Alvior’s Theory of Learning in Higher Education

Emotional – Are you emotionally strong in seeing people suffer from pain and illness? Are you not afraid of blood or see someone dying? Are you emotionally mature to overcome the trials while undertaking the course?

Financial – Do you have enough money to pursue your course? If not, are you capable of producing it thru lending institutions? Or have you gotten a scholarship or sponsors? Do you think you are financially capable of finishing the course?

Plan

After checking out on the capabilities that you possess, you must have a plan. Write your dream on paper or your favorite word processor and the steps on how you will achieve it. If you prefer the electronic approach, print your plan so you will have something tangible to remind you each time.

The Learning Stage (Motivation, Capacity, Action)

A person learns if he is capable, motivated to learn, and acts according to his plan in reaching out his dream.

Now, how does learning take place?

How Learning Takes Place

A person has the ability to process information and that information can be stored in his short-term and long-term memory. As he processes old or similar information, he can activate his schema (an outline or model of a plan – ed.). He is also capable of receiving new information and form a new knowledge as well as meaning which can be stored in his long-term memory once he finds it relevant or meaningful in his life.

There is a part in our brain that filters information and directs that information to an aspect of intelligence that can make it useful. Would that be for creative, analytic, or practical intelligence? The same part of the brain will also determine as to what domains of intelligence the information can become meaningful to the life of individual.

For example, if you are learning the Korean language, you can receive old and similar information and also new information which become meaningful to you. That part of the brain which I will call the Alvior’s Area will tell what aspects of intelligence and domain of intelligence can be used in order to make it more useful and meaningful.

In the example given, that is, learning a language, you use the three aspects of intelligence (popularized by Sternberg): 1) you analyze sentences; 2) you create your own, and 3) you use it for communication, for business or for gaining friends and establishing connections. Then you also use the domains of intelligence (popularized by Gardner) particularly the linguistic, interpersonal and interpersonal intelligences because these are necessary in communication.

Learning a language is basically a communication process, you need someone to talk to and you must also have a clear understanding of yourself in order to communicate. So this process captures the intellectual capacity being used in my theory.

I do believe that learning starts in the brain. But let me clarify that the processing of information is not only true to language but also to all information being inputted to a learner.

Nonetheless, learning can be tiresome and boring, difficult but challenging for many. They may continue or stop learning. Here, motivation can come in.

Motivation

In my theory of learning, motivation is divided into two stages: the so-called “while on study” and the “post-study” periods.

During the first stage, the motivating factors are the social group (family and friends, classmates, professors), remuneration in terms of higher grades and scholarship package; whereas, the second stage, the motivating factors are good jobs and opportunities to travel or work abroad, higher pay and higher position in the institution or company that he is working with.