Someday there will be a pill for this...

During the 2009 winter break I read Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. I have a BA in History (with an emphasis on Ancient Greece) with a Classics minor, so I've read a lot of books like this over the years. Yet I distinctly recall, after finishing the 1500 page volume, holding it closed in my hands and asking myself, "How much of this do you remember?" Of all those pages, what I clearly recall could probably be reduced to 10 pages. All that information, and I likely retained only 1/150th of it - a paltry, and depressing, amount.

But I guess all learning is like that. What we recall is often infinitesimal compared to what we actually encounter. Memories of travel will help illustrate my point. I've been fortunate to visit 21 countries so far, and hope to explore many more, yet if the sum of my memories were transferred onto a DVD, the total running time would be only a couple of hours. Fleeting bits of this; pieces of that. And many still shots.

I enjoyed the Felder and Soloman article because I saw elements of myself in each learning style presented. As they mention, most people incorporate multiple styles in their quest for knowledge. In the above examples, my BA was accomplished primarily through reading, while travel promotes learning by seeing and doing. Although I'm comfortable with various learning strategies, I identify most closely with the reflective-sensing-visual-sequential combination.

The information presented in unit 5 (like many of our units) incorporated visual, verbal, and active learning styles. I especially liked the Warriors of the Net video, which enhanced my understanding of the material through a fun visual presentation. The lecture itself was clear and understandable, as were most of the Wikipedia articles. However, while I never felt lost in the lecture, several of the Wikipedia articles went beyond my current level of understanding. Felder and Soloman suggest that most people learn best with a combination of visual and verbal strategies, and I think the material this week supports their hypothesis. I do, however, look forward to the day when scientists develop a pill which "downloads" information directly into our brains. Imagine learning a new language by simply swallowing a pill! Of course, "downloading" Greek will have predictable side effects including headache, flushing, and delayed back ache. And, if Greek gives you an erection lasting more than four hours, you should see your doctor immediately.