What Makes a Good Learner?

What makes a good learner? A good learner does three things. They know how to formulate a problem or create a hypothesis, identify relevant resources and then choose and create an evaluation process (Gross, 1977).

Formulate a Problem

In formulating a problem, figure out what you believe is wrong or where there is a lack of information. This can also be created in the form of an hypothesis. 

Then, discover what you already know. Put into context the problem against what is known and what is not. This is called an information gap -the gap between the knowledge already known and knowledge to gather.

It is essential to also describe how things should work and look at any financial costs associated with learning the answer to the identified problems.

Lastly, identify why all of this matters. It can be something as simple as maybe the information is simply to gratify your own interests. There is nothing wrong with this.

Identify Relevant Resources

This is a lengthy topic, especially when identifying valid and reliable sources. It is important that the researcher dives into the validity and reliability of each source used. Some sources are considered better than others. For instance, it would be better to rely on information about cancer research from the Mayo Clinic website than to look through the personal journal of Aunt Jenny – unless, of course, Aunt Jenny is a cancer researcher. 

Don’t forget the following for sources:

• Books
• Articles from magazines, journals, scholarly and professional journals 
• Newspapers
• Library databases
• Websites

A magnificent resource for more sources is to glide to the end of an article and read through the bibliographies. 

My favorite tip: After reading an article go to the sources cited at the end and highlight any relevant resources. Then, read through those.

Choose and Create Evaluation Processes

There are many varying evaluation processes that can be used in determining the best methods in determining what is a good solution. There are four main types of evaluation called process, impact, outcome and summative. This is the point when reporting comes into play. Reporting on the information gathered and any solutions derived.

Sources:

Gross, R. (1977). The Lifelong Learner. Simon and Schuyler. 

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By Tracy Atkinson

Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Southwest with her husband and spirited long-haired miniature dachshunds. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and an EDS in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners and learning styles. She has published several titles, including MBTI Learning Styles: A Practical Approach, The Art of Learning Journals, Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8 and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.