Quotes about Learning

Anyone who has organised or partaken in company training knows it can be a tedious affair. Whether it’s herding people (or being herded) into a room for transmissive, rote learning sessions or sat at a desk performing an un-engaging eLearning course, knowledge transfer is rarely successful.

At SC Training (formerly EdApp), we don’t just believe that learning should be engaging, interactive and presented in easily-absorbed, bite-sized chunks, we know just how much more effective it is too. It’s normal for company training courses to have completion rates of less-than 20 per cent. With microlearning, that number pushes past 90 percent! It’s simple to use a rapid authoring tool‘s interactive templates to create microlessons which are then distributed to learners’ own mobile devices. But, there are still things to keep in mind. On the one hand there are practical tips on how to create an effective micro lesson plan. On the other, there are the following inspirational quotes about learning that are worth bearing in mind when creating a lesson or course.

Quotes about Learning

Here are some positive learning environment quotes and slogans about learning:

“Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.”

–E.M. Forster
“Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.” This quote outlines the importance of discovery and learning. Rather than providing all the information to a learner, Forster suggests that effective learning comes from the exploration of information, otherwise they will only know the vessel that informs them rather than learning content. Our learning platform provides the ability to have constant access to learning modules and enables learners to develop a sense of eternal learning. This facilitates the exploration and interpretation of learning content, mobily. 

“Change is the end result of all true learning.”

-Leo Buscaglia
“Change is the end result of all true learning.” This quote exemplifies how true learning is achieved through knowledge and ultimately change. Dynamic learning processes facilitate this kind of true learning, and features such as easily editable course content assist in providing the best learning experiences. 

“Learning never exhausts the mind.”

-Leonardo da Vinci
“Learning never exhausts the mind,” is a reality when learning programs provide worthwhile and useful content to learners. Microlearning assists in minimising cognitive overload by providing content in short, digestible bursts, facilitating the long-term embedment of important information in the memories of learners.

“I’ve seen how you can’t learn anything when you’re trying to look like the smartest person in the room.”

-Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
“I’ve seen how you can’t learn anything when you’re trying to look like the smartest person in the room.” This phrase highlights the disadvantage created when mental barriers are built around one’s ability to learn. Peer learning in microlearning breaks down these barriers, providing each employee with the support and confidence to learn new content through the widespread share of information.

“Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.”

-Plato, The Republic
“Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.” Essentially, this quote suggests that compulsory learning prohibits learners from absorbing and retaining knowledge long-term. To counter this, microlearning provides all learners with a choice of topics they would like to choose from at any time from anywhere.

Development quotes

Here's some quotes on learning from Stanley Kubrick:

“I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and by using fear as the basic motivation. Fear of getting failing grades, fear of not staying with your class, etc. Interest can produce learning on a scale compared to fear as a nuclear explosion to a firecracker.”

-Stanley Kubrick
“I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and by using fear as the basic motivation. Fear of getting failing grades, fear of not staying with your class, etc. Interest can produce learning on a scale compared to fear as a nuclear explosion to a firecracker.” Here, Kubrick argues that learning on the basis of interest is significantly more effective than learning on the basis of fear. Creating a supportive learning environment assists in the development of interest without being accompanied by the fear of failure. This is achieved through the option of revisiting lessons until complex concepts are grasped.

“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.”

-Oliver Wendell Holmes
“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.” This quote illustrates the potential power of knowledge if absorbed correctly. Unlike traditional eLearning structures, microlearning increases retention rates, providing learners with opportunity to carry the knowledge they’ve harnessed well beyond the completion of a lesson.  

“Do you train for passing tests or do you train for creative inquiry?”

-Noam Chomsky
“Do you train for passing tests or do you train for creative inquiry?” This quote distinguishes the difference between training to simply complete lessons or training to spark valuable thought. Microlearning allows for creative inquiry through its interactive nature, whereby learners are able to participate in on-the-job-like training from their own mobile devices, incorporating the power of anytime and anywhere.

“He who laughs most, learns best”

-John Cleese
“He who laughs most, learns best,” emphasises the importance of interactive exercises which incorporate gaming elements, known as gamification. Gamification encapsulates the integration of features such as point scores, star bars and leader boards to intrinsically motivate employees.

Training quotes

Here's a memorable quote about learning from Phil Collins:

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”

-Phil Collins
“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” This quote correlates to the value of peer learning and the benefits that go with it. Learners are challenged and supported with a social environment of learning, resulting in better participation and ultimately higher knowledge retention.

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.”

-Anon
“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” This quote reiterates the natural process of starting from the bottom and working one’s way up until a complete understanding is achieved. The incorporation of levels in microlearning modules allows learners to gradually develop necessary skills until the concept is mastered.

Quotes about Learning Lessons

“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.”

-William Pollard
“Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” This quote builds on the idea that learning is constant and evolving. Mobile learning provides this opportunity to learners, facilitated by the ability to add infinite content modules to learners’ dashboards. 

Trainers Quotes

Here are some teacher definition quotes:

“The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.”

-Marcus Tullius Cicero
“The authority of those who teach is often an obstacle to those who want to learn.” Here, Cicero could be commenting on the restricting way of teaching, based on traditional learning methods. Rather than learners completing standardised lessons typically found in eLearning platforms, mobile-first teaching and learning breaks down the limitations and allows the modern learner constant access to information.

“It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom. Without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail.”

-Albert Einstein
“It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in the need of freedom. Without this, it goes to wrack and ruin without fail.” Modern methods of learning are still being developed to deliver the best learning outcome for employees. The need for freedom plays a major role in the degree to which learners gain valuable, long-term knowledge. Microlearning facilitates this freedom by providing learners with course content options, as well as the incorporation of varying interactive learning exercises.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

-Benjamin Franklin
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” The power of learner involvement is second to none, particularly through microlearning. Learners are completely immersed in the learning experience, whereby the content is entirely learner-centric.

“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”

-Robert Frost
“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” True understanding goes beyond traditional teaching, instead having an intrinsic effect on learners. This is facilitated by the amalgamation of fragmented knowledge, learned over time, to create one holistic concept.

We hope you found these inspirational quotes about learning useful. If you’d like additional practical advice on training and teaching, get in touch at enquiries@edapp.com. You can also try SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s Mobile LMS and authoring tool for free by signing up here.

Thanks very much to the following sites for cataloguing so many of these quotes: Wise Old Sayings, Brainy Quote, Awaken the greatness within and Good Reads.

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