Basic ways to approach problems and issues in life are only the first orientation. Serious alleviation and solving of problems requires high quality learning, thinking and acting.

Before you read any more about the book, please construct your own tentative personal theory about the issue which we ponder in the title of this chapter.
First think by yourself what is learning, what is high quality learning. Make a list and discuss with others whom you trust.

After you have constructed your answer, only after that, please compare your conception, your tentative theory to the ideas presented in this book on the following page(s).

High quality learning (based mainly on Åhlberg 1997b)

According to Mayer (1996) in the 20th century there have been three main metaphors of learning: 1) from 1900 to 1950ies response strengthening, 2) from 1960ies to 1970ies information processing and 3) from 1980ies to 1990ies knowledge construction.

One main aspect of modern theorising about learning is lacking from the Mayer’s (1996) list: situated cognition and learning. A balanced comparative overview of five different positions of situated learning is presented e. g. in Gruber, Law, Mandl and Renkl (1999, originally 1995). Situated cognition and learning is a loose research tradition, which contains different definitions of ‘situatedness’. A group of researchers (e. g. Clansey, Greeno and Lave) highlight that “cognition and learning are always and under any circumstance situated” (Gruber, Law, Mandl and Renkl 1999, 227).

There are many different versions of constructivism (e.g. Åhlberg 1990a – 1998b; Kelly 1955; Neisser 1976; Ernest 1995; Mahoney 1991; Phillips 1995). Our theory of high quality learning is based on a version constructivism, in which all constructed knowledge and its assumptions are continually tested both theoretically and empirically.

Not all authors in the field use the metaphor of ‘knowledge construction’ in their definition of learning. E.g. Greeno, Collins and Resnick (1996, 21) define learning and transfer: “Learning and transfer are critical issues... Learning is a process by which knowledge is increased and modified. Transfer is a process of applying knowledge in new situations. Educators want the knowledge that is acquired in school to apply generally in student’s lives, rather than being limited to the situations of classrooms where it is acquired. That is to say they want the knowledge to transfer.” Tranfer of learning is important for promoting sustainable development, good environment and good life.

A basic tenet of a theory of high quality learning is that everybody ought to take the full responsibility of her/his own learning (knowledge construction), to own her/his own learning, and construct an integrating theory of their own of all aspects of the world which are important to her/him and testing it in their own life.

There are at least twelve basic aspects of high quality learning:

1) Meaningful learning means that whatever you learn is relevant to your real needs, is connected to all prior knowledge that you have about the issue. Often learning in schools and universities is contrary to meaningful learning. It is based on uncritical, unreflective repeating right answers, learning by heart, rote learning, ritualistic examinations, dogmatic learning etc.

Meaningful learning at its best means that you take the whole responsibility of your own learning. Learning becomes an essential part of your life. You become a process owner of your own learning processes. You construct your own theories and test them continually in your own life, both empirically, e.g. in practice and theoretically in your thinking and thought experiments.

2) Deep learning means continual search for evidence of your theories, justifications for own theories and knowledge, and their assumptions and continual testing of your theories.

3) High quality learning is not only repetition of earlier learning. An essential aspect of high quality learning is creative, innovative, proactive, future constructive learning. New ways of thinking and acting are created and learned. (e.g. Michael 1973; Argyris, Putnam and Smith 1985; Engeström 1994; Csikszentmihalyi 1996; Mezirow 1996, 162 - 164; Taylor 1997).

4) Metalearning, metacognitive learning, is learning about one’s own learning, thinking and acting. Learning how to learn is an important part of metalearning. Learning about own best learning styles and learning to be a more self-directed learner are important aspects of metalearning (Knowles 1975, 17; Leino and Leino 1990; Garrison 1997; Jans & Leclercq 1997; Rayner and Riding 1997; Riding 1997). Children often need long-lasting, patient help to learn metacognitive self-control processes (e.g. Corno 1989; Flavell 1970; Steiner 1997, 96).

5) High quality learning includes both implicit and explicit learning. (applying e.g. Nonaka 1993, Nonaka and Takeuchi 1995, Nonaka and Takeuchi 1996). These two concepts are based on concepts of tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge can be expressed accurately in propositions, statements in both talk and text. Tacit knowledge is hard to articulate in explicit propositions, statements. Tacit knowledge is highly personal knowing how to do things effectively. Experts in each field often are unable to tell accurately how they are able to do what they do. Novices have to be trust in explicit instructions, but later on working and developing in their own, people often learn more they can express by propositions. You can only follow a master in his work and try to learn how he or she does it. Tacit knowledge is embedded in personal experience and thinking and acting.  Learning tacit knowledge is implicit learning. Implicit learning is silent, personal learning which is often difficult if not at first impossible to express accurately by propositions. At the bottom implicit learning or tacit knowledge creation is individual, personal phenomenon. However it is important in organisational learning or organisational knowledge creation by a never-ending spiral of knowledge conversion (from individual to group and organisational level and back again, from tacit to explicit knowledge and from explicit to tacit knowledge). Expressed in terms of learning the spiral of knowledge conversion is an endless spiral of implicit and explicit learning. When implicit knowledge is transformed to explicit knowledge often metaphors and analogies, diagrams and mapping are used.

6) Both general regularities (“laws”), generalisations and relevant details of contexts and situations are learned. Ordinary school learning is concentrated in learning main conclusions of research and from other fields of culture. Often these general regularities are taught and repeated by pupils and students. Our textbooks are filled with general claims. Very rarely any rebuttals are made. However in real world there are often conditions in which these general regularities do not apply. Also if we want to learn meaningfully and deeply, we ought to test from the beginning suggested important general regularities in our own life, if possible. Our life would then be a series of fulfilling learning projects, during which we learn both general regularities and important circumstances of each individual situation and case. In school organisations teaching and learning would probably then become better experiences to both students and teachers. Each place and time, each case of our learning projects contains both some general features and highly specific features, which sometimes hinder general regularities and sometimes foster them. Selection of general regularities to be learned might be done by basis of their importance for promoting sustainable development, good environment and good life. From viewpoint of history of human sciences we may say that we are learning by an integrating way, both nomothetically (generalities, law-like aspects of the world) and idiographically (unique, specific features of the world which are important for sustainable development, good environment and good life).

7) Learning how to network and learn to use networks. Each individual person and organization have relatively little power. But if they learn to network and how to use their networks, they increase their power to solve personal and social problems, e.g. problems of sustainable development, good environment and good life. In Environmental Education the importance of networking is highlighted by e.g. Posch (1991, 14 - 15 and 1994, 61 - 87), and Åhlberg (1995, originally 1994). In general education the importance of networking is nowadays widely acknowledged, e.g. Lieberman (1996, 51 - 55) who highlights importance of networking when we want to create intentional learning communities.

8) Individuals, teams, organisations, and regions can learn in high quality ways. If changes happen in behaviour or actions of individuals, teams, groups, organisations or regions then learning is a possible explanation. If other explanations like fatigue or lack of resources can be eliminated then learning is probable cause for changes in human actions. Earlier we discussed another aspect of high quality learning, importance of both explicit and implicit learning and continual knowledge creation in organisations. In organisational knowledge creation learning happens interactively at individual, group and organisational levels. When you travel in different countries in different times you may find that new technologies have been adopted, new ways of acting have been learned.

9) Both purposive and informal learning are utilised. The formal schooling, education, teaching and training often has clear purposes, purposeful objectives how learning ought to proceed. Learners are expected to become to know and /or understand certain contents and master certain skills. Their attention ought to be concentrated in just learning these items. It is clear that in order to learn anything learner’s attention must be concentrated to issue to be learned. Planned purposeful learning is good, but importance of informal free learning needs to be also recognised. Planned purposeful learning is often efficient, but the price is high, learning may become unnecessary narrow and often fragmented.

Humans like many other animals have a need just to go around, have a look, to smell, touch and hear, to investigate their surroundings. Humans and many animals construct and continually correct a perceptual map of the world, they themselves included. Perceptual maps are very difficult to explain by words and propositions. The are based on different types of images, visual, auditory, tactual, olfactory images. Each individual has different images. They are not directly describable to other persons. Only humans are able to construct a conceptual map of the world where our explanations for regularities of perceptual world are presented. When free observations are made, all kind of real and important issues have a chance to come into mind. The point is however that the prepared mind catches more than unprepared. The more concepts and images you have beforehand and the better conceptual structures and theories, the more you know beforehand the fine nuances you are able to detect, the better conceptions of the whole situation and its most important parts you are able to construct in your mind.

Learning in workplaces often includes plenty of informal learning and reflection. Non-formal education, e.g. in museums and in exhibitions may include both purposive and informal learning. There are good possibilities of using also informal learning.

10) Using benchmarking and benchlearning, which means learning from the best of each field. Often people say that you can learn from every person. It may be so, but because lifetime of each individual is limited, it may not to be wise to learn from anybody. In order to learn high quality way, to survive, to have a good environment and good life it is probably wise to try to learn systematically from the best of each field. At least many successful organisation have done so and the have survived and excelled.

11) High quality learning includes integration of thinking, emotions, acting and empowerment emerging from it. This kind of empowerment means increased abilities to solve personal and social problems. When you are as a whole person with your all thinking, feelings and skills tackling your personal and your community’s problems, you have better chances to solve them than if some part of you is closed out of situation. Often education and learning is too cognitive, detached from emotions and values. Many people still think that it is not good to show your passions and emotions in learning, in research or in teaching. Learning becomes powerless, alienated, dull and meaningless by that way.

12) There are at least three indicators of high quality learning: improved critical thinking, improved creative solving of problems and constructive actions for better environment and better life. If you only think in your mind and no constructive actions are seen, it is very difficult to accept that anything of high quality is learned in present state of the human world. There are nowadays too much post-modern conceptual games going on, of no practical use for anybody, just discourses about environmental issues for discourses sake, waste of time and resources.

Whatever is learned ought to be transferable to new situations, new contexts. All the 12 aspects of High Quality Learning improve transfer of learning.

In education for sustainability, good environment and good life, it is necessary to have experiences of what can be justified as worthwhile. Learning from these experiences requires reflecting on experiences.

Practical suggestions:

Apply these 12 aspects of high quality learning to your own life, your own work and community. Test each aspect continually both theoretically and empirically. Take into a part of your own tentative theory those aspects which stand continual testing. Try to construct a new and better theory for high quality learning and test it continually in your life.