ABSTRACT

Learning is a neurobiological process; as you maintain yourself in your environment and are engaged in intention-bound work, your brain is constantly changing its structure and the way it functions so that you can be successful. Generative learning is purposefully adding and using new behaviors, feelings, knowledge, ways of thinking, and skills. There are several ways of thinking about learning generatively. The first way emphasizes that your mind is more than an unconscious adaptive learning system. The second way focuses on the fact that people can purposefully learn by observing others. The third way of generative learning is based on the belief that humans can control their own destiny and are free to choose and act—that is, you determine what you learn. College is often a transformative learning experience for students. The world and ways of viewing it change as students move into and through their college years. Motivation is an internal drive or desire that causes us to act.