Personal Blogs

1.            Do the concepts, theories and evidence described in my paper fit your own experience as a learner?

I would agree that the greater the pressure of workload or other time constraints the more likely the student is to adopt strategies that maximise assessment outcome in the time available.

 I think strategic approaches are inevitable in part time study and are a rational response to the need to balance study, work and other commitments. To describe such approaches as ‘undesirable’ or less valid than ‘deep’ study seems to me to fail to respect these other obligations sufficiently.  The true autodidact studying in an entirely self-directed fashion with no regard to assessment may be able to study ‘deeply’ at all times.  For most of us the ‘strategic’ approach is unavoidable.

‘Deep’ learning is certainly more enjoyable and seems to be better retained than ‘surface’ learning, but the ability to ‘cram’ for tests and exams has been very useful indeed to me in the past!

2.            Which of Säljö’s five conceptions of learning best fits your own definition?

I tend to regard conceptions 1-4 as the basic tools of learning, not so much as ends in themselves, for most academic purposes.  5 (and 6) seem to me to represent actual learning.

 However 6 (personal change) is not likely to be a factor of a great deal of what is learnt.  If I learn to make a cake or how to use a particular tool I have a useful skill but I have not changed as a person.  The learning of facts or skills would not seem likely to lead to 6 as an outcome.  However if I learn about economics, say, that may lead to my changing my political views and then I probably have ‘changed as a person’ because my political views are part  of my personality and how I respond to the world.