The 7 Learning Processes

I love AHA-moments: those instances when a new concept or realization shifts your reality. We may not have one of those every day, but when we do, they tend to make life better.

At the recent agricultural conference at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, I experienced one of those touching AHA-moments during my morning workshop. 

We were studying the seven learning processes: 

Perceiving - Connecting - Questioning - Understanding - Receiving - Communicating - Creating

At one point during the workshop most of the people in the room were struggling with this new concept … and none of them were aware of the fact that they were experiencing the third of those learning processes -questioning and confronting- right as we were speaking about it. 

I was puzzled and surprised and finally it clicked: these adults were completely unaware of their inner experience and unable to relate what was happening inside them to the “external” concepts they were studying. 

By bringing both together for my classmates, I was able to build a bridge and everyone was able to move forward with the workshop.

I have been paying attention to those learning processes in my classroom for years, without having the fancy names for them. These learning-processes are all around us all the time. Being aware of my student’s internal process of learning in addition to the external content I am conveying, is a key element of dynamic teaching. The beauty of teaching lies in the building of bridges for your students to help them engage with a new concept and eventually make it their own, enabling them to freely create based on their widened knowledge base.

So let’s look at the learning steps together:

When you are learning about something new there is first perception and there’s a warming up to the subject matter, creating curiosity and interest and then there comes a part of struggling and not understanding and maybe also saying “but I knew something different as the truth before”. 

But how exactly do you support each of these learning processes? I have created a series of short posts to help you pay attention to them in your classroom and to address the challenges that come with each step. 

Perceiving

Connecting

Questioning

Understanding

Receiving

Communicating

Creating

P.s.: Before I let you know here is one more take away from the conference: I came back all shiny-eyed because I met old friends in these beautiful surroundings, I heard from amazing teachers and I had interesting conversations with peers about projects of their own. The joy and inspiration of it is still sticking with me now that it’s been a few weeks.

I think it was helpful to be forced out of my own centric circle of experience. I don’t feel like I’m an egocentric person but my bubble is my bubble. Being there at the international conference I can see what thinking is happening in Taiwan and in Russia and South America and Bali. My colleagues all over the world have all had practice with these ideas and put these ideas into their daily routine and their enthusiasm for their own project is contagious. Hearing about their experience gives me inspiration to keep trying own ideas and knowing that inspired people are out there doing the same.

Recommended resources:

Agriculture Conference: https://www.sektion-landwirtschaft.org/en/events/agriculture-conference

Agri-Culture: Rhythms and Rituals: this monthly free online series offers biodynamic perspectives through the year: which natural rhythms influence agricultural life and how rituals help us to get in touch with nature. https://www.sektion-landwirtschaft.org/en/upcoming-events/sv/agri-culture-rhythms-and-rituals