About Learning Types
Understanding the various Types of Learning allows the conversation and thinking about about the process and practice of teaching and instruction to become more student centred. Learning through presented information. This type of learning covers our engagement with content, regardless of form or format. We can all learn by exposure to information and our innate ability to link concepts and topics to existing information within our schema. This type of learning relies on presenting information in ways that learners are able to connect to the information they already know. Rather than learners being empty vessels that we fill up with ideas, this type of learning requires students to assimilate information and connect it with what they already know and understand. This often requires information to be presented in multi and mixed-modal forms to engage with learners' different modes of understanding.Assimilative Learning
Investigative Learning
Learning by seeking information.
- Activity external
- Verb finding
This type of learning engages learners in the acts of searching and discovering information. Rather than presenting students with information, Investigative Learning requires learners to find it independently and develop their research, understanding and comprehension skills. This type of learning can be strongly facilitated and activity-driven. Learners can be engaged not just in seeking out the source of information but through interpretation of the information provided and their ability to extract understanding from what is presented.
Discursive Learning
Learning by engaging with other perspectives
- Activity discussion
- Verb talking
This type of learning comes through interaction and voicing of different perspectives. The aim of discursive learning is for learners to feel comfortable in participating and sharing their perspectives. This can be challenging for those who perceive their capacity as novice, particularly if they feel they are active in an expert space. The richness of discursive learning is unlocking different perspectives and experiences. Discussion allows the perspectives and paradigms to be moved and changed, pushing learners to reconsider their own positions and understanding. The variations and differences that can be at presented within discursive learning provide increased possibilities for learners to connect information and concepts to their schema in unique ways.
Formative Learning
Learning by trying.
- Activity practice
- Verb trying
This type of learning requires the learner to attempt to do a specific activity. While often associated with quizzes and knowledge checks, this type of learning is essential to skills-based learning and areas that require an understanding of tactile, kinaesthetic and spatial concepts. There are many instances where it is impossible to describe an action or the act of doing it, regardless of the fidelity of the medium. Getting learners to act and do the task is the only way they can experience the feeling of that event and develop an understanding that connects with their schema in a multi-sensory way.
Productive Learning
Learning by creating artefacts.
- Activity assessment
- Verb making
This type of learning involves learners working through the process of creating an artefact. The artefact can take any shape or form and be developed in any media - what matters is the process. Working through a specific set of steps or workflow or by challenging those conventions, learners are provided with an opportunity to work through more complex and complicated work. These tasks tend to bring together analysis, planning, synthesis, innovation, problem-solving and communication skills. The increased complexity involved in productive learning makes it effective for assessment and as evidence of student learning and progress.
Evaluative Learning
Learning through feedback.
- Activity review
- Verb reflecting
This type of learning comes directly from others and through the provision of effective feedback and support. Evaluative Learning comes not from the provision of right and wrong answers but through the explanation and correction of errors and their consequences and improvements in performance. As learners transition from novices to experts, they are not fully aware of the consequences of their actions and often struggle to understand the reasons for errors. Providing effective feedback should focus not only on identifying errors but also on the corrective measures or performance improvements that can be made in order to change their practice. This type of learning requires discipline expertise in order to understand the nuance of the learner's performance and a body of knowledge to draw on and assist in performance improvement and change.