must now figure out what blue and sky mean. A car passes by, and the adult says, “Blue car.“ Aha! a difference: blue sky and blue car. An airplane flies by, and the adult says, “An airplane in the sky.“

In this way, the child learns the language when the adult points to something and gives it a name. Over time, the child will start to note differences and similarities and start to develop his language. The language is something that we all have agreed to, and it only works because we say that it is so. A language does not only consist of words that refer to something that can be experienced through the five senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. Things perceived through the senses are referred to as concrete, for they are easily recognized in the actual event one speaks of defining.

In the human world, there are things which cannot be perceived through the senses, such as loyalty, virtue, strength, spirit, thinking, etc. These are referred to as abstract. It is something that does not exist as matter, but is available in the human world. One could say: “ It exists only in the mind.“

The human being uses words to express all of this, but few have ever looked up words in order to have certainty about whether they have the exact meaning that is generally agreed upon. The general agreement often determines what is right and wrong, in some cases ignoring the truth.

So when the adult points to a house and says, “house,” the child duplicates this process, creating a duplicate in his mind. A duplicate is an image in the mind of the individual, a likeness of the experienced, a mental impression or image of the physical universe, called facsimile.

Often it takes a while until something is duplicated. As the saying goes: “The number of repetitions corresponds to certainty and results.“ (B01) This reminds me of my schoolmate Jörg. The French teacher was upset at him because he did not know the French word for “now.” He “punished” him by making him write “maintenant” (now) 100 times. Jörg’s schooldays have long passed and, never having used French, forgot it, except for “maintenant!” One duplicates faster and another slower. This has to do with the ability to create energy because a picture in the mind is a picture composed of energy that can be measured with sensitive instruments.

During the training it is often misunderstood that a house has a foundation and consists of separate parts. The same applies to learning. The foundation is the ability to create energy, what the human being does compulsively. However, the individual parts of the building are often presented in such a way that...