By: Megan Prats

8/28/2014

The 2learn® Method calls for practical information in the lessons. However, that’s not to say that theory shouldn’t be included into the lessons as theoretical information and/or analysis can actually have a practical application depending upon the student’s learning goals.

Sometimes the best way to understand reality is to see reality unrealistically mainly because when you do so, you can clearly see individual elements that get lost in the infinite variables that determine reality’s behavior. For instance, if you take a concept such as time in music into consideration, how it functions in reality is a lot different that what it is in theory – robotic timing. Thus, if you take a theoretical approach to time in music, mathematically speaking all rhythmic note values should receive exactly what the metronome says that they should as the metronome is the “perfect” time keeper.

Thus, in a music lesson, for instance, you start to explain time in music to the student as it is in reality – a malleable and varying element of music. However, because time really doesn’t function as its black and white theoretical nature, the student has a hard time understanding how to subdivide the time. Thus, in order for the student to understand this practical concept, you reach into theory to show how subdividing the time works. So, you would probably go to the metronome as the metronome is the theoretical time keeper, and explain time subdivisions using that tool. Once the student can see the mathematical relationship between the time and subdivisions, she’ll be able to apply it better in a practical setting.

Now, the aforementioned example involves a student who is learning a practical concept in a theoretical way because the theory helps the student understand the practical concept better. However, depending upon the student’s learning goals, the theory may actually be the practical information that the student needs to know.

Because 2learn® students receive a customized curriculum, practical information is the information that will allow the student to apply what she’s learned to advance her real-life interests. Thus, if a student needs to apply theory for a job project, or a paper, etc. then theory is where you should focus. However, if you take this approach make sure that the student understands the practical implications of the theory that she’s learning because theory is only used in a practical sense in rare occasions.

Again, practical information, as defined by the 2learn® Method, is information that will allow the student to apply what she’s learned to advance her real-life interests. Thus, even if according Webster’s Dictionary, the practical information that you are discussing in the lessons seems more theoretical, it is practical if it functions as defined by the 2learn® Method.

Theory should be used in the lessons, even though the 2learn® Method doesn’t “call” for it, when it acts as practical information or it assists the student to understand a practical concept. Theory should not be used when it takes the student off into an area of the infinite realm of knowledge that the student can’t apply to her life.

Nevertheless, the customized curriculum incorporates what the student wants to learn in the lessons thus even if the theory cannot be applied to her life, it should be used if the student specifically asks to learn theory. As, in this case, even though it is not practical information as defined by the 2learn® Method, the student’s need to receive a customized curriculum and learn what is not practical overrides the practical information element of the 2learn® Method as long as you explain to the student before you get into the theory, that the concept will likely not be able to be applied to her life.

© Megan Prats 2014