Modeling the learning process
How the pyramid model was born? what is it good for?
and - three short animated videos that highlight important pedagogical considerations.
If you are reading this, you probably know why understanding how people learn is crucial for those who teach. Luckily, we live in an era where this has become common knowledge amongst many professional communities of teachers and education professionals.
The main issue with the 'process of learning' is that it takes place within the "black box", it is difficult to imagine how does learning leave a mark, and how it changes over time. Therefore I like to work with graphical models - I use them to capture the most important features of each stage, and then to use this graphical map to anchor specific strategies. I find that it is an effective way to think about learning, to choose appropriate strategies and even to solve problems regarding the structure of a programs, courses or lessons.
The Network model
The first model I used, the Network model, builds on the basic principles of brain function. It illustrates, in a simplified way, how memories are represented in the brain in the forms of networks, and how they evolve over repeated encounters in different contexts and when using different strategies. The specific model I use has evolved over the years and adapted to aid different explanations, you can see one recent example on the right and several others in these pages: Learning in the brain, Retrieval practice, Reconsolidation, and From Neuroscience to the Classroom (ResearchED)
The Pyramid Model
At some point, I found that there are some key features that are not represented in this model, and I looked for another way to represent the process of learning. Specifically, a model that would highlight the elements of organization that supports construction, and iteration that leads to parsimony in learning. The pyramid model is helpful in conveying these ideas graphically. The basic notion is that every "piece" of knowledge is represented by a triangular block - and knowledge is constructed when we activate relevant prior knowledge and connect the new piece to it, in a specific way. Next, attempts to use this newly made structure can promote its consolidation into a new organic piece that can be further used to build even more advanced pyramids.
This model highlights these important features of constructing knowledge over time, and creating a functional knowledge base:
Organization: to make meaning, ideas should be organized. In the model, the pyramids represent a system of organization.
Structure: new ideas have to be intentionally connected with activated prior knowledge in a specific way to make sense. In this model, a functional and meaningful unit is represented as a triangular shape, of any size.
Iteration: we can use a new meaningful concept, to further construct more elaborated levels of knowledge and skill. The method is the same, the level of complexity increases.
Parsimony: when we repeatedly practice the functionality of the concept, it becomes a new functional unit, its elemental building blocks fade away.
We can use the model to demonstrate several key pedagogical concepts, The first three are presented below, in an animated form (watch here or on youtube):
First, how prior knowledge is important as a basis for learning something a new - this video (40 seconds) demonstrates how this factor influences knowledge construction:
Second, even when prior knowledge exists, it can be activated at the time of learning, or not. What difference does it make? watch this 1 minute video to find out:
Last, perhaps the most complex idea so far - meaning is represented in this model as functional triangular units of any size - this last video (1:40 minutes) attempts to demonstrate the difference between learning the same new ideas in a meaningful way and other ways that are not:
When the learning process is complete, learners become experts, this is represented by a body of knoweldge that is constructed from chunks of knowledge that are well organized and used in fluent or automated way. In the model, this situation is represented by a structure of larger thick-framed triangles. The smaller building blocks are faded out - this is because experts no longer need to reconstruct the basic concepts in order to use the more complex ones.
However, this beneficial situation can also cause the "Expert's blindspot": a situation where the expert forgets how hard it was to construct and practice their knowledge. This is whey experts are not always great teachers. To be a good teacher, an experts needs to regain sight of the building blocks, which is not always easy.
I tried to depict this idea in tis image:
Do you have questions or comments or ideas? -please let me know at @EfratFurst
For some more examples using the model see these posts: Building pyramids, Understanding understanding, The power of prediction,
Published: January 2022, updated May2023