What is learning?

Whenever I'm asked to define a word as commonly used as "learning" I know I'm really in for a difficult task. Most of my students would probably say you've learned something if you didn't used to know it, but now you do. That's really as far as they take it, and they don't stop to wonder about retention or application or anything much beyond regurgitating it on a test. Frankly, I sometimes think that's all some policymakers think learning is, too. However, as a teacher I feel real learning goes far beyond simply memorizing a discrete fact long enough to choose the correct item on a test. I believe that for something to be truly learned, the individual must be able to retain the information, AND ALSO apply that information in various real-life situations. Only in this way is true comprehension of a concept demonstrated. I believe the reason why so many students don't apply skills learned in a class in any other place than that class is because they don't really understand what they are being taught on a deep enough level to genuinely use and apply it.

So, how can learning be best effectuated by a teacher? I'm not sure I can provide a complete answer to this question, but I know some of the pieces include teaching in such a way that reaches different learning styles and types of intelligences. Also, going beyond simply drilling information into those empty vessels to where students are discovering things for themselves, or creating their own understandings, is key. In my area, where I teach writing, it is important to require lots of practice of the skills they are learning in as close to real-life situations as it is possible to get. For example, students can write letters to real people, companies, or agencies. They can create real newspapers. They can create presentations to teach each other about parts of speech.