Human learning and classroom teaching

Learning
Definition of learning
Imitation and law of learning
theories of learning
All the content is adapted from AIOU Course Code 8610-Human learning and development

1. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
HUMAN LEARNING &
CLASSROOM TEACHING
Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF)

2. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
MelvinH.Marxsays;“learningisarelativelyenduringchangeinbehaviourwhichisafunctionofpriorbehaviour”.
AnEarlierViewofLearning:Anearlierviewoflearningregardedtheteacherasadispenserofinformationandthe
childrenasthepassiveabsorbers.Itwasbelievedthatthecentralnervoussystemcouldbedevelopedthroughexperiencein
muchthesamewayasthemuscularsystemreadingandothercommunicablelanguagesskillsweretaughtprincipallyby
isolateddrillinbothphonicsandphonetics.Allthisrenderedlearningsomewhatdistastefultaskforthelearner.
ALaterViewofLearning:Alaterviewregardedlearning“asaspecialformofactivityinwhichchildrenresponded
specificallytoparticularstimuliincertainprescribedsituations.”Accordingtothisview,commonlyreferredtoasstimulus-
responsepsychology,learningoccursasaresultofmodificationofthesynapticconnectionsofthenneuronsorasa
syntheticprocessofformsofreflexbehavior.
ARecentViewofLearning:Oneoftherecentlydevelopedviewsoflearningisbasedonthebiologicalconcept.
Accordingly,thelivingorganismdevelopsbytheprocessofindividuationfromthecentral(centralnervoussystem)tothe
peripheralareas(arms,legs,hands,andfeet).Thisviewoflearningispopularlyknownastheorganismic,purposive
theory.Itisalsoreferredtoasoneofthefieldtheoriesoflearning.
Learning

3. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
(1)Munn’sViews:AccordingtoMunn,“Learningismoreorlesspermanentincrementalmodificationofbehaviourwhichresultsfrom
activity,special,trainingorobservation.”
(2)Skinner’sView:AccordingtoSkinner,“Learningisbothacquisitionandretention.”
(3)ViewofGates:AccordingtoGates,“Learningismedicationofbehaviourthroughexperience.”
(4)ViewofDanielBell:InthewordsofDanielBell,“Learningismodificationduetoenergiesoforganismandtheenvironmentimpinging
ontheorganismitself.”
(5)ViewofThorpe:Thorpesays,“Wecandefinelearningasthatprocesswhichmanifestsitselfbyadaptivechangesintheindividual’s
behaviourasaresultof
experience.”
(6)Kimble’sView:G.AKimbleopines,“Learningreferstomoreorlesspermanentchangeinbehaviour,whichoccursasaresultor
practice.
AverycomprehensivedefinitionisgivenbyCrowandCrowasunder:“Learningistheacquisitionofknowledge,habitsandattitudes.It
involvesnewwaysofdoingthings,anditoperatesinanindividuals’attempttoovercomeobstaclesortoadjusttonewsituations.”
7)ViewofKingsleyandGarrey:KingsleyandGarreyemphasizethattheactofadjustmentofenvironmentistheprocessoflearning.
Accordingtothem,learningisa“aprocessbywhichanorganism,insatisfyinghismotivation,adoptsoradjuststoasituationinwhichit
mustmodifyitsbehaviourinordertoovercomeobstaclesorbarriers.Thus,theprocessoflearningincludesthefollowing:
a.Acquisitionofnewexperiences.
b.Retentionofoldexperiencesintheformofimpressions,engramsorskills.
c.Developmentandmodificationofexperience,
d.Synthesisandorganizationoftheoldandthenewexperiences,resultinginnovelpatterncalledlearning.
Definitions of Learning

4. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
•Learning changes in behaviour occur due to maturation.
•Changes in behaviour may be temporary or permanent.
•Changes in behaviour may take place in the desirable direction or in the undesirable direction.
•Learning can be both incidental and intentional, the school curriculum, teaching methods and
learning systems must be oriented to both intentional and incidental learning.
•Learning involves both over acts and covert processes.
•Learning results from reinforced practice. Practice makes a man perfect. Practice, training or
experience leads to improvement in present learning.
•Learning is both a process and a product.
Nature of learning as modification behaviour

5. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
General Characteristics of Learning
►Learning is Adjustment
►Learning is Growth
►Learning is Organizing Experience
►Learning is Purposeful
►Learning is Active.
►Learning is intelligent and Creative
►Learning Affects the Conduct of
Learners
►Learning is the Product of the
Environment
►Learninginvolves change.
►Alllearninginvolves activities.
►LearningRequires Interaction.
►ConstituteLearning.
►Learningis a Lifelong Process.
►LearningOccurs Randomly Throughout
Life.
►LearningInvolves Problems Solving.
►Learningis the Process of Acquiring
Information

6. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
Learning is a fundamental ingredient in the education of a child. Therefore, a teacher must understand fully,
how learning takes place in the best possible manner, in this connection, it is imperative that the teacher
should know what are called ‘Laws of Learning’ as given by Thorndike and others. They must be accepted
and fundamental laws of learning are:
(i) Law of Readiness
(ii) Law of Exercise (Law of Use, Law of Disuse)
(iii) Law of Effect
Laws of Learning

7. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
Conditions of Learning
•Motivation
•ClarityofPresentation:Thesubjectmattermustbepresentedclearlybeforethestudents,sothatthey
understanditproperly.
•ProvidingDirectExperiences:Nothingteacherslikeanexperienceandpersonalobservation.Therefore,
whereverpossible,thestudentsshouldbetaughtbythemethodofpersonalobservationandexperience.
•LevelofIntelligence:Learning,toaconsiderableextent,dependsuponthelevelofintelligenceofthe
learners.
•AcademicAtmosphere:Averyimportantandsignificantconditionoflearningistheprovisionof
academicandintellectualtypeofatmosphereforthelearners.
•EffectiveMethodsofTeaching:Betterandeffectivemethodsofteachingareessentialforlearning.
Mostly,poorlearningistheresultoffaultymethodsofteaching.
•Reinforcement:Reinforcementisaprocedureofassociatingpleasantorunpleasantexperiencesobjects
oreventswiththeresponses,madebythelearner.
•Practice:Thereisagreattruthinthedictumthat‘Practicemakesamanperfect’.Welearnthingsby
doingthemoverandoveragain.

8. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
Imitation in Learning
Themostcommongeneralinnatetendencyofthechildisimitation.Itinvolvescopyingothers,itimplies“doingasothers
do’.Imitationiscognitiveinnature.Suggestiontwohasbeendescribedasunconsciousimitation,buttheimportantthingin
imitationisthatitisactionoriented.
TypeofImitationbyDrever
hasmentionedtwotypesofimitationi.e.deliberateimitationandunconsciousimitation.Inthedeliberateimitation,aperson
imitatesdeliberately.
TypesofimitationbyMcDougall
1.Primaryimitation
(i)SympatheticImitationWhenonefeelsasothersfeel(QuiteUnconsciously),wehavesympatheticimitation.Achild
crieswhenheseesotherscrying.
(ii)Ideo-MotorImitationIntheIdeo-Motortypeofimitation,oneimitatestheactionsofothers,wheninamatchone
personraiseshishockeystick,spectatorsraisetheirarms.
(iii)DeliberateImitationDeliberateimitationhasbeenexplainedearlier.
2.SecondaryimitationItincludesmeaninglessimitation,andunconsciousimitation.Inthemeaninglessimitation,one
imitatesotherswithoutbeingabletounderstandthesignificanceofcopying.Thisismainly,seeinchildren.Unconscious
imitationhasbeenexplainedearlier.

9. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
Laws of Limitation
Imitation the following laws:
1. Imitation grows from higher to lower, urban to rural, rich to poor
2. All the aspects of imitation are borrowed
3. Imitation is more action than thinking
4. It goes one from internal to external
5. Imitation grows rapidly
Imitation of Learning
(1) The Teacher
(2) Method of Teaching
(3) Weak Students
(4) Perfection
(5) School
(6) Good Books

10. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
Learning as a process focuses on what happens when the learning takes place. Explanations of what happens
constitute learning theories. A learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn, thereby
helping us understands the inherently complex process of learning. Learning theories have two chief values
according to Hill (2002).
Behaviourism
-It focuses on objectively observable behaviors and discounts mental activities.
-Behaviorists define learning as the acquisition of new behavior.
Cognitivism
-How we acquire, store and process information
-It looks beyond the behavior to explain brain-based learning that may have link with memory, problem solving
and attention.
.
LEARNING THEORIES

11. Hina Jalal (PhD Scholar, GCUF) @AksEAina
Nowthatthedusthassettledonsomeofthegreattheoreticaldebatesofthepast,twomainschoolsof
thoughtonlearninghaveemerged,thoughmanyvariationsstillexist.Thesetwomainschoolsofthought
areassociationlearningandcognitivelearning.
Associationtheorists,ontheoneband,seelearningastheresultofconnection(Associations)
betweenstimuli(Senseimpression)andresponses,DogssalivatingWhentheyhearthecanopener
openingtheirfood,babieswaving“bye-bye”oncuefromtheirmothers,orfifthgraderssaying
“seventy-two”tothestimulus“ninetimeseight”areallexamplesofassociationlearning.Abondhas
beenformedbetweentwoelements,astimulusandaresponse.
Cognitivetheorists,ontheotherhands,viewlearningasarecognitionofanumberofperception.
Thisreorganizationallowsthelearnertoperceivenewrelationship,solvenewproblemsandgaina
basicunderstandingofasubjectarea.Afifthgradesuddenlyrealizingthatmultiplicationis
successiveaddition;anapesuddenlyunderstandingthatbyputtingtwoshortstickstogether,a
bananathatwasoutofreachisnowobtainable;oraneighthgraderdiscoveringawaytocalculatethe
areaofaparallelogram,theseareallexamplesofcognitivelearning.
AssociationLearningandCognitiveLearning