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Using the Learner’s Mindset – How and Why This Works

Dwayne Harapnuik — February 10, 2024 — Leave a comment

Learner’s Mindset – a state of being where people act on their intrinsic capacity to learn and respond to their inquisitive nature that leads to viewing all interactions with the world as learning opportunities. This state enables one to interact with and influence the learning environment as a perpetual learner who has the capacity to use change and challenges as opportunities for growth.

When you are in the learner’s mindset everything is about learning. Being in the learner’s mindset can be likened to Csíkszentmihályi’s (1990) state of flow which is where a person is performing some activity fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus. This notion of not being aware of something that is basic to everything is not a new notion according to the philosopher Alan Watts:

As the fish doesn’t know water, people are ignorant of space. Consciousness is concerned only with changing and varying details; it ignores constants-especially constant backgrounds. Thus only very exceptional people are aware of what is basic to everything (Sreechinth, 2017, p. 56).

This is why we argue that the learner’s mindset is a state of being where people act on their intrinsic capacity to learn and respond to their inquisitive nature which leads to viewing all interactions with the world as learning opportunities. When you are in the learner’s mindset you are like a fish in water. You don’t think about it because it is basic to everything that you do. Moving into or using this state of being requires that you change your thinking about learning, your approach to helping yourself and your learners learn how to learn, and by changing the learning environment.

Change your thinking about learning – By adopting a Learner’s Mindset you will see that learning is much more than the transfer of information, knowledge, skills, or process through instruction, self-exploration, or experience. This information transfer model just uses the lower order thinking which includes remembering, understanding, and applying while the Learner’s Mindset definition of learning is the making of meaningful connections which includes analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing the information you have taken to create something new or to solve a real-world problem.

Change your approach to learning – By embracing your Learner’s Mindset and asking the key questions of why, where, and how will this new information, skill, or process be used in the real world to solve a real problem.

Change your learning environment – By seeking out the actual real-world scenarios where the information, skills, and process will be used and applying the constraints of the real world to your learning you will leverage the authentic learning opportunities and create meaningful connections that will lead to growth and development.

How and why this works

Change your thinking about learning

The Learner’s Mindset approach to learning requires that you use all levels or orders of thinking. Even if you are only going to be asked to regurgitate information on a test or apply a process or skill knowing where and why this information, process, or skill will be important and in what real-world context this will be used will help you to encode the information for future retrieval.

Educational psychologists, learning theorists, instructional designers, educators, and many more learning professionals refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning which looks at learning from three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.

Cognitive = Head/Knowing
Affective = Heart/Feeling
Psychomotor = Hands/Using the Sense

Bloom intended the taxonomy to be holistic and assumed that all three domains would be included when we develop learning environments. Unfortunately, this often isn’t the case in our educational systems and most other sectors of our society. Unfortunately, our systems of education have focused primarily on the Cognitive domain and all too often just on the lower levels of thinking that include remembering, understanding and applying.

Even though Bloom’s taxonomy was updated in the early 2000s the changes have only shifted in the higher order thinking putting creation at the top of the list. You will often see the levels labeled as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating to denote the action by shifting from the noun to the verb form.

We prefer to go further and use the inverted Bloom’s taxonomy because it combines the higher-order thinking into a continuum and reveals that analyzing, evaluating, and creating must be conducted in conjunction which we often refer to as the synthesis level.

The synthesis perspective is extremely important because it not only requires that you take information apart and explore relationships (analyzing), critically examine the information and make judgments (evaluating), and then use the information to create something new (creating). All these higher-order levels still work with the information that would be acquired in the lower levels of thinking. In order to work at the synthesis level, you still need to find and remember information (remembering), understand or make sense of the information (understanding) and apply that information in a new but similar situation (applying). These lower levels of thinking are still very important because they are used to provide the information that will be analyzed, evaluated, and then synthesized when something new is created.

Depending on the context in which you’re in you will need to emphasize some of the levels more so than others. It is important to remember that knowing how you fully learn to make meaningful connections will help you even if you are just being asked to regurgitate information on an exam.

Change Your Approach to Learning

To change your approach to learning you need to ask why or where will this information be used. This is a much different question than asking “Why do we need to do this” next to “Will this be on the test”. These are among some of the most annoying questions instructors dread.

If your instructor has created a significant learning environment where they have given you choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (CSLE+COVA) then you will have the context and should be able to discern where this new information, skill, or process will be used. If your instructor is more focused on the information or acquisition model of instruction then they more than likely will not have created this type of learning environment and you may need to ask them the question about why, where, and even how this information, skill or process will be used in the real world. As we have pointed up earlier learning is really a process of making meaningful connections. If your instructor is focused on just the information, skill, or process then you will need to ask the key questions that will help you to make the connections you need to effectively learn. We often refer to this as a sift from collecting the dots to connecting the dots.

The conceptual framework referred to in this video is essential to the meaning-making process. This is especially important if you are brand new to the information or have very little experience or knowledge of an area. A good instructor will scaffold you into their level of understanding by helping you to see the conceptual framework in the way that they do. As you gain more knowledge and experience with the new ideas or concepts your conceptual framework will grow and you will make meaningful connections that will help you to retain the key information that you need to be successful.

If you have an instructor who is focused on covering the content in the text or in the assigned curriculum resources and isn’t willing or able to guide you to where and how this new information, skill, or process will be used in the real world then you will need to look for additional support from your classmates, from industry or from Google. We live in the most amazing time to be a learner. Virtually all the world’s information is accessible in the palms of our hands. Within a few minutes, you can do a Google search on almost any topic and get enough information to help you create the context and see the bigger picture.

Change in the Learning Environment

Learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom, library, or study space it actually happens all the time and everywhere if we are involved in using a real-world context. While we have been arguing this for several decades you may run into an instructor who does not hold this same position and view the classroom, lab, shop, or virtual meeting spaces as the location of learning. Obviously, you need to respect your instructor but we strongly encourage you to ask your instructor where this information, skill, or process can be used in the real world. We also encourage you to consider that a learning environment includes social and cultural factors.

If you are fortunate enough to have an instructor who creates a significant learning environment where they give the learner choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (the CSLE+COVA framework) or other aspects of constructivist learning theory then you will be immersed in a learning environment and also encouraged to expand your learning environment to include the real world scenario or project.

If you are not fortunate to have this type of instruction then you will have to consider the “where will this be used” question on your own. Relying on Google, friends, family, and classmates to help you to see where this new information, skill, or process will be used will be as important as it is in the Learning Approach section. Please keep in mind that if you are in high school or post-secondary education you should have some sense of what you may be planning to do after your studies so if you use this end as a focus for your learning journey and view your schooling is a means to an end. If you have a very specific focus like being a nurse, doctor, engineer, or trades-person then you have goals in mind and should be exploring your potential career environment to see how to apply everything you are learning.

We must warn you that this will be one of the harder parts of this process, especially if you have an instructor who is solely focused on delivering the content they are assigned to distribute. When COVID hit many instructors had to shift to remote learning where the primary form of interaction was Zoom or some other online collaboration tool, and this move was not made easily. Many instructors only know the information transfer or acquisition model of learning and they see content delivery as their primary responsibility. They give you the content in some form and you give it back to them in a form of a test, paper, or summative assignment; this is how the educational system works. Any shift away from the classroom is a difficult shift for these people because they are only focused on delivering content.

As a student you are not able to change these instructors so when you ask where and how this information, skill, or process will be used, please do so as politely and professionally as possible. You may find that many of your classmates will appreciate your questions and given a bit of time your questions should warm your instructor to the point where they start to look beyond just delivering you the content and focus on helping you to prepare for your future endeavors.

References

Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life. Harper & Row.
Harapnuik, D. (2021, February). Learner’s mindset explained. [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8705
Harapnuik, D. (2021, June). Reignite your learner’s mindset. [Website]. Retrieved from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=9069
Sreechinth, C. (2017). Extracted wisdom of Alan Watts: 450+ lessons from a Theologist. UB Tech. https://books.google.ca/books?id=xruxDwAAQBAJ

References

In Learning learners mindset, Learning

Living the Learner’s Mindset

Dwayne Harapnuik — May 24, 2023 — Leave a comment

In Learning living, living LM, LM, mindset

Moving With a Learner’s Mindset

Dwayne Harapnuik — June 1, 2022 — Leave a comment

Research, surveys, and most people’s anecdotal experience would suggest that moving is one of the top five most stressful life events. Moving doesn’t have to be stressful and I argue that if you adopt a Learner’s Mindset it can be a wonderful learning opportunity and a significant opportunity for renewal and growth. I am speaking from years of experience so consider the following.

My landlord is selling his house and we now have to move. We have been in our current location for 8 years which is the longest time we have been in one home. All through this time, I lamented with my wife that we had grown complacent, collected too much stuff, and needed to move to help force us to adjust our lifestyle. The past 8 years have been a major shift from 2006-2013 when we moved 14 times which included moves to 7 different cities and also included moving to and from different countries. In our previous move from Edmonton to North Vancouver, everything we owned fit in a 10X20 container and this was in storage for nearly 8 months because we were staying at Whistler for the biking season and then house sat for a few months. When we finally moved to our house I recall selling and purging so many things from our storage container because I realized just how little we really needed.

This current move is only going to be for a year because we are once again house sitting for a friend so most of what we have will be in storage. This has given us the opportunity to once again purge and eliminate all the things that we just don’t need. My younger son is getting married this fall and is living in another part of the province. My other son is still off racing and this fall will be going to school for the next few years so life has significantly changed for my wife and me. Since I have a Learner’s Mindset I have tapped into my intrinsic capacity to learn and view all interactions with the world as learning and growth opportunities so this current move has been one of the most exciting and exhilarating times. We have purged, sold, and given away so many things that we just don’t need. We have the next year to lighten our load even more because our next move will require us to have even fewer possessions than we have now.

I am looking forward to the unpacking stage of this move because I know from previous experience I will be able to get rid of even more and par down my possessions to the minimum that I will need to continue to flourish and grow.

In Learner's Mindset, Learning learners mindset, move, purge

Active Learning via Learner’s Mindset and the CSLE+COVA framework

Dwayne Harapnuik — May 25, 2022 — Leave a comment

If you run a Google Scholar search on the phrase “active learning” you will find many peer-reviewed articles, literature reviews, and reports from a variety of Centers for Teaching and Learning that will define active learning, point to its’ theoretical foundation and offer a list of examples of how it can be implemented.

Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching assistant director Cynthia Brame (2016) offers one of the better information sites/reports on active learning – https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/active-learning/. Brame includes a section that deals with the question of whether or not there is evidence that active learning works. The question of whether or not active learning works is extremely important so most academic Centers for Teaching and Learning will point to research that confirms that active learning is beneficial. They often qualify these assertions of effectiveness by indicating that while research confirming active learning efficacy is conducted in a specific discipline or context, the bulk of the evidence suggests that active learning approaches are effective across disciplines (Ambrose et al, 2010; Bonwell and Eison, 1991; Chickering and Gamson, 1987).

For example, Joel Michael’s (2006) article, Where’s the evidence that active learning works? explores the effectiveness of active learning in the sciences by examining how it was used in a variety of contexts. Michael (2006) points to the following key active learning factors that need to be incorporated:

Learning involves the active construction of meaning by the learner.
Learning facts (“what”–declarative knowledge) and learning to do something (“how”–procedural knowledge) are two different processes.
Some things that are learned are specific to the domain or context (subject matter or course) in which they were learned, whereas other things are more readily transferred to other domains.
Individuals are likely to learn more when they learn with others than when they learn alone.
Meaningful learning is facilitated by articulating explanations, whether to one’s self, peers, or teachers.

Perhaps one of the most important considerations Michael (2006) asserts is:

Active learning and student-centered pedagogical approaches put the focus on the learner and what the learner does. However, active learning doesn’t just happen; it occurs in the classroom when the teacher creates a learning environment that makes it more likely to occur.

There are other examples of active learning research in the Sciences that confirm the efficacy of active learning and confirm the challenges of implementing active learning effectively (Prince, 2004 & Freeman et al., 2014). But there are also examples of research that suggest that active learning cannot be applied as a treatment and there was no association between student learning gains and the use of active-learning instruction (Andrews et al., 2011). The following summary (Andrews et al., 2011) suggests why active learning may not be effective:

Although active learning has the potential to substantially improve student learning, this research suggests that active learning, as used by typical college biology instructors, is not associated with greater learning gains. We contend that most instructors lack the rich and nuanced understanding of teaching and learning that science education researchers have developed. Therefore, active learning as designed and implemented by typical college biology instructors may superficially resemble active learning used by education researchers, but lacks the constructivist elements necessary for improving learning.

The research suggests that while centers for teaching and learning promote active learning and many instructors may attempt to include active learning by adding a class discussion or small group discussion within a project context you can’t apply active learning by applying a treatment or process without considering the bigger constructivist elements that are required. To make active learning work you need to consider how you and your learner think about learning, whether your learning approach is active and learner-centered and what type of learning environment have you created. These three key factors (changing thinking about learning, changing the learning approach, and creating a significant environment) are at the core of the Learner’s Mindset and can be realized by creating a significant learning environment (CSLE) where you give your learners a choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (COVA) which is what we refer to as the CSLE+COVA framework.

Both the Learner’s Mindset and the CSLE+COVA are more contemporary implementations of the constructivist theories and approaches that are well supported by research. The authentic learning opportunities that are part of COVA are one of the more effective ways to facilitate active learning. Older learning theorists like Piaget often referred to active learning as part of the concrete activities and social dynamics that made up an effective learning environment. See my post Piaget’s Key Implications for Learning for a more detailed explanation.

While educators who wish to help their learners learn how to learn and believe that incorporating active learning is a step in the right direction, there often is a push back from many learners who are familiar and comfortable with the current information transfer system and test-based standards. The post Why do so many prefer passive learning? reviews current research that reveals that even though active learning may yield better achievement most students prefer the traditional lecture-based model.

I do not offer these examples of pushback or challenges to active learning to discourage educators. I do so in order to remind educators that even though most constructivists advocate a student-centered approach this doesn’t mean that the learner always knows what they need. All too often our learners have figured out how our current information transfer system works so any deviation from what they. know or are comfortable with will be met with resistance.

References

Andrews, T. M., Leonard, M. J., Colgrove, C. A., & Kalinowski, S. T. (2011). Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses. CBE Life Sciences Education, 10(4), 394–405. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.11-07-0061

Bonwell, C. C., and Eison, J.A. (1991). Active learning: creating excitement in the classroom. ASH#-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1, Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

Brame, C. J. (2016). Active learning [Center for Teaching]. Vanderbilt University. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/active-learning/

Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin March 1987, 3-7

Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251–19257.

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410–8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111

Michael, J. (2006). Where’s the evidence that active learning works? Advances in Physiology Education, 30, 159–167. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00053.2006

Prince, M. (2004). Does active learning work? A review of the research. Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3), 223–231. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809.x

In Learning

LMD EP42 Moving Toward a Learner’s Mindset Part 2

Dwayne Harapnuik — April 6, 2022 — Leave a comment

In Part 2 of this episode, Dr. Tilisa Thibodeaux shares her personal and professional challenges in adopting the Learner’s Mindset. Tilisa shares some of the challenges she faced in helping others in her team adopt the Learner’s Mindset.

Listen to this Podcast on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/0U4DHVwdCxlM4lzg5AH4AP?si=2acf0b4ab9d04bfc