Principles of Human Learning
Prepared by:
Nature of Learning; Language Teaching & Learning; Theories of Learning
John Paul C. Vallente
Nature of Human Learning
Nature of Human Learning
Learning:
acquiring of knowledge of a subject or skill by study, experience, or instruction
a relatively permanent change in a behavioral tendency
the result of reinforced practice
Nature of Human Learning
Summary of How People Learn:(Rita Smilkstein)
Stage1: MOTIVATION/Responding to stimulus in the environment: watching, observing, having a need or an interest in learning a particular skill or concept, being curious
Nature of Human Learning
Stage 2: BEGINNING PRACTICE/Doing it: practicing; trying & making mistakes; learning from mistakes; asking questions; consulting others; understanding the basics; taking lessons; achieving some success
Stage 3: ADVANCED PRACTICE/Increasing in skill and confidence: gaining some control; reading; becoming encouraged; experimenting; trying new ways; achieving more success; beginning to share skill with others
Nature of Human Learning
Stage4: SKILLFULNESS/Becoming creative: more practicing, doing it one's own way, feeling good about oneself, receiving positive reinforcement, sharing knowledge with other, achieving more success, increasing in self-confidence
Nature of Human Learning
Stage 5: REFINEMENT/Making further improvement: learning new methods, skill becoming second nature, continuing to develop skill, becoming different from anyone else, becoming creative, receiving validation from others, forming habits, teaching others
Nature of Human Learning
Stage 6: MASTERY/Applying skills in broader ways: taking on greater challenges, teaching, continuing to improve or else dropping the skill, going to higher levels that feed other interests, getting better and better
Nature of Human Learning
Nature of Human Learning
Simple Forms:
1. Habituation
- the tendency to become familiar with a stimulus after repeated exposure to it
Nature of Human Learning
2. Sensitization
- the increase that occurs in an organism’s responsiveness to stimuli following an especially intense or irritating stimulus
Nature of Human Learning
Influential Factors:
1. Age
Age-related illnesses that involve a deterioration of mental functioning can severely reduce a person’s ability to learn.
Nature of Human Learning
2. Motivation
Learning is usually most efficient and rapid when the learner is motivated and attentive.
Nature of Human Learning
3. Prior Experience
How well a person learns a new task may depend heavily on the person’s previous experience with similar tasks.
Nature of Human Learning
4. Intelligence
People differ individually in their level of intelligence, and thus in their ability to learn and understand.
Nature of Human Learning
5. Learning Disorders
A variety of disorders can interfere with a person’s ability to learn new skills and behaviors.
Language Learning and Teaching
Language Learning & Teaching
Nature of Language Learning:
Learners are not ‘empty vessels’ ready to be filled with the teacher’s knowledge.
Language Learning & Teaching
Learning is more effective when the learners are involved in the process.
Language Learning & Teaching
Nature of Language Teaching:
The teacher’s job is to help learners to learn effectively, or to facilitate learning.
Language Learning & Teaching
The best teachers have a range of techniques available to them.
Language Learning & Teaching
Teachers make decisions on what techniques to use based from the following questions: Who are the learners? What are their needs? What are their
expectations? What material and
resources are available?
Language Learning & Teaching
Approaches to Language Learning & Teaching:
1. Grammar-translation MethodIt relies on the teacher having a fairly expert command of both the mother tongue of the students and of the target language.
Language Learning & Teaching
2. Audio-lingual ApproachThe benefits of repetition are still intuitively recognised by many teachers today, and this element of the approach continues in many classrooms.
Language Learning & Teaching
3. Functional ApproachIt refers to the defining of the communicative functions that learners are likely to want to engage in (making requests, agreeing, disagreeing, ordering a coffee and so on).
Language Learning & Teaching
4. Natural ApproachAssociated to Stephen Krashen, it attempts to recreate as closely as possible the context in which infants learn their first language.
Theories of Learning
Theories of Learning
Classical Conditioning:
developed by a Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
association is the key element
Theories of Learning
Types of Stimulus & Response:
Theories of Learning
Three Phenomena in Classical Conditioning:1. Generalization – occurs
when similar stimuli to a CS produce the CR.
2. Discrimination – refers to the ability to differentiate between similar stimuli
Theories of Learning
3. Extinction – process of unlearning a learned response because of the removal of the original source of learning.
Theories of Learning
For better understanding, watch this:
Theories of Learning
Operant Conditioning:
pioneered by Thorndikea form of learning in which
the consequences of behaviour lead to changes in the probability that the behaviour will occur
Theories of Learning
Types of Reinforcement & Punishment:
Reinforcement Punishment
Positive Negative Positive Negative
Theories of Learning
For better understanding, watch this:
Theories of Learning
Schedule of Reinforcement:
1. Fixed-ratio Schedule – a behavior is reinforced
after a set number of responses have occurred
Theories of Learning
2. Variable-ratio Schedule Fixed – the number of responses needed to gain the reinforcement is not constant
Theories of Learning
3. Fixed-interval Schedule – a behavior will be reinforced after a certain period of time. No matter how often
it occurs, the behavior will not be reinforced until the time is up
Theories of Learning
4. Variable-internal Schedule – also based on time
passing but the time period keeps changing
Theories of Learning
Dangers of Punishment:
Punishment can be abusive. Punishment may create a
new problem, which is aggression.
Theories of Learning
Meaningful Learning:
advanced by David Ausubellearned knowledge is fully
under stood by an individual and that the individual knows how that specific fact relates to other stored facts
Theories of Learning
Ideas about Meaningful Learning Experience:
occurs when learners actively interpret their experience using internal, cognitive operations
requires that teachers change their role from sage to guide
Theories of Learning
the teacher’s role becomes one of stimulating and supporting activities that engage learners in thinking
teachers must also be comfortable that this thinking may transcend their own insights
Theories of Learning
requires knowledge to be constructed by the learner, not transmitted from the teacher to the student (Jonassen, et al., 1999)
Theories of Learning
Experiencing Meaningful Learning:
Expository MediatorsAdvanced Organizers
Theories of Learning
Humanistic Approach:
Carl Rogers- believed that people needed unconditional positive regard
Theories of Learning
Abraham Maslow- people have a variety of needs that differ in immediacy and which need satisfying at different times
Theories of Learning
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
Theories of Learning
Five Basic Objectives of Humanistic Approach:
1. Promote positive self-direction and independence
(development of the regulatory system);
Theories of Learning
2. Develop the ability to take responsibility for what is learned (regulatory and affective systems);
Theories of Learning
3. Develop creativity (divergent thinking aspect of cognition);4. Curiosity (exploratory behavior, a function of imbalance or dissonance in any of the systems); and
Theories of Learning
5. An interest in the arts (primarily to develop the affective/emotional system).