Learning by doing

GSIEMENS has been reflecting on various definitions of learning and knowledge. Often, knowledge acquisition and learning are used interchangeably. He thinks they are very different terms (at least when used in the context of what it means to learn today). Acquiring knowledge leaves room for a dormant state (i.e. we know something, but we may not actually do what we know). In contrast, learning involves knowledge acquisition, but is defined by use/doing.

When we learn, we're growing in performance capacity based on acquiring knowledge. If acquired knowledge doesnt' lead to some type of use, we don't believe learning has occurred (a changed state of knowledge is only half the process. Our discussions of learning usually acknowledge this half, but fail to account for the equally important "doing"). - This has been Posted by gsiemens