Definition
In cognitive learning theory, accommodation is the process by which a learner modifies an existing mental framework, or creates a new one, when new information cannot be absorbed into what they already know. It is one of the two ways learners adjust to new experiences, the other being assimilation (fitting new information into an existing framework without changing it).
Plain English
When a student runs into something that doesn't match how they currently understand the world, they have to change their thinking to make room for it. That change is accommodation.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation instructor material when explaining how students learn from new cockpit experiences, especially when those experiences challenge what they previously believed.
Derivation
From the Latin accommodare, meaning 'to make fit' or 'to adapt to.' In learning theory the word keeps that sense: the mind adapts itself to fit the new information, rather than forcing the information to fit the mind.
Why Pilots Care
Instructors who recognise accommodation in progress know when to slow down, give more examples, or let a concept settle. Pushing forward while a student is still rebuilding their mental model usually produces confusion and false confidence.
Intuition Check
Accommodation does not mean a hotel room or making someone comfortable here. It means adapting your understanding so it fits new information.
Example Sentence 1
When a student pilot first learns that pulling back on the yoke can actually slow the airplane down, accommodation has to occur before the concept of angle of attack makes sense.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors help pilots accommodate new emergency procedures by building fresh mental frameworks instead of forcing them into old habits.