Personal Exploration of Knowledge - Report Example

Running Head: Exploration of Knowledge Personal Exploration of Knowledge Introduction Knowledge has been defined in various ways through the years. Primarily, it is the ability and proficiency acquired by a person through experience or education; either by practical or theoretical understanding of an issue. Practical in the sense that knowledge is described as the responsiveness and expertise gained through experience in a given circumstance or situation, nevertheless it may also be regarded as theoretical since some of it are based on proven facts and information. According to Plato, Knowledge is defined as justified true belief, though there is no precise definition of knowledge at present times. The term knowledge is used to mean certain understanding of an issue with the capacity to utilize it for a definite reason. Cognitive Processes such as perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning are involved in knowledge acquisition. In this paper, our objective is to analyze the idea of knowledge as acquired through exposure of a subject to stimuli. In this case, we will study the case wherein knowledge is acquired through experience. Moreover, it is our goal to evaluate the sensory experience obtained from an organized activity and from an unstructured activity. Discussion andd Analysis Like what the elders usually says, experience is the best teacher. It is though experience that we learn practical things that doesn’t have any scientific explanation or that there is no available reason that is justifiable. This generally discusses or covers how we deal with life; how we define our individuality, we play our role in the society, and how we react in a given situation and our responsiveness to outside forces. Knowledge can be obtained in a process called leaning. In psychology and education, learning theories are attempts to explain how people or even animals learn which then aids us to understand the intrinsic course of learning. There are three main philosophical frameworks where we can categorize leaning: behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism (Dunn, 1997). Sensation is a term widely used to describe the reaction or responsiveness of a person to a given stimuli. Generally, it is used to refer to the subjective experience resulting from a stimulation of a sense organ. Scientifically, the study of sensation is the study of the operation of the senses. Aristotle recognized only five senses — vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch, each associated with a particular sense organ. On the other hand, James Weldon Johnson defined sensation as the state of heightened interest or emotion. In this sense, sensory experiences can be both obtained from either experiencing it through our five senses or by stimulation wherein we react to a given stimuli which can then gives us different feelings and emotions toowards diferent things. Sensory integration is defined as the neurological process that organizes sensation from one’s own body and environment, thus making it possible to use the body effectively within the environment (Sellars & Dewey, 2001). With our senses, we can identify things around us, react to circumstances and work with our reflexes as a product of our responsiveness. In line with this, we learn things or acquire knowledge in an organized activity by using our senses. We appreciate works of arts in a museum by our eyes, we enjoy the melody of music by our ears, we take pleasure with the food we eat by our tongue and feel the warmth or a mother’s embrace by our skin. These are few of the things we learn through our senses.In this context, we react or experience things through our five senses which we know are standard and defined. Perception, on the other hand can be described as the interpreted meaning of a sensory activity. According to Immanuel Kant’s transcendental philosophy, the knowledge of the world arises from sensory experience, supplied by the mind with properties such as space, time, relation and causality. It is also characterized as the process of registering sensory stimuli as meaningful experience. Moreover, perception is more subject to the influence of learning. Perceptions may be influenced by expectations, needs, unconscious ideas, values, and conflict. Edward Bradford Titchener, a structuralist researcher, stressed on the constituent elements of visual perceptions. Nonetheless, Gestalt psychology has focused the need to study organized wholes, believing humans are disposed to identifying patterns. Gestalt psychology began as a reaction to the behaviorism of Watson and the introspectionism of Titchner (Answers.com, 2008). Visual objects tend to appear stable despite continually changing stimulus features, such as perspective, ambient light or ground versus figure arrangement which then allows the observer to match perceived object with the object as it is understood to exist. He argued that we do not perceive the world as it is; we impose cause and effect relationships on it and therefore our perceptions are influenced by our experiences (Fultz, J. 2008). In this case, unstructured activity provides us learning through perception. For example, we join a nature trip activity, through our past experiences, we can appreciate the nature in different ways. Also, with regards to reading a book, people have different reactions and perception towards the author’s message since everyone of us has his or her own experiences which he or she can relate to. In this point of view, it is our experience that works which then enable us to preceive things and hence learn from it in different approaches. More practical principles of the learning process are dealt by informal theories of instruction. One of the principles or the said theory is that learning should be a process wherein fundamental details are discussed to build a concept towards the main principle or idea. On the other hand, it is said that the method should be in a way that an overall idea is constructed first before details to fill out mind-boggling questions. Many have questioned why people have an innate drive or eagerness of knowledge. The idea of how we, people, ought to learn now arises. There have been a lot of arguments that explain how people must learn. Generally, learning is said to be self taught, which means that a person will gain knowledge through experiences and that the ideal pr perfect learning setup should be self taught as well. At the basic level of learning, a person should teach himself to learn. However, schools have been designed to facilitate learning process. In this case, it then contradicts the idea of a perfect model of self learning. Moreover, studies have showed results that isolated students usually are usually unsuccessful. Social support, communication and interaction are key factors for a sustained learning. The said informal learning theory also argues about the book versus real-world experience. New instructional models have been developed to promise a more effective learning experience. It includes the traditional classroom setup with a computer improved instruction which then caters the need of every student in this generation. Conclusion Knowledge is power. A person without it cannot perform or function well within a society. It can be achieved or obtained through the process of learning. Learning can be classified as traditional or modern. In a traditional way of learning, students should attend schools and read prescribed books to gain facts and information. However, studies have shown that this is not enough. It is said, according to experts, that experience still is the best way to learn. It is through this that we learn how we deal with our everyday lives and respond to unsheltered environment we call the “outside world”. In addition to this, our traditional concept of knowledge is through self taught. It is said that the ideal or perfect model of learning is by means of a person teaching himself to learn. However, critics have opposed to this idea and justified their arguments. Since knowledge can be obtained through learning, learning processes then have been developed. These processes can then be classified as: behaviorism, cognitism and constructivism. Experience can be obtained through our senses which then results to different perceptions. A person’s experience will then teach him or her to recognize things around him though our senses are standard. Sensory experiences varies from different approaches. In the case of an organized activity, say visiting a museum or participating in a sport describes are senses as being standard or predictable so to speak. It is through our eyes, that we see arts isplayed in a musem or through our innate or practiced skills that we participate in any given sport. In this context, it appears that experience does not play a big role in the learning process of a organized or structured acivity. On the other hand, in a unstructured activity, experience is very significant in the learning process. It is through what we have gained or lose, what we have achieved or failed that we learn things. We perceive things in this view by how we relate to them based on what we have already experienced. In this case, it may be described as more natural and spontaneous because we learn to learn out of what we have experienced. It is best that we both use our senses and experience as we walk through our journey of learning and gaining knowledge. References Answers.com. (2008). Gestalt psychology. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from http://www.answers.com/topic/gestalt-psychology?cat=technology Brugge, J. (2008). Overview of sensory reception. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from http://www.neurophys.wisc.edu/~ychen/textbase/OV.HTMl Dunn W. (1997). Introduction to sensory processing concepts. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 fromhttp://classes.kumc.edu/sah/resources/sensory_processing/learning_opportunities/concepts/sp_concepts_main.htm Fultz, J. (2008). Gestalt psychology. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from http://homepages.ius.edu/rallman/gestalt.html Funderstanding. (2001). 12 different theories on how people learn. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from http://www.funderstanding.com/about_learning.cfm Johnson, J. (1973). Effects of accurate expectations about sensations on the sensory and distress components of pain Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from http://www.kumc.edu/instruction/nursing/NRSG754/SYLLABUS/Johnsonpaper.html Sellars, R. & Dewey, J. (2001).Experience and sensation. Retrieved on March 7, 2008 from http://users.california.com/~mcmf/sellarsdewey.html Read More