WHAT YOU TALKIN' 'BOUT, WILLIS?

Expert Learners?

Had some discussion and disagreement tonight with my instructor about learners. What started from a thread on adult learning theories--which I know very little about and think I mostly disagree with, led to the idea of expert learning, which the professor disagrees with. WHile not literate on an research into the topic, my thought is that people who can look at learning, particularly at their own learning (metacognition?), those people are able to view learning as a process.

Thus two people may be experts in any specialty (same or different), but the one who recognizes, Hey, I know everything there is to know about fixing cars--or computers, or jet engines, or counseling kids with disabilities, or whatever; but I could also use that same process with which I become an master of this subject to tackle any other. That person is an expert learner because they've have mastered their own learning style, whereas the other person may just say, Well, I only know about these here cars.

I would also venture to say that expert learners may not be masters of any topic, but they know enough about their learning style and how to gain new knowledge, that they could be a jack of just about any trade. This does not extend to Howard Gardner's (or whoever else's) multiple intelligences. Just because someone is a math whiz, doesn't mean they are automatically going to be able to master the saxophone, or dance the Nutcracker.

I am not an expert learner. I am not sure how I learn. I do know that it comes in bursts of interest and skips from topic to topic. Guess thats why we have so many different "learning" channels on TV. I had no idea Saddam Hussein's rise to power was closely linked to Nazi Germany. Thank you History Channel!