What is learning?

We learn to walk. We learn to talk. We learn the alphabet. We learn the multiplication tables. Does this drive anyone else nuts?

Our views on learning are far too broad. We lump concepts together that are not closely related. There are several big varieties. Go back to those first four sentences. The first two referred to the development of skills and abilities. The other two referenced memorization. Granted, those are long-term memorization, but that's still very different from the development of skills and abilities.

There are other tasks that we refer to as learning, such as doing schoolwork. That's what is generally referenced when teachers insist that children don't want to learn. This has absolutely no bearing on practical learning.

How do I use the term? Almost exclusively to refer to the development of skills and abilities. After all, we already have a term for memorization. This is the practical form of learning. It's the type of learning that sticks with us. It's the type of learning that we legitimately desire. Yet the schools diminish this form of learning. They care more about memorization, primarily of the short-term variety. They look at how students don't like to do schoolwork. They consistently overlook practical learning.

What is learning? I can't tell you what you think, but I refuse to believe that children learn the alphabet and multiplication tables. That's an entirely different process. Let's not confuse them. If it's something children forget, then it was never truly learned.