Understanding Individual Patterns of Learning: implications for the well-being of students

This article analyses the link between learning and well-being from the perspective that it is important to take into account the individual patterns of how young people learn and to encourage ways in which they can learn how they learn. Consideration is first given to recent insights and research in education and the cognitive and natural sciences that offer possibilities for new ways of thinking about learning and 'learning how to learn'. Using these trends as a background to her own 30 years of action research, the author offers a simple proposal: even very young children can explore their own unique learning processes. Building this capacity for exploration and encouraging the ongoing engagement in this activity are presented as vital to how well-being, and well-becoming are perceived by the learner. An approach that focuses on exploring individual processes of learning is introduced and the conditions for using it are discussed, including the role of teachers and parents in helping children bring forth their needs for learning in specific ways. Implications of this approach for classroom management and teacher training are also considered.