CONFERENCE 2000 in HUNGARY
“Children’s Inner & Outer Peace”

LEARNING with YNSE STAPERT

Handout  Conference Focusing with Children, October 2000, Hungary

Some ideas about learning

My intention is that you get some tools you can use for your own learning process

Motto:
“Learning is not a matter of filling a void with information. It is a process of internal reorganisation of a complex of thought patterns, perceptions, assumptions, attitudes, feelings and skills, and of successfully testing this reorganization in relation to problems of living.” (Bradford) 

3 topics:

1. Experiential learning,
2. Levels of learning,
3. Learning environment
   .

Introduction

In this conference we are busy with three areas of learning:

1. how do we learn as participants in this conference?
2. how do we teach children focusing?
3. how can children use focusing in their own learning processes?

In this lecture we are directed on the first area:

”how do we learn as participants in this conference”?  

My first assumption:
If you get more insight in your own way of learning you become more sensitive in the way you teach children focusing

Experiential learning

The three most important characteristics of this approach are:

1. the involvement of each individual learner as a holistic person. (not just his/her cognition, but expectations, desires, affects or emotions as well);
2. the correspondence of the learning activity to real (world) problems;
3. learner control over the learning experience.(e.g. decision about the study program is taken jointly)

Levels of learning
In general there are four levels of learning-results in terms of superficial or deeper.

1. Level Zero: Zero Learning
   These level is characterised by non-involvement of the learner, passivity is encouraged by defensive mechanisms that keep basic assumptions in tact (the level most of the Hungarian scholars learnt Russia?)
   .
2. Level One: Maintenance Learning
   There is no change in basic assumptions. Modification of actions are influenced either by pleasure maximisation or by pain avoidance. This process is called either behavioural learning or single loop learning.
   .
3. Level Two: Innovative Learning
   The learner examines the “why” of behaviour. The learner is directed to understand the concepts behind his routines, examines values, testing assumptions and questioning attitudes. It is termed deeper learning or double-loop learning.
   .
4. Level Three: Transcendent Learning
   Here, through a process of intentional enquiry, engagement in the learning process is strengthened by seeing the need to transcend the limitations of being captive to mind sets, values, or paradigms.
   Learning at this level requires a profound re-definition of self-identity. This kind of deeper learning is termed triple-loop learning.

My second assumption :
Experiential education facilitates innovative learning and transcendent learning.

Learning environment
To activate deeper learning: attention to the learning environment is important.

Important determinants of a learning environment are:

My third assumption:
arranging a suitable learning environment is one of the most important tasks with focusing with children.

I hope you get some ideas about these concepts of learning and that we can use them for our own learning processes during the conference.

Ynse Stapert, Oktober 2000

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CONFERENCE '98

OPENING
  R. STELTER
  M. HENDRICKS
  M. STAPERT

TEAM
  LEARNINGGR.
  TRAIN. /FACIL.
   SELF-REFL.GR.
  English-Hungar.

INTRO
  ANCHOR
  LEARNING

PARENT/INFANT
  PARENT/INF.
  FOCUS at BIRTH
  english-hungarian
  PARENTS-CLUB
  english-hungarian

REPORTS
  E. FENDICK
  C. SCHENK-song
  NEWSPAPER-hu
  A. van HOLST

PICTURES
  CONFERENCE
  HOLLOKO
  CELEBRATION