Jacob Dwelle

Freshman Inquiry
Professor Flynn
3/8/2016
Learning Episode Paper
The understanding of learning and the learning process is vital to the way we form
and shape our societies. The implications of what we learn about learning will affect law,
will affect education, and ultimately affect the lives of all who do learning: That being
every person alive. Observations of events where something is learned provides us with
an ever growing and expanding database to draw from, especially when attempting to
define learning. This example will serve as another stone in the stone path. Within the
context of the interaction between Cindy, a five-year-old taekwondo student and Michael,
a taekwondo instructor of nearly twenty years, we can make claims about the process of
learning and support them using this experience. Learning is the process of acquiring
both knowledge and understanding through extensive participation in an activity.
Furthermore, this learning can take on a variety of forms, many of which can arrive at the
same result: that result being learning taking place.
A common word throughout the paper will be the word process. It would be
best to have an agreed upon active definition of the word. A process is something that
unfolds over a period of time. It does not matter how long or short the process is, or in
how it unfolded, but only that there was a beginning, and that it moved forward from
there. If a process of learning has occurred, there should be some indication or evidence
of improvement in knowledge of the topic, understanding in a bodily sense, or both.
First and foremost, learning is a process. Learning takes time on behalf of the
student and on behalf of the teacher, whether it is indirectly through developing the

material, or in person as we saw in the observation. In one example of learning, we see

Mark Twain describe his experience aboard a steamboat travelling down the Mississippi
river. Twain was taken under the wing of a steamboat pilot named Mr. Bixby. We see
Twains learning unfold over a long period of time - longer than the observation being
used. However, the most important recognizable aspect is that both are processes. In the
observation, we see Cindy present in the environment throughout the entire time that
learning is taking place. The same is true for the learning of Twain, who was present
whenever Mr. Brixby would assist his learning. Twain says that Mr. Brixby would tell
him the mile points as he passed them, and did so over time. He notes this with language
such as Another time he said and later he said when talking specifically about the
mile points on the river (p. 29).
We even see progress made over time, indicating that a process is, indeed,
occurring. In the case of Cindy, we see at the start of the observation that she did not back
up once the first sparring match had started. We see on lines 17-19 of the observation that
the match has started; yet Cindy remains in place. This is dangerous for her and those
who are sparring, and Michael hurries to move her out of the danger zone. However,
Cindy does this on her own at the end of the observation where, on line 90, Cindy hurries
out of the way of the sparring match. This was done without the assistance of the
instructor, making for a clear display of both progress in learning and that a process
occurred.
The learner partaking in the activity will increase their understanding of the
activity. This understanding is something that comes through experience of something,
and not just knowledge. Someone watch every video ever made on how to do a backflip,

be in perfect health, and yet not be able to do one when they finally attempt it. Even
though this person has the knowledge on how to do one through their studies, their
physical understanding is completely lacking. In this case, the lack of understanding
prevents them from performing an action that they should be able to if it were true that
knowledge of something was the sole determination of learning and its application.
We see this idea of learning taking place outside of the mind in the article by John
Gee titled 36 Ways to Learn a Video Game. In this, he describes three principles of his
book, two of which apply here. The first of them is the idea of situated cognition. Here, it
is argued that learning can and does take place outside of the head, and is fully
embedded in a material, social, and cultural world (p. 9). What this means is that
experience of something aids the learning process, and even makes some learning that
would otherwise be impossible possible.
The second principle that is important to note is called connectionism by Gee.
This is the idea that people learn best when they have a direct experience to connect back
to: something beyond solely abstract and logical reasoning. To quote Gee, he says about
learning that people think best when they reason on the basis of patterns they have
through their actual experiences in the world (p. 9). This idea, while similar to the first
one, is its own unique idea. People recognize patterns in the events that take place, and
use these patterns to mimic it in their own practice. This directly leads to learning.
Both of the ideas presented by Gee are applicable to Cindy. To take the first point,
it was argued by Gee that experience of something in the learning process is an essential
part to learning itself. In the observation, we see Cindy present throughout the duration of
the learning experience. Cindy, even when not directly playing the role of referee is

constantly watching what is happening. We see this throughout the observation. Direct
examples of Cindy watching can be seen on lines 26, 29, 38, and 67. She is engaged with
the experience of watching what a referee does and should do, which should entail that
learning is taking place.
The same can be said for the second principle presented by Gee. In reflection,
Cindy should be able to better understand what she learned because of the patterns that
were seen throughout the observation. This includes the gesturing of Cindys hands
repeatedly, and the phrases, which are said all through the experience. This includes
things like attention, bow, and starting and stopping. These patterns, as Gee would
say, help Cindys learning process because humans are innately good at recognizing
patterns. For this reason, we also expect that Cindy has learned, or is learning something
in this process.
Learning can take place in a variety of ways and in a variety of places. One
example of one type of learning is through nonverbal communication. Nonverbal
communication is a valued form of learning, and can be effective as it forces the learner
to think without being told. This can be seen directly in an example given by Rogoff in
Learning through Guided Participation. Here we see a father getting the attention of the
son using a ring within a jar. The father shows the child that the ring is in the jar, and that
the jar can be opened and closed. He does so nonverbally. The child is only 18 months
old, but is participating in a form of learning. He opens the jar, and gets the ring from
inside, all without the father saying a word (p. 315). This is an example of a child
learning what is expected or desired, and was done without directly being told was
wanted.

This participation is similar to that of Cindys, because some forms of nonverbal

communication were used. On line 50, we see the instructor look to Cindy to say
attention, only indicating this by holding her hands in the posture signaling attention.
Shortly after, Cindy says attention in Korean, as she was supposed to, and did so with
non-verbal queues in the same way that the child seen in Rogoffs example did. Cindy
learned to say this at the required time without being told. Cindy does this on another
occasion as seen on line 63, where Cindy says start without being told by the instructor,
yet this is what was required of her. These moments forced her into problem solving on
the spot. She had to assume something was wanted, analyze the situation, recognize what
had previously happened, and then say what was needed. This demonstrates a concrete
example of learning in action, and further establishes the value of different forms of
learning: In this case, specifically through nonverbal communication.
There is another purpose behind the instructor guiding Cindy directly through the
manipulation of her hands into their required forms as a referee is required to do. This
helps Cindy to develop an understanding, especially through muscle memory. This type
of intelligence in practice has a name. As argued by Howard Gardner in Multiple
Intelligences: The Theory in Practice, bodily kinesthetic is an aspect of intelligence.
Gardner points specifically to Babe Ruth and his ability to play baseball: to manipulate
his body in such an intelligent manner that he was often regarded as the best player of all
time, if not the most memorable. Because there are people of such superior and inherent
ability, and those at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, it leads Gardner to both
think and argue that this is a form of intelligence.

In application, Cindy is using her bodily kinesthetic intelligence to develop

further skills in the ability to referee. The guiding of her hands to the positions required,
for example to signal attention as seen on line 5, bow as seen on line 9, and winner
as seen on line 42, allowed for further development of this type of intelligence. Her
bodily kinesthetic ability was applied consistently and thoroughly throughout the
experience, enhancing her ability to learn.
Learning appears to be further established as a process that can be accomplished
through multiple potential approaches. As was shown, the learning that takes place in the
observation only adds to the massive database of potential cases to draw from. It is
fascinating that we can take an event so seemingly normal and draw a conclusion of
learning and understanding through events in the observation and varied texts on the
subject. Through this analysis, the conclusion that learning is a process; that
understanding is both part of learning and separate from knowledge; and that learning can
be accomplished in multiple ways has been reached.
Works Cited
Gardner, H. (1993). A rounded version. In Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice.
(pp.15-27). New York: Basic Books.
Gee, J. P. (2002). 36 ways to learn a video game. In What video games have to teach us
about learning and literacy. (pp. 1-15). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Rogoff, B. (2003). Learning through guided participation in cultural endeavors. In The
cultural nature of human development (pp. 282-326). New York: Oxford University
Press.

Twain, M. (1903 / 2007). Life on the Mississippi (pp. 21-53). New York: Bantam
Classics.

Cindy is a 5-year-old female Taekwondo student. She has been doing Taekwondo
for just under one year, and regularly attends. She is average size, and has darker skin,
with black hair. Michael is the Taekwondo instructor, who has been teaching for nearly
20 years, and participating in Taekwondo for over 28 years. He is a white male, who is
just under six feet tall. In the observation, he is trying to guide Cindy to help her to learn
how to be a referee. Despite what is a seemingly young age, this is commonplace in
Taekwondo. Cindy and Michael are at the center of a large matted room, with mirrors
covering the wall on the far left, and the American and Korean flags hanging on the right
hand side. The room is wide open, with only a single support beam in the center. Students
line up sitting down against the wall on the right, underneath the flags. Students are
called from the wall to the center of the room to spar. The room is roughly 25 feet by 25
feet. The mats on the ground are scuffed, and colored both blue and red.

Comehereyouaregoingtocoach.Cruns
overtoM.Mcallstwosmallchildrentomat
infrontofhim.Theywalkatanormalpace.
Theyfaceeachother.Cishyperactive.
MgrabsCshands,gesturingattention
Nonverbally.MsaysattentioninKorean
atthesametime.Csaysattentionright
afterMsaysit.MsaysbowinKorean,
whilegesturingCshandstothesymbol
forbowing.Thetwochildreninsparring
gearbowsimultaneously.After,Msays
guardingstanceinKorean,gesturingwith
Cshandtheguardingstancesymbol.Cdoes
notspeak.Thetwochildreninsparringgear
yellbeforethematchstarts.Msaysbegin
whileusingCshandtosignalstartofthe
match.Mbacksup,releasingCshand.C
doesnotbackup.Matchbeginsandthetwo
kidsbegintospar.Mmovesquicklyforward
topullCback.MsaysIdonotwantyouto
gethurt.CnowstandsbyM.2children
sparringthrowtheirfirstkicks.Children
entangleinthebluematring.Theyare
jamming.Theystayfor3seconds.Mmoves
quicklytowardsthetwosparring.Cis
watchingthis.MsaysbreakupinKorean.
Thetwochildrensparringletgoandbackup..
TheyareguidedbyMbacktothemiddleof
thering.Cisstillwatching,buthyperactive.
MbringsCover.MgrabsCshand,and
saysContinueinKoreanwhilesignaling
withCshand.Mbacksup.Crunsaway.
Cissmiling.Twokidscontinuetospar.
CisbyMsside.Childwithbluechestguard
landssuccessfulkickonchildinredchest
guard.Mmovesquicklytoseparatechildren.
MsaysEndinKorean.Chasnotmoved.
Cisstillwatching.Twochildreninsparring
gearreturntostartingpoint.Theywalk.M
gesturesforCtocometowhereheis.C
runsovertohim.MgrabsCshand.Msays
BluewinsinKorean,whileusingCs
handtogesturetowardsblue,makinghim
officialwinner.Maskssparringopponents

tohugatendofmatch.Masksredtositon
othersideofroom.Theyruntootherside.M
Cisonly5yearsold.
Childrensparringareagessixandseven.
Cappearstohaveexcessenergy.
Thisisthefirstexampleweseeoflearningthrough
guiding.Theinstructorisbothshowingandspeaking
aboutwhattodo.

Itisnormalforchildrentoletoutasortofyell
beforeasparringmatchbegins.Itinsomeway
symbolizesthebeginning.
Chasnotbeentaughthowtobeareferee.Sheisvery
small,butonlyslightlysmallerthanthechildrenwho
aresparring.
Jammingisaterminsparringforsayingthattwo
peoplearerightnexttoeachother,usuallychestto
chest.
Ciscaptivated.Gazetowardsmatchisclear.
Hereweseeanotherexampleofguiding.Instructor
grabsstudenthand,andguidesit.Thegrabappears
tobegentleconsideringsizedifferenceandcare
taken.

Cisstillwatching.OnlyparticipatingwhenM
deciedes.
Theyweresparringinagoldenpointstylematch,
wherethefirsttoscoreisthevictor.

callsupnextopponenttofaceblue,winner
oflastround.Childrunsuptofaceblue.M
grabsCshands.Mgesturesattentionnon
verbally,andlooksatC.Clooksback.C
takesasecondbeforesayingattentionin
Korean.Thetwoinsparringgearstandmore
upright.Mgesturesbownonverballywith
Cshands.Cpauses.Severalsecondspass.
MsaysbowinKorean.Csaysbowin
Koreanrightafter,coupledwithhandmotion
asecondtime.Twokidsbowquickly.Mlets
goofCslefthand.Msaysreadyin
KoreanwhileguidingCshandforward,
actingasbarrierbetweentwokidssoontobe
sparring.Cgoesthroughmotion.Shedoes
notspeak.MpullsCshandback,signaling
startofmatch.Cloudlysaysstartin
Korean.MletsgoofCshand.Crunsback.
Mwalksbackwards.Twochildren,both
withbluesparringchestguards,beginto
faceoff.Ciswatchingthematch.2kids
sparringbegintoveerofftoedgeofring.
Theyarekickingeachother,butnotscoring.
CisnearM.MputshandsonCsshoulders,
guideshertofollowmatch.CandMare
movingastwokidssparringare.Twokids
disregardCandM.Twokidsgetnearedge
ofring.CandMstillnearby,bothwatching.
Onechildstepsoutofring.Mjumps
forward,sayingbreakandsignaling
withhandstodothesame.Kidsbreak,and
moveseveralfeetbackintoring.Mgrabs
Cshand.MgesturesbreakwithCs
handwhilesayingbreakinKorean.Kids
havealreadyseparated.Mdoesthisonce
morewithCshand.Cgestures,being
guidedbyMshand,thesignaltobreak.
CandMbothsaybreakinKoreanat

roughlysametime.Msaysitfirstbyfraction
ofasecond.MisstillholdingCshand.C
andMleanforward,beforeMpullsCs
handbacktosignalcontinuingmatch.At
sametime,MsaysresumeinKorean.C
doesnotspeak.Crunsback.Mbacksup
moreslowly.Sparringmatchiscontinuedby
thetwochildren.
Weseemoreevidenceofguidingasaformof
teachinghere.
CsaysattentioninKoreanonherownaccord.

Onlyonehandisusedfornonverballanguagewhen
coupledwithready,whichiswhythelefthandwas
letgo.Therighthandisstillbeingheld.

Chaslearnedtorunbackratherthanstayrightnext
tothesparringmatchlikeshehadoriginallydone.
Cstillobservingintentlyasdemonstratedbythe
lookinginthedirectionofthematchandexcitement
whensomeoneiskicking.
Itisnormalforthepeoplesparringtolargelyignore
thereferee.Itisthejoboftherefereetoobserveand
decidepenalties,butalsotonotdisturbthematch.

Cgetschancetogesturebreakeventhoughkids
havealreadyseparated.Thesolepurposeherewas
nottoguidethematchbutratherforCtolearn.
Chassomewhatcaughtontowhatneedstobesaid
Conceagainbacksup,illustratingimprovement
bythepersonwhoisreferee.
fromthebeginningwhereshestayedinplace.