Linear and non-linear learning - blog post

Non-linear learning theory usually surfaces around discussions of Socrates and John Dewey, but is rarely seen in practice. Schools following the Reggio Emilia approach really are applying a student-driven "curriculum", though they've typically only been centered on the early-childhood years: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach It's all about trusting the community, the learner, and the relationship between them. Allow mistakes to happen, and give learners the opportunities to face adversity early on. Edison (I think) said (something like) "I've never failed, I only found 10,000 ways that won't work".

I don't want to extricate linear learning from the non-linear, so I don't think I should comment, but the reality of what you do encourages me to speak. I agree with you about the importance of networking. I think education is far afield from its primary task. In the US, the No Child Left Behind plan is leaving students behind left and right. It is doing this because it is standards based, not student centered. If it is a mechanical age based metaphor, the machine is broken. My experience is that teachers are being pushed to cover the breadth of the standards. They can't stay anyplace too long, because they fear not at least presenting information to cover each standard. If students don't get it, they are to a certain degree passed by. I should know, because I am a special education teacher and many of these students are being pushed into or toward special education. Many of these students are very good pattern seekers. Given different priorities, they can succeed. Your description of the language textbooks sounds terrible. If you had designed ChinesePod this way, I would not have been attracted to ChinesePod. My students like to have real exposure to real language. They are looking to identify patterns and develop their skills. I agree that it is a subjective process because individuals do experience the world in distinct patterns. I agree that networking is a better metaphor and allows the student to find the path. To go to the next step, of extricating the linear, however, doesn't make so much sense. In the real world, there is easier and harder, less complex and more complex, more frequently used words, and less frequently used words, before and after. The educator should provide patterns that coach the student from the less complex to the more complex, easier to harder, from the more frequent to the less frequent. There is a linear element to this process. The reason I speak here is to say that ChinesePod does all of these things. It is a network with all the advantages of the sharing of information through all the blogs and conversations, with cross level interaction. It is real language based. It also contains a linear aspect, with leveled lessons. The lessons may not move from lesson to lesson, but there is a progression from "Newbie" through to "Advanced". It is linear, and it is right to be. There are patterns that can guide a student, and the ChinesePod team is doing a great job of pointing out those patterns. The existence of ChinesePod encourages me that there is a better metaphor.

learning being multi-dimensional, involving multiple senses : hearing, sight obviously but also touch (writing etc.), even smell and taste - that's hardly linear. Input (resp. output) through these channels doesn't come synchronously, progress isn't linear along the time axis either.

along those lines: Bill Gates explains why curiosity is a vital trait 比尔・盖茨对于好奇的看法 One of the most important changes of the last 30 years is that digital technology has transformed almost everyone into an information worker... 在过去30年来发生的最重要的变化之一是，数字技术让每个人都变成了信息工作者。。。

goulnicky, You are right to say that learning is non-linear. I think what I am reacting to is that education inevitably has some linear aspects to it. A good teacher anticipates what questions a students has to resolve in order to get to the student's desired goal.

goulniky, oops, sorry I spelled your name wrong.