Learning describes the process of acquiring knowledge. It is not the knowledge itself. When a portion of a story focuses on learning, it is the gathering of an education that is of concern, not the education that ultimately has been gathered.
Learning need not be an academic endeavor. One might learn to express one’s feelings, or learn about love. Learning does not even require new information, as sometimes one learns simply by looking through old information from a different perspective or with a new approach.
It is not important if one is learning to arrive at a particular understanding or just to gather data. As long as the focus in on the process of gaining information, Learning is the operative idea.
Excerpted from
The Zen of Story Structure
DEFINITION: Learning: gathering information or experience.
SYNONYMS: cultivating experience, acquiring information, collecting data, gathering knowledge.
DYNAMIC PAIR: Understanding, appreciating the meaning of something.