THINKING AS A LEARNER

When it comes to thinking about thinking, here is a question I have been puzzling about: How do you think when you learn? After all, thinking is one thing; learning is another. How are they related? Are they synonymous? If they are distinct, what’s the relationship between thinking and learning? Is there a particular kind of thinking that is unique to learning?

Amazingly, when it comes to the kind of thinking that governs learning, we do not have a single unique word for it. In spite of the fact that we have lots of words for many, many different kinds of thinking, we really do not have a word for the thinking that enables learning. In a previous Neurons (#6), I mentioned the following:

Representation thinking — the VAK of the sensory systems, visual, auditory, kinesthetic.

Linguistic thinking — language, descriptive words, evaluative words.

Editorial thinking — cinematic features that code the VAK.

Strategic thinking — the steps in a thinking strategy that creates an experience.

Perceptual thinking — the formats of our thinking lens.

Reflexive thinking — the self-reflexivity of systemic thinking.

Executive Thinking — pre-frontal lobes process for planning, anticipating, remembering, establishing patterns, framing, decision-making.

Thinking as a Modeler — identifying the patterns that comprise a high quality competence.

Hypnotic Thinking — transitioning inside to construct an internal world.

Humorous Thinking — noticing incongruency, exaggeration, and playfulness.

Decision-Making — weighing options, making up one’s mind, anticipating the future.

Metaphoric Thinking — using source domain references for a target domain.

That’s just the beginning! There are many more kinds of thinking. In fact, a great many fields, in addition to these common forms of thinking, require its own unique kind of thinking. That is, thinking in terms of the paradigms, models, and terminology that govern that field. This gives us specifics kinds of thinking about specific subjects.

Learning depends on the nature of the subject. If the subject is visual, you will be engaged in visual thinking. If you are learning mathematics, you will be engaged in mathematical thinking. Also, every subject will call for the appropriate meta-programs (perceptual thinking patterns) that best fits the subject. Perhaps this is why there is no one single kind of thinking by which we can distinguish as learning thinking. The thinking that enables learning is richer and more systemic, is multi-dimensional, and also is more unique as it requires just the right amount and selection of specific forms of thinking.

Yet what is the kind of thinking that is uniquely required for the experience that we call learning? In learning we are seeking to understand, comprehend, remember, and use. Yet to call it comprehensive thinking, or to use any of these other words does not quite express the thinking that’s within learning.

Question: How do you think when you are doing your very best learning? What kind of thinking enables you to really learn? Or to learn like an expert?

The answer is problematic because as with thinking, there are different kinds, levels, and dimensions of learning. You can learn what something is (identify it), but not know how it works (intellectual comprehension). You can learn how it works (intellectual comprehension), but not perform it as a lived experience. You can perform it and demonstrate skill with it, but not really understanding how it works (intellectual comprehension).

Learning is the ultimate purpose of all thinking. We think so that we can understand ourselves and the world. We think so we can make intelligent decisions and reach our desired objectives. We think so we know what to do to both survive and thrive. And above and beyond all that we think— the capacity to think itself and to learn from our thinking is one of our greatest resources. Without intelligent thinking, we would still be in the jungle eking out a savage life of mere survival. Thinking has allowed us to tap into the hidden resources all around up and build civilization.

Thinking-for-learning ought to be our primary focus for schools, businesses, and everyday life. Yet thinking-for-learning, as a skill, as an experience, is probably way down the list of things that most people concern themselves with, let alone prioritize. In thinking-for-learning we make predictions as we answer the question, “What can we expect will happen next?” The thinking- for-learning is a pattern recognition process— it enables us to learn to recognize patterns and establish science. We learn to connect events into a pattern. Once we have a sequence of events as a pattern, we “chunk” them together as an integrated whole. So while the word “learning” itself hardly ever creates excitement, it lies at the heart of being human and the essence of our most valued experiences. To your learning excellence!