The beauty of Newton’s laws or motion and Einstein’s theories of relativity is that they provide a set of rules that explain the complexities of the universe. These rules have stood the test of time because of their ability to predict. Several years ago I asked myself whether the complexity of learning could be described more easily. Ever since, I have reflected on the following hypothesis:

Learning will always occur if the key ingredients are present; learning will not occur if any one of the key ingredients is absent.

In contrast with learning styles, this hypothesis emphasises the similarities between learners. Clearly we are not all the same, but everyone learns continuously throughout life. Regardless of whether you agree with this hypothesis, I believe it is worth while trying to identify candidates for the key ingredients.

Motivation has been suggested as a key ingredient by several people with whom I have discussed this hypothesis. However, I believe people can learn certain things without apparent motivation and therefore motivation cannot be a key ingredient.

My personal model has the following five key ingredients:

Information – Raw data is required for learning. Information can be presented in many ways and the learning can be an abstraction of that information. Prior knowledge and understanding is also included in this key ingredient.

Time – Learning is a process and processes take time. Often students do not dedicate as much time to learning as they should, but teachers should also allow time for learning when presenting information to students.

Aptitude – Skill, experience and raw intelligence place limits on what an individual can learn. Aptitude can be improved through learning but it is also dependent on intrinsic ability.

Consciousness – Some level of consciousness is always necessary for learning to take place. The type of consciousness needed for learning depends on what is being learnt. Consciousness is lost after a period of concentration. Learning cannot take place while totally unconscious, but a person can learn while asleep.

Set – A state of readiness or predisposition to learn is necessary for learning to take place. In contrast to motivation which implies a drive to do something, set is about being geared up to actually do it.

I will finish this post with a simple illustration. Write the word “Hello” in big letters on a piece of paper. Then ask a friend to close their eyes. Hold the piece of paper in front of their face and tell them that you will give them two million dollars if they can open their eyes, look at the paper in front of them and NOT learn the word written on the sheet.