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Introduction to the Learning Process

Learning Outcomes

After completing this module, you will be able to:

• Identify the four different domains of learning

• Identify two main learning theories

• Distinguish between 'curriculum learning' and 'incidental learning' in the

classroom

• Choose an eeryday e!ample of 'educational readiness' from a list of

e!amples

• Define 'usefulness' or 'transfer' in relation to learning

Learning is generally defined as relatiely permanent changes in behaiour,

s"ills, "nowledge or attitudes resulting from identifiable psychological or

social e!periences#

A "ey feature is permanence: changes do not count as learning if they are

temporary# $ou do not learn a phone number if you forget it the minute

after you dial the number% you do not learn to li"e egetables if you only

eat them when forced# &he change has to last#

Learning can be physical, social, emotional or cognitie# $ou do not learn to

sneee by catching a cold, but you do learn many s"ills and behaiours that

are physically based, such as riding a bicycle or throwing a ball# $ou can also

learn to li"e (or disli"e) a person, een though this change may not happen

deliberately#

Learning is not the same as teaching# &he distinction between learning and

teaching is especially important for teachers to remember# &eachers must

be careful not to confuse their efforts (i#e# their teaching) with whatstudents get from their efforts (i#e# the students* learning)#

&he circumstances of teaching, e#g# the number of students in the

classroom, can influence teachers* perceptions of learning, and therefore

also influence how they teach#

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&here are seeral ma+or theories of learning# &he two main theories that

are e!plained in this course are behaiourism and constructiism#

Type 1: Behaviourism

&his theory emphasises the lin"s that can often be obsered among oertbehaiours and the circumstances of the behaiours# &he ariety of

behaiourism called operant conditioning has been used by a number of

educators to e!plain and organise management strategies for certain

students, especially those with behaioural problems#

Type 2: Constructivism 

&his theory emphasises the inner thoughts of learners# &here are many

arieties of constructiism but the two main arieties are psychological

constructiism and social constructiism# Psychological constructiism

emphasises the independence of learners* thin"ing and social constructiismemphasises learners* need for social connections while learning#

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&eachers* Perspectie on Learning

or teachers, learning usually refers to things that happen in schools or

classrooms, een though eery teacher can of course describe e!amples oflearning that happen outside of these places# &eachers* perspecties on

learning often emphasise the following three ideas:

-# Curriculum content and academic achieement

.# /e0uencing and readiness

1# &he importance of transferring learning to new or future situations

/ometimes teachers tend to emphasise whateer is taught in schools

deliberately, including both the official curriculum and the arious

behaiours and routines that ma"e classrooms run smoothly# In practice,defining learning in this way often means that teachers e0uate learning

with the ma+or forms of academic achieement 2 especially language and

mathematics 2 and to a lesser e!tent musical s"ill, physical co2ordination or

social sensitiity (3ardner, -444, .556)#

In the classroom, there is a lot of learning that ta"es place alongside the

e!plicit learning of the curriculum# &his is called incidental learning and it

occurs without the teacher or learner deliberately trying to ma"e it happen#

&eachers often see this incidental learning and welcome it in their

classroom# 7ut their responsibility for curriculum goals more often focuses

their efforts on what students can learn through conscious, deliberateeffort# &he distinction between teaching and learning creates a secondary

issue for teachers: educational readiness# &his concept traditionally

referred to how well students were prepared to cope with or profit from the

actiities and e!pectations of school#

8!ample:

A young child is 9ready* to start school if he or she:

Is in good health

/hows moderately good social s"ills

Can use a pencil to ma"e simple drawingsCan ta"e care of personal physical needs

At older ages, e#g# uniersity leel, the term readiness is often replaced by

a more specific term: prere0uisites#

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It must be noted that this traditional meaning of readiness as preparedness

focuses attention on students* ad+ustment to school and away from the

reerse#

/chools and teachers also hae a responsibility for ad+usting to students#

8!ample: If a 2year2old child normally needs to play a lot and "eep actie,then a teacher needs to be 9ready* for this behaiour by planning an

educational program that allows a lot of play and physical actiity# Another

result of focusing the concept of learning on classrooms is that it raises

issues of usefulness or transfer# &his is the ability to use "nowledge or s"ill

in situations beyond the ones in which they are ac0uired# Learning to read

and learning to sole arithmetic problems are ma+or goals of the initial

school curriculum because these s"ills are meant to be used not only inside

the classroom, but outside as well#

Summary

&he main points from this module are as follows:

; Learning is generally defined as relatiely permanent changes in

behaiour, s"ills, "nowledge or attitudes resulting from identifiable

psychological or social e!periences#

; Learning can be physical, social, emotional or cognitie#

; Learning is not the same as teaching#

; &wo of the main learning theories are behaiourism and constructiism#

; 7ehaiourism emphasises the lin"s that can often be obsered amongoert behaiours and the circumstances of the behaiours#

; Constructiism emphasises the inner thoughts of learners#