The Stages of Learning

Understanding The Stages of Learning

• Cognitive Stage: This is the initial stage where a learner tries to understand the requirements and demands of a new skill.
  • During this phase, the individual will make many mistakes.
  • They rely heavily on coaching for guidance and direction.
  • Performance tends to be inconsistent and success is often achieved by chance.
• Associative Stage: This is the second stage of skill acquisition, characterised by refining the skill through practice.
  • The individual makes fewer mistakes and their movements become more controlled and fluent.
  • The learner starts to associate cues from the environment with required movements.
  • Feedback is very important during this stage to strengthen the correct response.
• Autonomous Stage: This is the final stage of skill learning, where the learner can perform the skill automatically without conscious thought.
  • At this point, the individual can refine skills to suit different situations.
  • The individual can also perform multiple tasks simultaneously (multi-task).
  • Less conscious effort is required to perform the skill, allowing the individual to focus on strategies and tactics.

Importance of Understanding of Stages of Learning

• It helps to identify what type of guidance is required at different stages in the learning process.
• It gives an understanding of how individuals progress from novice to expert.
• It allows for the development of appropriate strategies to enhance skill acquisition.

Remember that progressing through the stages of learning is a journey. It requires patience, time, practice, and sometimes, reverting back to earlier stages before achieving mastery. The end goal is reaching the autonomous stage, where performance of the skill is automatic and requires minimal conscious thought.