Principles of Learning and Major Learning Theories - Essay Example

Principles of Learning Introduction Learning theories are educational frameworks developed to enable absorb, process and retain the information provided by the teachers during learning. The process of acquiring educational skills in children is influenced by cognitive, emotional and environmental factors that affect the performance and skills of the student in the end (Woolfolk, Davis & Anderman, 2013). Cognitive theorists on the other hand delve into the position of the learning process and the complexities of the environment in enhancing the skills and abilities of the students to retain the information gained in class. Constructivist theorist belongs to the third category, which believes that the learning abilities of students are influenced by prior knowledge and information on the same topic (Brauer & Tittle, 2012). In this paper, learning theories will be discussed in relation to Petra, a polish child living and studying in the United Kingdom with his parents. The paper will discuss the relevance of the learning theories according to her concerns and the strategies that the family and the school can adopt to support her learning process. Learning theories A number of learning theories have been developed that enhance the process of educating children from different family background like Petra in this situation. According to the sensory stimulation theory, the process of learning can only be effectively achieved if all the senses of the student are stimulated. Laird who noted that the information held by adults has been learnt through seeing first developed this theory. As seeing accounts for 75% of all the information held by an individual, hearing accounts for 13% while smelling accounts for the remaining ratio (Sammut, 2014). This highlights the essence of stimulating the senses during the process of learning before actual information about facts that have been recognized by the sensory nerves can be discussed. As a student undergoing a challenging moment because he is in a non-familiar country and setting, the sensory organs of Petra are less involved in the learning process and this affects her information absorption and retention. As the learning process continues, Petra is absorbed in thoughts about her family and her mother country and this affects her cognitive ability to grasp the information being discussed by the teachers in class (Brauer & Tittle, 2012). By using the sensory simulation theory, the teachers of Petra will engage all his senses in the discussion and enable him to forget the memories of his country and family and focus on the issues that have caught his attention (Yardley, Teunissen & Dornan, 2012). The stimulation of the visual sense that accounts for three quarters of information absorbed and retained enables students to remain attentive in class. However, greater success can be achieved in the case of Petra through the simulation of multi-senses including the visual, hearing and smell, touch and taste senses to enable her remain attentive to the information (Grgurović, 2014). The reinforcement theory is a theory developed by behaviourists and describes the role of behaviour in the learning process of students. According to the behaviourist’s theorist, a student will only repeat the desired behaviour and learning approach if positive reinforcement is provided which can be in the form of a pleasant consequence that is used to appreciate the good behaviour and action (Böhmer, GrünewÄlder, Yun, Musial & Obermayer, 2013). By positive reinforcement, behaviourist believes in the use of actual or verbal rewards to appreciate and motivate the learners. At the stage of Petra’s learning, the use of positive verbal reinforcement will help her realize how great she is doing and make it possible for her to forget the difficult moments she is facing because of the new environment (Sammut, 2014). Words such as ‘you are doing great’, ‘keep it up’ and ‘you are on the right track’ will enable Petra to realize that her efforts are bearing fruits and also improve her confidence levels before her fellow learners. Having demonstrated piano skills, giving her more time to attend the classes based on her performance will act as a great positive reinforcement will which assist her in forgetting the challenging moments in her new country. The development of the competency-based training in different academic levels in the United Kingdom was influenced by the reinforcement theory of the behaviourist theorists (Grgurović, 2014). Based on this theory, the educator must assume the role of the facilitator and create a comfortable environment for the learners, which will enable them to acquire new ideas without the influence of external factors. Based on this theory, it is believed that a human being have a strong eagerness to learn and acquire new skills (Aertsen, Jaspaert & Van Gorp, 2013). Learners resist and witness unpleasant consequences in the process of letting go of a notion that they have held to be true for a long time. Such positions may be changed as a result of access to information and the interaction with the instructors who introduce a new dimension to the whole scenario (Yardley, Teunissen & Dornan, 2012). Facilitative learning cannot be successful in the absence of teachers who have the ability to facilitate the processes and enhance the involvement of the learners. Facilitative teachers are thus less protective of their positions and feelings and allow learners to understand and discover the truth without coercion. They pay much attention to the feelings and ideas of the learners and frame the information they pass to them based on their emotional ability to accept a change of position (Xu, Zuo & Huang, 2014). Facilitative learners also work towards the development of a strong and positive relationship with the learners in order to create an enabling and free environment that enhances learning and information exchange. Learners in this kind of setting are also encouraged to remain responsible and possess the power to direct their learning. Based on this theory, learners are made to realize that the most effective evaluation is self-evaluation, a process that enables them to develop approaches that enhance problem solution (Thomas, Menon, Boruff, Rodriguez & Ahmed, 2014). Experiential theory The experiential learning theory was developed by Kolb and has four stages of learning which influences the ability of a student to absorb and retain the information provided. In this theory/model, the process begins at any stage and makes a four staged cycle without limits to the actual number of cycles as long as education is enhanced (Böhmer, GrünewÄlder, Yun, Musial & Obermayer, 2013). However, the experiential learning theory places reflection at the centre of the learning process and enables students to eliminate mistakes that are regularly made during the learning process. According to Kolb, learning occurs through concrete experience that students undergo, the process of observation and reflection of the information, conceptualization of the abstract information and the process of active experimentation (Xu, Zuo & Huang, 2014). Learning theories and practice Learning theories can be adopted in the learning process and this paper will use Petra case study to evaluate the approaches that will be adopted in practicing the theories in a classroom setup. In this situation, Petra will benefit highly in case the teachers adopted this theory to ensure that his concentration is kept within the class and learning environment despite the tough moments that she is going through (Thomas & Quinlan, 2014). In the class setup for example, the learners should sit facing the teacher directly to eliminate any undesirable enforcements that will distract and affect the achievement of learning process. In order to fully emphasize the topic of study, the teacher must use visual support to retain the concentration of Petra (Thomas, Menon, Boruff, Rodriguez & Ahmed, 2014). Social cognitive learning theories have a number of applications in the learning process that can be adopted and embraced by teachers handling Petra. In this situation, the teachers should embrace the use of cluster groups as a way of bringing the students together and enhancing their social skills (Christa, 2012). For example, Petra is a learner with challenges in adapting to the new environment, a situation which affects her learning presence. As a result, the use of social cognitive learning theories will enhance the social skills of Petra and enable her build relationship and attract friends who will enable her to comfortably live and study in the country (Thomas & Quinlan, 2014). Problem based learning theory can also be applied in this situation to enhance Petra’s learning process. This is a problem based learning approach that is cantered on the examination of the classroom challenges in relation to how they are applicable to the real world (Chan, 2012). By relating the class assignment to actual events, stimulation is enhanced and this improves the cognitive abilities of students including those facing environmental challenges like Petra. To enhance the learning process for Petra and eliminate the challenges that she is undergoing, the teachers can keep her attention through the use of open ended questions that require her active involvement (Thomas, Menon, Boruff, Rodriguez & Ahmed, 2014). The teacher should use questions such as, ‘how can the traffic jam menace be eliminated’ to ensure that complete participation of the student is acquired. This approach will enable the student and the teacher to adopt an engaging environment in which learning is multi-directional as opposed to the normal unidirectional approaches that teachers adopt. The experiential learning theory of Kolb can also be practically used to address the challenges met by the learner and enhance her learning process and time while in the country. This is a four staged cyclical theory that appreciates the use of the four aspects of a human being to grasp and retain information (Xu, Zuo & Huang, 2014). The experiential learning theory thus uses and combines experience of the student, their perception towards varying class situation, the cognitive abilities and the behaviour to enhance the learning process (Gould, 2010). In this situation, the teacher can adopt a lone line simulation approach with Petra in which she is given the opportunity to simulate different situations to improve her concentration and focus. The development of such simulated situations should be followed with an experimental model in which she physically works on her prediction as a way of improving the physical skills (Wang, 2012). Research on brain, gender, race and environment Race, gender, level of development of the brain and environmental factors has an instrumental role in the learning process of students and this affects Petra even more. Understanding within the learning environment is either enhanced or affected by the age, gender, class and race of the learner as any thing that makes an individual unique or less unique for that matter, affects the learning process. Race plays a critical role in the learning environment and this affects foreign or black students due to the discomforts created by the traditional learning environments (Christa, 2012). For Petra, a polish citizen, the British learning environment is foreign and affects the cognitive abilities of the student. In most cases, teachers handle students based on their race due to the perception that the learning and understanding abilities of people differ based on their background (Polla, 2011). Racism plays a critical role in the way in which learners and the teachers interact within the learning environment and this demonstrates the challenges that Petra, a polish national undergoes. Research has established that the disparity in learning process associated with races has no organic knowledge basis but is merely based on long time belief on the cognitive differences of students from other races (Chan, 2012). The learning environment of Petra must be improved to ensure that she does not fall into the racial and the gender inferiority situation that have affected the learning process. By providing her a learning environment as her colleagues, Petra will feel more at home and increase his understanding despite the absence of the parents. Conclusion The adoption of varying learning theories in educational environment enhances the learning process in students and improves the level of knowledge retention. A number of theories that are categorized into behaviourist, cognitive and emotional theories as have been discussed in this paper in relation to Petra, a polish student studying in the united kingdom. The paper has discussed various approaches and theories that can be adopted to enhance her learning in an environment that does not identify with her challenges. References Aertsen, T, Jaspaert, K, & Van Gorp, B 2013, From Theory to Practice: A Crisis Simulation Exercise, Business Communication Quarterly, 76, 3, pp. 322-338. Böhmer, W, GrünewÄlder, S, Yun, S, Musial, M, & Obermayer, K 2013, Construction of Approximation Spaces for Reinforcement Learning, Journal Of Machine Learning Research, 14, 7, pp. 2067-2118. Brauer, J, & Tittle, C 2012, Social Learning Theory and Human Reinforcement, Sociological Spectrum, 32, 2, pp. 157-177. Chan, C 2012, Exploring an experiential learning project through Kolbs Learning Theory using a qualitative research method’, European Journal Of Engineering Education, 37, 4, pp. 405-415. Christa, B 2012, Learning Theories & Their Application to Science Instruction for Adults, The American Biology Teacher, 6, p. 387. Gould, J 2010, Learning Theory And Classroom Practice In The Lifelong Learning Sector, Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd. Grgurović, M 2014, An application of the Diffusion of Innovations theory to the investigation of blended language learning’, Innovation In Language Learning & Teaching, 8, 2, pp. 155-170. Polla, G.H 2011, Increasing the Odds: Applying Emergentist Theory in Language Intervention, Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools, 42, 4, pp. 580-591. Sammut, K 2014, Transformative learning theory and coaching: Application in practice, International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, pp. 39-53. Thomas, A, Menon, A, Boruff, J, Rodriguez, A, & Ahmed, S 2014, Applications of social constructivist learning theories in knowledge translation for healthcare professionals: a scoping review, Implementation Science, 9, 1, pp. 1-37. Thomas, R, & Quinlan, E 2014, Teaching and Learning Focus Group Facilitation: An Encounter with Experiential Learning in a Graduate Sociology Classroom, Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, 7, 1, pp. 1-15. Wang, V.X 2012, Understanding and Promoting Learning Theories, International Forum Of Teaching & Studies, 8, 2, pp. 5-11. Woolfolk, H., A, Davis, H, & Anderman, E 2013, Theories of Learning and Teaching in TIP, Theory Into Practice, 52, sup1, pp. 9-21. Xu, X, Zuo, L, & Huang, Z 2014, Reinforcement learning algorithms with function approximation: Recent advances and applications, Information Sciences, 261, pp. 1-31. Yardley, S, Teunissen, P, & Dornan, T 2012, Experiential learning: Transforming theory into practice, Medical Teacher, 34, 2, pp. 161-164. Read More