Savanna Meadows

Learning has the power to transform all of us. We have the opportunity to shape and mold our minds into learning whatever we desire. It wasn’t until my first semester of college that I learned what the six stages of learning are and how our emotions affect our learning. Emotion is the on and off switch for learning. It’s important for us to understand this process and how we learn biologically. Understanding how we learn can be the key to reaching our full potential and being successful no matter what we do in life.

The Natural Human Learning Process was described by Rita Smilkstein. According to Smilkstein’s theory, we all go through six stages of learning. The first stage is motivation. Motivation is the force or influence that acts on or within us, initiating and directing our behavior. During this stage we could be intrigued by an activity. We are observing, watching, and being curious. Maybe we desire to learn it because it inspires us or it looks fun. Sometimes the circumstances are different and we have no choice but to learn. The five other stages still follow. The second stage is called beginning practice. This is when we start practicing for the first time. During the second stage is all we have right now is basic knowledge. We have this drive to improve so we practice constantly despite consistently making mistakes. In this stage we learn from our mistakes so we can further improve and achieve a level of success. Stage three is called advanced practice. Now learning becomes enjoyable because our skills have increased. Practicing is still taking place. In a result of positive feedback and encouragement from others, we have reached a whole new level of confidence. The fourth stage is skillfulness. Now we are beginning to become more comfortable and creative. We are exceptionally improving. Our confidence once again increases due to positive reinforcement. Stage five is refinement. Here is when the skill becomes second nature. It becomes a habit or a part of who we are. We are able to teach others and gain our own independence. Lastly, the sixth stage is mastery. This is when we have skills and comprehensive knowledge on the subject. We can teach it, go to higher levels, give up, or continue to practice. There is always room for more improvement and you can never learn too much (Smilkstein Chap 2.)

All learning begins with motivation. Learning often refers to methods of acquiring new knowledge or skills, such as learning in the classroom, learning how to play an instrument, or learning how to play a sport. For example, mine was baking. I was interested in baking since I was a young child. My grandmother used to bake these mini strawberry shortcakes that I thought were the cutest looking pastries I’ve ever seen. Not even the taste, but the physical appearance of the shortcakes had me interested. Growing up I would watch her bake all sorts of treats for parties or whichever holiday that was occurring. The more I observed the more I wanted to get involved. A few years later, I was old enough to truly understand what was happening and were able help. I started learning how to make batter and how to roll cookie dough. A few years went by and I was able to use the oven on my own. I had made many attempts at homemade cupcakes, but they never turned out the way I hoped. Many attempts and wasted ingredients later, I finally got the cupcake recipe just right. My family and friends loved them and encouraged me to make more. I continued to practice and experiment with new recipes. It became much more enjoyable with the positive reinforcement I was receiving. Finally, it was a piece of cake to bake cupcakes. It used to take me thirty minutes to make the batter, now it only takes ten. I became so accustomed that it felt like second nature. I was able to teach my friends, cousins, and aunts how to make homemade cupcakes without pulling out a recipe book. Even though I have mastered this specific cupcake recipe, I am still learning how to make all different kinds of cakes.

Smilkstein described learning as a biological process. There are these specialized cells called neurons in the brain. Neurons are also known as brain cells. The primary function of a neuron is to communicate information to other cells in electrical and chemical form. It’s important for everyone to know how neurons grow and develop. The main components of a neuron are the dendrites, the axon, the myelin sheath, the axon terminals, and the soma. The model of a neuron is very similar to the structure of a tree. Starting from the top, there are the dendrites. These are short fibers that extend from the soma. The job of a dendrite is to receive information from other sensory receptors and neurons. Dendrites often resemble the branches and twigs of a tree. Continuing down there is the soma, also known as the cell body. The soma provides energy and processes nutrients for the neuron. This can compare to the seed or the heart of a tree. Next there is the axon. The axon carries information to other neurons, muscles, and glands. This part of the neuron can be compared to the trunk of a tree. Covering the axon is the myelin sheath. This white fatty substance insulates the axon and helps communication speed. It’s like the bark of a tree trunk. Connected to the axon, there are the axon terminals. These are similar to the roots of a tree. It’s at the part of the neuron that receives an electrical impulse. It’s where the impulse converts into a chemical signal. They are separated by other neurons by a small gap called the synapse (Hockenbury, Hockenbury.) In order to truly understand the biological depth of learning, it’s imperative to understand the synapse and synaptic firing. The synapse is the communication between neurons. Synaptic firing is what causes dendrites to grow. This occurs when endorphins are released into the synapses. As people learn, two hormones can be released into our synapses. There are endorphins and norepinephrine. Endorphins are happier, feel good hormones. These hormones are released in response to stress and they reduce the perception of pain. They are present when someone starts to feel happy. The other hormone is norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is produced when someone starts to feel stress. Norepinephrine impedes synaptic firing. Synaptic firing is similar in a way to spark plug firing. Spark plug firing needs electrical impulses and fuel in order to start the engine. Just how synapses need the right fuel to fire in order to grow dendrites. That’s why it’s important to get the endorphins flowing, so learning can take place (Smilkstein Chap 3.)

Emotions affect how people learn. Thinking positively could effectively change someone’s student career or even how someone performs at work. It is important to think positively while studying for a test, because endorphins will start flowing into the synapses. Then that will cause dendrites to grow, therefore learning will take place. That being said, whomever is taking the test then will be able to focus better. Chances are they will perform better on the test. When someone is feeling anxious, they are more likely to perform poorly. Thinking negatively slows down synaptic firing. If someone is feeling stressed and is trying to learn new information, it will not go too well. Stress and anxiety are the enemy of memory. I have experienced many stress provoking situations in life that caused me to perform badly and prevented learning. Some examples of how emotions affect learning, I was trying to study for a math test and I just didn’t understand it. I was so irritated the entire so I didn’t retain any information. I didn’t believe I could do it. Therefore, I could not. When I was younger, I never developed good study habits. I have ADD and I find it rather difficult to stay focused. One day I had to study for a psychology test. Every time I tried to study it seemed like everything around me was pining for my attention and so I procrastinated. Another stress provoking situation that has taken place in my life was in my history class. I had a professor who didn’t express ideas clearly. I just wasn’t able to understand the material. I spent so much time being anxious about that class that I didn’t learn much from it. When I left high school, I knew college was going to be harder. I already knew I was a little disorganized. You cannot afford to be disorganized in college and I learned that the hard way. I once lost notes that I needed to study. Even though I knew most of the material, not having those notes resulted in me producing a lot of norepinephrine. When I got my test, I drew a huge blank and couldn’t think. These are just a few examples of how my emotions affected my learning.

When facing anxiety or stress due to something, especially school related, it’s important to find the right resources to help. One of my main problems is organization. By using the information given by The Learning Toolbox, I have learned how to keep track of my tests and assignments by using the 3C strategy. The three C’s are create a calendar, create a weekly planner, and create a daily list ("3Cs.") Due to my lack of preparedness, I have started learning about the CLASH strategy. This strategy is for helping me to remember to bring things to the class. Trying to focus on a lecture is hard for me. Therefore, my notes won’t be taken as well ("CLASH.") On Study Guides and Strategies websites they have a lot of information on how to improve this problem with the five “R’s” of note-taking. By starting off, get a good loose-leaf notebook. Have a piece of paper ready before class begins with a cover page for later summaries and test preparation. Record the information. Recite the information by reading it aloud. Reflect over your notes and contemplate how it relates to what you knew before. Lastly, review the notes consistently. Review them when studying for a test and before reading new material. Also on Study Guides and Strategies, they have a good section on time management. I procrastinate a lot because I don’t focus well and sometimes I don’t have a plan. To avoid procrastination, it says to focus on the immediate task and build up from there. It says to make list and have a plan. I plan to use this strategy in my every day life, not just for school. These are useful things to know for life in general.

                                                               Works Cited

Smilkstein, Rita. We're Born to Learn: Using the Brain's Natural Learning Process to Create  Today's Curriculum. 1st ed. Thousand Oaks, Cal.: Corwin. 2003.

Hockenbury, Don H., and Sandra E. Hockenbury. Discovering Psychology. New York: Worth, 2001. Print.

"The Learning Toolbox - Clash." The Learning Toolbox - Clash. James Madison University Special Education Program. Web. 03 May 2016. <http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/clash.html>.

"The Learning Toolbox - 3C." The Learning Toolbox - 3C. James Madison University Special Education. Web. 03 May 2016. <http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/3c.html>.

"Study Guides and Strategies." Taking Notes in Lectures. Web. 03 May 2016. <http://www.studygs.net/lcturnote.htm>.