Meaning 1
The ongoing process of gaining understanding, knowledge, or ability.
Reach for it when talking about growth through study, practice, reflection, or experience
Hands-on learning gave the class confidence with the unfamiliar equipment.
Meaning 2
Knowledge acquired through sustained study.
Reach for it when referring to a person's body of scholarship
Her learning ranged from local history to ancient irrigation methods.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| playful | ||
| everyday |
| |
| warm | ||
| professional | ||
| formal |
| |
| literary |
everyday
study
Fits when focused effort with material is the immediate activity
Careful Study can occur without lasting learning.
warm
Fits when curiosity and finding something new shape the experience
Careful Discovery describes moments of insight, not the whole developmental process.
warm
Fits when personal development matters more than information gained
Careful Growth is too broad when the subject is a defined body of knowledge.
professional
Fits when organized development across subjects or years is meant
Careful Education includes institutions and upbringing beyond the act of learning.
professional
training
Fits when practice is directed toward a job or specific performance
Careful Training is narrower than learning and may omit understanding.
playful
Fits when practical usable knowledge is what matters
Careful Know-how overlooks theoretical understanding.
formal
Fits when rigorous academic knowledge and inquiry are central
Careful Scholarship does not cover practical or informal learning well.
literary
Fits when impressive breadth of studied knowledge is intended
Careful Erudition can sound grandiose in ordinary praise.
lifelong learning
The library made lifelong learning part of its public mission.
learning experience
The failed prototype became a valuable learning experience.
depth of learning
The essay revealed a depth of learning beyond the syllabus.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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