Patterns: Learning, Thinking, Creating

It seems contradictory. The brain seeks and sees patterns, but when asked to find patterns, many people become uneasy. (Shelley Carson suggests that up to 80% of people find this type of thinking “uncomfortable.”¹) This conundrum is the result of effort. When the brain instantly sees a pattern, it seems like a new insight has been sparked. When the brain has to search to find patterns, the rationalization begins. “It’s not worth it,” we think. “If I can’t see it right away, it either isn’t there or not worth finding.” Surrendering to this rationalization limits our thinking, our learning, our creativity, and our ability to apply ideas and skills to novel situations. It also influences our teaching.

Patterns and the Brain

“Patterns” was a major theme at the November Learning and the Brain Conference in Boston. Although not the main topic of any single presentation, many presenters shared research findings and insights on the topic. Here are three that relate to learning:

Patterns are the cement of memory. New memory formation begins as the hippocampus links new learning with prior knowledge and experience. This is more than a cognitive process; the connection actually becomes physical as neuronal pathways form. According to Dr. Judy Willis², patterns are “passages for memories to follow, linking new learning to existing knowledge,” and “the system by which we can form long-term memories.” Facts learned in isolation face a greater danger of being “pruned” (i.e., forgotten) and/or causing confusion.

Patterns are the gateway to critical thinking and problem solving. Daniel Willingham³ describes thinking and knowledge as “intertwined.” Thinking is not a stand-alone process. To recognize connections across domains and identify potential solutions, individuals must think at levels of “deep structure”—i.e., individuals must “drill down” to a depth where foundational links or critical attributes exist.
In TV’s police procedurals (e.g., The Closer), detectives often use a whiteboard to post photos of crime victims, lists of the victim’s family and associates, shots from the crime scene, etc. At first, these seem like random bits of data, but as the detectives study the board, questions start to flow. The pursuit of answers takes the detectives deeper into the victim’s life. They “drill down” to levels where foundational connections can be identified. They (and we, the audience) may discover relational and/or financial ties between individuals. As they keep drilling, potential motives materialize—e.g., not only are there financial ties between the victim and others, but the victim has been ripping off a few associates for years. The items on the whiteboard begin to connect until a theory of the crime develops. Though a trope of TV fiction, this process is symbolic of the thinking that enables us to use knowledge from one domain to solve a problem or make an improvement within another domain. At the surface, two domains may seem irreconcilably distinct; at deeper levels, potential connections emerge.

According to Willingham, this level of thinking enables an individual to recognize, “Oh, this is THAT kind of problem!” rather than getting preoccupied (and distracted) by surface details. Pattern recognition makes critical thinking and problem solving possible.
Patterns contribute to creativity. Good ideas often result from a proliferation of ideas. The more ideas that are generated the greater the likelihood that a few of them will be good. But what empowers idea generation? Connections. Carson¹ explains that links between disparate objects or concepts lead to additional ideas. These connections lead to additional connections, some semantic or homophonic, that, while increasingly remote, promote more idea generation. The connections and their associated ideas often spark new questions. As individuals seek answers, creative output results. As Howard Gardner⁴ stated, the creative mind “synthesizes what is known and goes beyond.” The connections lead to ideas, which lead to questions, which prompt questions whose answers produce creative products.

Patterns and Teaching

While interesting or even good to know, what do these research-based conclusions about patterns mean for education? A few thoughts:

Students need to learn how to dig deep and recognize patterns. While it may help students retain new information and construct new understandings, if the teacher provides a pattern, students may never learn this critical skill. Without it, students may have weaker abilities in self-directed learning, critical thinking and problem solving, and creative thinking. (This, of course, has implications of its own, such as we, as teachers, need to become comfortable and proficient with this type of thinking ourselves.)

Searching for and identifying patterns across disciplines should be a common classroom practice. Imagine a collection of student-developed concept maps, one for every major topic from every discipline. The collection could be low-tech (“butcher” paper), computer-based (e.g., OminGraffle), or Web-based (e.g., Prezi). If a teacher regularly engaged students in reviewing the collection and in searching for patterns across the maps, what might students discover? What problems could be seen from a different perspective (and even possibly solved)? How much more unified could student understanding of the world be?
Add to this personal collections of concept maps (notebooks, Prezi) for things learned outside of school. Take dance lessons? What are you learning? Play a sport? What are you learning? Member of Boy or Girl Scouts? What are you learning? The potential for pattern recognition has a personal and meaningful component. And the potential is much greater for what is learned in school to have gain personal significance.
Classrooms need to be places where associations—even the wild or most remote—are welcome. Sure, there is always a “time and place,” but if students never explore ideas w i d e l y, the associations that spark creativity may never emerge. Cries for schools to encourage and equip students for creative thinking have become common in recent years. To foster this capacity, we need to make a “time and place” for students to explore connections between ideas.
For example, when the concept family is presented, students may immediately think of home and family members. But what might emerge if the teacher allows time for additional thinking? Would students see family leading to tree leading to branch leading to government leading to… What creative thinking might that spark? Family as government? Government as family? And as they pursued answers (e.g., portraying government as a family, functional or otherwise), what creative products might emerge?

Beyond the creative products, how deep would student understanding of these concepts be as a result? Making time for creative thinking is making time for deep, personal, meaningful learning.

An increased, intentional focus on patterns provides us with a way to 1) make material more interesting and memorable for the brain, 2) better equip students for critical thinking, and 3) open the door to creative thinking much more widely. Isolation limits; patterns empower.

References

Carson, S., Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010).
Willis, J., “Brain Research to Help Students Develop Their Highest Cognitive Potential,” (presentation at Learning and the Brain: Using Brain Research to Enhance Cognitive Skills for the Future, Boston, MA, November 18-20, 2011).
Willingham, D., “Critical Thinking and 21^st Century Skills,” (presentation at Learning and the Brain: Using Brain Research to Enhance Cognitive Skills for the Future, Boston, MA, November 18-20, 2011).
Gardner, H., “Five Minds for the Future,” (presentation at Learning and the Brain: Using Brain Research to Enhance Cognitive Skills for the Future, Boston, MA, November 18-20, 2011).