of the process of learning. Inga Randle (1997, November-December) defines the end result: "Learning is the extraction, from confusion, of meaningful patterns" (p. 86). While teachers play an important role in providing and structuring the learning experience, the end result, the impact of the process on the student, is the true test of the success of the exchange. Ron Dultz (1999, September-October) argues, "Learning occurs the moment a person personalizes information or knowledge, . . . when one adopts certain information or knowledge as one's own by distilling what one wishes of it and integrating it into the way one's particular mind works and is organized" (p. 49).
Learning can, of course, occur without a teacher, but it is impossible without some kind of instructional program by which the information of knowledge is organized. In most cases, this organization is carried out by a teacher, who then facilitates the learning process, using one or more methods of teaching based on an educational philosophy or theory of instruction. David G. Ebeling (2000, November) writes, "You might prefer Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences, Bernice McCarthy's 4-Mat system, the Myers-Briggs personality type indicators, or the colloquial 'beaver-lion-otter-golden retriever' analogy of Gary Smalley and John Trent" (p. 247). Whatever the specific approach used, teachers start from some understanding of why and how learning takes place, whether that understanding is based on intuitive experience, a thorough grounding in educational research, or some combination of common sense and philosophical conviction.
Teachers can carry out effective instruction without first formulating a theoretical basis from which to work. However, defining one's philosophy of education, instruction, and the learning process can make a considerable difference by clarifying and streamlining the work being done in the classroom. The teacher who begins by develo...