"Learning is sometimes defined as the “acquisition of information.” This is an inadequate definition. Regardless of the personal learning style of each of our students and children - our LEARN-ers — learning happens in, or goes through, five stages.

Acquisition is just one of those stages. Each of those stages is actually a function of neurology: each bit of information is passed from neuron to neuron until it is firmly lodged, embedded or, using computer jargon, “stored” in the brain.

The first stage in the learning process is called priming. This is when the foundation of neural networks is established — through prior learning and preparation. In computer terms, this is the “software installation” and the “booting” of the system. The brain, with its vast network of 12-15 billion neurons, is the computer “hardware.”

Teachers may prime their students in any of a number of ways: by recapping the previous lesson, for example; or by making sure that their students are in a proper learning mood; or perhaps simply by giving an overview of the new lesson at hand.

The second stage is called acquisition.

The term looks at this stage from the point of view of the learner. Looked at from the point of view of the TEACHer, this stage may be called the input stage.

Inside the classroom, this is the stage wherein new information is presented (by the teacher) through direct instruction and acquired (by the student).

Outside the classroom, a learner can of course acquire new information on his or her own: discovery, through direct experience, or perhaps through reading. In computer terms this stage is the equivalent of “encoding” a new document. This is also when neural connections are first fired or ignited.

The third stage is called elaboration, when neural connections are enhanced.

This is when new information is clarified through discussion or, in the case of discovery, through experimentation or perhaps through further research. In computer terms, this is the equivalent of running a spell and grammar check or of editing and refining the document. Thus, teachers should actually welcome and encourage questions from students, because these indicate effort at elaboration.

Ignoring or in any way belittling a student’s question can have devastating effects in both the short- and the long-run: the elaboration stage is aborted, and the habit of elaboration may be inhibited. In other words, actual learning is frustrated in the now and, in all probability, potential learning may be discouraged in the future.

The fourth stage is called incubation. This is when the neural connections are strengthened through repetition, rest and emotional intensity. In computer terms, this is the equivalent of “saving” the new document. There is simply no way of bypassing or “fasttracking” this stage: it must be allowed its own time and pace. This is one reason why subjects are generally taught in three one-hour sessions per week. It is entirely possible to teach Math for three straight hours every Monday, for example, and Science for another three-hour set every Tuesday, and so on. Possible, yes. Equally effective, no.

The three-installment set-up allows more time for incubation and is, therefore, more effective.The last stage is called integration.

This is when the student is able to attach personal meaning to the new information and to make personal use of it, so that it becomes a genuine or real part of his/her life. In computer terms, this is equivalent to printing out the document. This stage is often accompanied by an “illumination” or an “aha!” experience: when the new information clicks into place inside the student’s brain.

We must bear in mind, however, that the computer analogy is far from perfect. Because the truth is that the brain is not as tireless or as robotic as a computer.

We can hack away at a computer for hours on end, and the computer’s capability will hardly depreciate. The brain, on the other hand, assimilates information best when it is allowed 2-5 minutes of rest after a maximum “processing chunk” of 20-25 minutes. This is the focus-diffusion aspect of learning.

The rest or diffusion need not be a formal break at all. It can simply be a joke or side-story, or perhaps a stretching exercise or a song. Failure to provide for diffusion results in boredom. Clearly, boredom does not aid learning. Teachers sometimes forget this simple guideline. Many speakers seem totally unaware of it.

The author Henry S. Tenedero is the president of the Center for Learning and Teaching Styles, an affiliate of the International Learning Styles Network, based at St. John’s University in New York. He is a graduate of the AIM Masters in Development management and of the Harvard Graduate School for Professional Educators. He can be reached at htenedero@yahoo.com