The Learner vs The Student

(This post is a response to Michael L. Davenports column on "The Importance of Goals". I freely admit I do not always live up to my goals, and expectations of myself. Even the Learner\Student List below in some I am one and some the other. But I do strive each day to be better at being, to learn to be human. Michale's excellent article captures some of that personal striving or goal setting in my own life.)

The Learner vs The Student

1. The Learner is primarily involved with the people of the neighbourhood in a normal context.
1. The student is primarily involved with books and studies of the course - an isolated study context.
2. The Learner revels in the immersion of the real-life experience.
2. The student is fearful of immersion - lots of land drills.
3. The Leaner learns the language and the very process is a means of communicating interest and care for people.
3. The student studies the language in hopes of preparing to someday be able to communicate with the people.
4. The Leaner's goal is to know the people.
4. The student's goal is usually to learner the language.
5. The Learner attitude enables one to implement a strategy that will communicate a love for people.
5. The student attitude often results in a strategy of comfortable isolation…with a few little forays.
6. The Learner values the cultural knowledge of the people. When sensitively understood, God may use that knowledge redemptively, as a bridge to Himself.
6. For the student, the cultural knowledge may be viewed as a barrier in a way of accomplishing ministry goals.
7. The Learner decides for himself / herself what he / she will do next.
7. Others decide what the student will do next.
8. The Learner learns because of personal wants and needs.
8. The student's learning often becomes oriented to passing an exam or course.
9. The Learner gets a natural feel for the grammar by normal use, deducing patterns by observation and hypothesis testing.
9. The student is taught the grammar by means of technical terms and memorization or rules.
10. The Learner uses deductions to generate new sentences and to prepare practice exercises.
10. The student memorizes rules about how to generate new sentences.
11. The Learner 'learns' the language in order to use it.
11. The student 'studies' the language in order to 'know' it.
12. The Learner writes his/her own course as s/he goes along.
12. The student is provided with a grammar book and textbooks.
13. The Learner's lessons are 'messy', with lots of residue; s/he has to tolerate some ambiguity along the way.
13. For the student, each lesson is thoroughly explained, and is drilled in all it's parts.
14. The Learner bites off only as much as s/he can chew each day, and tries to use (a lot!) of the new things that are learned.
14. The student is exposed to a lot of material, but doesn't have the time or energy to master it.
15. The Learner's texts are 'here & now' content, oriented to current communication needs & opportunities.
15. The dialogues the student learn are 'then & there' content, oriented to the needs of the curriculum.
16. The Learner is relationship-focused.
16. The student is task-focused.
17. The Learner is never behind,
17. The student almost always is.
18. The Learner uses the Learning Cycle.
18. The student probably doesn't.
19. The Learner compares progress only with themselves.
19. The student compares personal progress with others in class.
20. The Learner has fun.
20. The Student asks how much fun is it?

Quotes:

"There is nothing so constant as change. Meet it. Embrace it. Enjoy it. Learn from it.
The one thing you can be absolutely sure of in your life is change. It’s the only thing that never changes. The law of nature is that you either grow or you die; there’s no in-between. So, what have you chosen so far? Are you growing in every area of your life? Hey, it’s not enough to be growing and looking great just because you work out. That’s only a small part of your life. What about your emotions, spiritual life, family, friends, career, hobbies? Are they growing as your body does? Become a complete person and not an in-shape and great-looking version of an incomplete person. There’s way more to life than just working out. Go with the flow and embrace changes in all areas of your life. The change will do you good."
Robert Wolff, PH.D. - Bodybuilding 101

"It's Very Important to understand the difference between dreams and goals. Dreams are things we wish for--things you enjoy thinking about but don't really know when they'll happen. Goals, on the other hand, are specific things you have decided you need to accomplish within a clearly defined period of time."
Bill Phillips - Body For Life

"Mere change is not growth. Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and where there is no continuity there is no growth."
C.S. Lewis - Essay on Hamlet