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What is Individual Learning?

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Julie Hannan
Why Individual Learning?
Learning (v): To acquire knowledge or skill through study, instruction, or experience.
Understanding (n): The mental process of a person who comprehends. To be thoroughly
familiar with a skill or piece of information means that a person really owns that knowledge
or skill and is able to apply and generalize it in different situations.

As an Individual Learning Specialist, I am committed not only to the acquisition of

knowledge and skills, but to the deep understanding needed for a child to apply, transfer,
and generalize information. This deep understanding often requires personalized instruction:
weaving together pieces of information and hanging new learning on individual experiences
and strengths. My students begin to learn and appreciate how their unique brains work.

Individual learning begins with the interest, engagement, and motivation of the learner. The
teacher and learner must act as a team with the teacher providing opportunities for
discovery and connections to be made by personalizing the delivery and pacing of
instruction. Inquiry into the why and the how creates lasting, deep understanding.
Individual learning delivered through dynamic, multi-sensory instruction takes into account
a person’s unique brain, life experiences, and strengths leads to true understanding.
Making learning personal, engaging, and fun is Sparkle Spot Learning’s model of teaching.
Your child will feel energized and successful because truly understanding is the key to
developing skills and creating a life-long love of learning.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/19444567/Individual-Learning

iNDIVIDUAL LEARNING
All individuals learn- whether they do it consciously or unconsciously. It is afundamental requirement of
existence.
Individual learning is defined as
thec a p a c i t y t o b u i l d k n o w l e d g e t h r o u g h i n d i v i d u a l r e f l e c t i o n a b o u t e x t e r n a l stimul
i and sources, and through the personal re-elaboration of
individualk n o w l e d g e a n d e x p e r i e n c e i n l i g h t o f i n t e r a c t i o n w i t h o t h e r s a n
d t h e environment.
Prof David Merrill
asserts:"
... the social context of a learning environment may provide support for itsmembers, nevertheless the
change in cognitive structure and the acquisitionof knowledge and skill is and individual event.
"Here, we refer individual learning in the context of organization. In otherwords it implies that
How an individual learns in an organization and how is itimportant in an organization.
Theories
F o l l o w i n g s e c t i o n d e a l s w i t h t h e v a r i o u s m o d e l s a n d t h e o r i e s c o i n e d b y different
pshycologists explaining how an individual learns

Theory of Learning Cycle (By David Kolb)

In order to learn from an experience, you have to go through the learningc ycle. David Kolb stated
that for true learning to take place, we need tohave an experience, reflect upon the
experience, make sense of it andfinally apply our theories to our lives by planning what we
would do nexttime we were in the same or similar situation. Learning is inhibited when alearner misses
one of Kolb’s stages.
based on Kolbs learning Cycle,
Peter honey and Alan Mumford
made anattempt to classify individuals into four groups based on their learningstyles.
Activist:
P e o p l e w h o l e a r n t h r o u g h d o i n g a n d p r e f e r a c t i v i t y b a s e d development.
They do not effectively, respond well to lectures or
highlyr e f l e c t i v e a c t i v i t y . . t h e y p r e f e r t o l e a r n t h r o u g h i n v o l v i n g e x c e r c i s e s , proble
ms, tasks etc
Reflector:
Reflectors are people who enjoy reviewing and
considerings i t u a t i o n s a n d e v e n t s . I n g r o u p s t h e y o b s e r v e a n d r e f l e c t r a t h e r t h a n a
ctively join or lead the discussion. They feel uncomfortable if they areput into limelight without
prior warning.
Theorist:
Theorist like to know theories behind a piece of learning, theyprefer to learn from research, data,
models and information. They likeLogic and are rational and analytical in a leaning
situation. They will beuncomfortable with high emotion and feelings.
Pragmatist:
They prefer practicality to theory and learn effectively whent h e y a r e a b l e t o a p p l y t h e l e a r n i n g
t o t h e s i t u a t i o n a n d t h e r e a l w o r l d . They seek out new ideas and want to try them out drawing
links betweenthe subject and their current
jobs. T h u s b a s e d o n t h e l e a r n i n g s t y l e s o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l s a n a p p r o p r i a t
e learning method must be designed for every individual.

Theory of Competence:
 This theory states that learning is a four stage process, which involves the journey from unconscious
incompetence to unconscious competence.
1.
Unconscious incompetence:
The individual neither understands
nork n o w s h o w t o d o s o m e t h i n g , n o r r e c o g n i z e s t h e d e f i c i t , n o r h a s a desir
e to address it
2.
Conscious incompetence:
T h o u g h t h e i n d i v i d u a l d o e s n o t understand or know how to do
something, he or she does recognizethe deficit, without yet addressing it.
3.
Conscious competence:
The individual understands or knows how todo something. However, demonstrating the skill or
knowledge requiresa great deal of consciousness or concentration.
4.
Unconscious competence:
The individual has had so much practicew i t h a s k i l l t h a t i t b e c o m e s " s e c o n d n a t u r e "
a n d c a n b e p e r f o r m e d easily (often without concentrating too deeply). He or she may or maynot be
able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it waslearned