Have you ever sat and tried to remember something—tried for all your worth and still failed? My sister used to call this a “brain fart.” 

Now, look at it from the other angle. Have you ever tried to learn something—learn with all your might and still come up short? Maybe you were trying to figure out genetics… or your mom’s favorite pancake recipe. Perhaps it was Algebra 2… or how your dad always hit the target just right and made it look so easy. Maybe you were battling one of the two main barriers against deep learning.

What Is Deep Learning?

“Deep learning” is actually a machine term. It’s an AI (artificial intelligence) function. Artificial Intelligence is programs that allow machines to do the things that it typically takes a human to do. 

Machine learning is a field of AI and is defined as when a machine can learn new things through experience without the involvement of a human. 

Deep learning is a subset of machine learning. Deep learning takes it a step further. Deep learning actually allows a machine to mock the human brain, allowing it to learn through repeating the same task multiple times, tweaking it each time, depending on the data it receives. Deep learning requires “thought.”

Examples of deep learning in technology include:

• Facial recognition
• Driverless vehicles
• Chatbots
• Virtual Assistants
• Medical Research
• Translation

How Does This Apply to Students in the Classroom?

Deep learning is the learning we receive through the higher levels of cognitive work found in Bloom’s Taxonomy. These are analyzing, creating, and evaluating. When learners travel these paths, they are repeatedly working with the material they have learned until it has become part of their thought patterns. In this way, these facts become part of their learning process, which can be drawn upon at later times.

What Are These Barriers?

Although we want our students to use deep learning with every piece of material we give them, it seems that there are barriers against them achieving that goal. Let’s look at the two main barriers and how we can overcome them.

Lack of Interaction

The first main barrier against deep learning is the lack of interaction. I believe that there are three reasons for this. One, sometimes, our students do not lend themselves to interaction. Sometimes they just don’t feel well, or they are having an “off” sort of day. Then, there are those students who just refuse to interact regardless of the day or hour.

Secondly, there may be a lack of interaction on the side of the educator. To up your game in the area of interaction, put yourself out there. Be animated. Really get into your learners’ shoes. Get to know them. Get one-on-one. Give them individual time. This is what our students need—now more than ever.

Lastly, there is a lack of interaction due to remote learning. When we are teaching our students from several miles apart, it can be challenging to have that teacher/student interaction that fuels learning. However, it is vital if you are going to drive deep learning.

Lack of Motivation

The second main barrier against deep learning is a lack of motivation. Unless a learner wants to learn about a specific subject, they do not seem to be motivated in any way.

It is the educator’s job to fix this, and there are so many fixes. You must get them excited about the topic. 

• Make it applicable to them or something they love. 
• Use something they like to teach it. 
• Show how fun the subject is.
• Use games to teach the principle.
• Let them learn through debate.

There are so many other great ideas.

Conclusion

When students learn through deep learning, they remember the material longer and can recall the material more easily. When you work to overcome these two main barriers against deep learning, your students will be able to access deep learning. They will better understand the material, and their grades will rise.