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INTRODUCTION TO CONCEPTS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Article · September 2012

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INTRODUCTION TO CONCEPTS OF
TEACHING AND LEARNING
By

Dr. A. H. Sequeira

National Institute of Technology Karnataka,

Surathkal, India

Abstract
It is an accepted fact that teachers are usually not born but made. Good teachers
nurture
their knowledge and skills through constant and deliberate efforts. One of the pre-
requisite to be good teacher is to understand the teaching learning process in more depth.
This facilitates better appreciation of the teaching profession as well as the process of
imparting education. This paper is intended to give an insight into the concept of
teaching and learning for teachers who intend to excel in their teaching career.

Introduction

‘As teachers we tend to think that teaching is all about teachers and our role; in fact
the most important aspects of the educational process are the students and what they
learn.’ This leads us to consider what we mean by 'learning'. As you read the
educational literature and, more specifically, educational psychology, you find many
differences in theories and definitions.

Concept of Learning

Learning is about a change: the change brought about by developing a new skill,
understanding a scientific law, changing an attitude. The change is not merely
incidental or natural in the way that our appearance changes as we get older.
Learning is a relatively permanent change, usually brought about intentionally.
When we attend a course, search through a book, or read a discussion paper, we set out
to learn!

Other learning can take place without planning, for example by experience.
Generally with all learning there is an element within us of wishing to remember and
understand why something happens and to do it better next time.

Main Learning Theories

 The Behaviorists - (behaviorism: Stimulus – Response)

 The Neo-Behaviorists (Neo-behaviorism: Human Mind)

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 The Gestaltists (Insight)
 The Cognitivists (Cognitive development: Learning to think)
 The Humanists (Active nature of Learner)

Learning Models:

We are often faced with questions such as : Why use models? How to teach?
How student Learn? Answer comes from experience of many people over many years
in form of Models. Such Models can be used by any teacher depending on context.
Example: Pedagogical Vs Andragogical Models. Pedagogical approach teacher
dominated learning situation - Students rather passive. Andragogical approach -
emphasis on what the learner is doing - how adults learn.

Adult Expectations (Learning Needs):

Some of the common adult expectations are :

Adults expect to be taught.
Adult students expect to have to work hard.
Adult student expectation is that the work is related to the vocation.
Adult student’s expectation is that they expect to be treated as adults.

Each of these four expectations although stated in general terms needs to be interpreted
as individual needs. Students may vary in age, sex, background, etc. If students treated
as individuals - find out more about them (inside - outside classroom), the greater
likelihood to relate their learning to their needs and improve learning potential.
Kindness, empathy and sincerity always reap rich dividends with adult learner.

Experience, Reflection, Learning M odel to Optimize

Learning

E xp erience
e xistin g and/or
provided as pa rt of the
learning
p rog ram me

L earn ing In
R eflectio n
usually skills an d dicating
know led ge and gu ided by th e teacher, u sually
varying stude nt to n eed for serving to consolidate, interpret,
student d evelop conce pts and the ories,
perceive attitude s and values,
etc.

Source: Ian Reece and Stephen Walker

In 1981, Further Education Unit (FEU), UK documented a suggested model of

lesson design to help overcome the problems associated with the second and more
readily
 3

applied of the approaches. This Experience, Reflection, Learning Model, they

suggested, embodied the principles that:

(i) the process should be focused on the student’s current experience,

(ii) it recognizes the adult nature of the learner by according responsibility
for what is learned, and how, and
(iii) the learning can take place in a variety of contexts.

The suggestion was that the learning process should be considered in three phases;
first, the student’s experience needs to be followed by, secondly, some organized
reflection. This reflection ensures that the student learns from the experience and also
helps, thirdly, to identify any need for some specific learning before further experience is
acquired.

Concept of Teaching:

Teaching is a set of events, outside the learners which are designed to support internal
process of learning. Teaching (Instruction) is outside the learner. Learning is internal to
learners. You cannot motivate others if you are not self-motivated. Motives are not seen,
but, Behaviors are seen. Is learning a motive or behavior? Learning is both a motive and
behavior but only behavior is seen, learning is internal, performance is external.

Role of the Teacher:

Generally ,the role of teacher can be categorized into:

 Traditional Role - Teacher Centered
 Modern Role - Facilitator (Student Centered)
There has been a change from the Traditional role to the Modern role in the
present context. The learning increases when the teacher builds on the previous
experience of the student. However, individual’s learning differs and each individual
learns at his or her own pace. Identifying the slow learners and individual attention of
the teacher may be required. Thus, effective learning is to a great extent based on
experiences. Direct experiences are student centered and participation in problem
solving. While in indirect experience, the contents are carefully designed and organized
by teacher.

Basic Teaching Model:

Objectives are intended learning outcomes written down before the process of
instruction. General Objectives - Statement of instructional intent - student ability in
general terms. Specific objective statement of instructional intent- student ability in
terms of specific & observable. Usefulness of objectives, Elements of objectives,
Terminal behavior Condition, and Criterion / Criteria.

Writers tend to separate learning into three main groups or domains. These are the
psychomotor, cognitive and affective domains. Those skills, which are concerned
with
 4

physical dexterity, for example changing a wheel and giving an injection, fall into the
psychomotor domain. Both of the tasks do need knowledge but, predominantly they are
physical skills, which need practice. Knowledge and knowing the 'how' and the 'why',
the thinking skills, fall into the cognitive domain. Examples include 'stating the names of
the major bones in the body', 'explaining why we have tides'. Both of these
require thought processes to be accomplished.

The third domain, and one we often neglect, is the affective domain. This is
concerned with attitudes. Examples in this domain include 'the need to eat a healthy,
balanced diet',
'the need for equality of opportunity for all', and 'politeness'. These deal with
feelings
and emotions and are different from the examples in the other
domains.

Affective Learning occurs when these three domains are seen as interdependent. Each of
these domains should be developed as part of teaching/ learning session. Teachers
should be able to define learning objectives in each of them.

Learning in these three domains often needs different teaching and learning approaches.
They are often considered in isolation but in practice learning may occur
simultaneously in all three.

Objectives Entry Instructional

Assessment
Behavior Techniques

Evaluation and Feedback

Source: Ian Reece and Stephen Walker

Traditional versus Modern role

Traditionally the role of the teacher has been as a purveyor of information: the
teacher was the fount of all knowledge. This suggests a picture of students sitting in
rows in front of the teacher who is talking and passing information to students with the
aid of a blackboard, while the students either listen passively or, if the teacher is lucky,
take their own notes.

This, of course, is not true any more. The modern teacher is a facilitator: a person who
assists students to learn for themselves. Instead of having students sitting in rows,
they are likely to be in groups, all doing something different; some doing practical tasks,
some writing, some not even in the room but in another part of the building using
specialist equipment or looking up something in the library. All of the students might
well be at different stages in their learning and in consequence, the learning is
individualized to suit individual requirements and abilities.

This change from the traditional model is the result of a number of factors. First, it is
recognized that adults, unlike small children, have a wealth of experience and are able
to
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plan their learning quite efficiently. Second, not all individuals learn in the same
manner, so that if a teacher talks to students some might benefit, but others might not.
Third, everyone learns at their own pace and not, of necessity, at the pace set by the
teacher. Hence, the individualizing of learning has defined advantages.

Research into the ways that people learn has not provided teachers with any specific
answers. If it had, all teachers would be using the same techniques. However,
researchers have identified that learning is generally more effective if it is based on
experiences; either direct experiences or experiences that have been read about. Of the
two types of experiences, the former is more likely to be effective than the latter. Thus
concepts that are able to be practiced or seen are more likely to be learning. To apply
this in a practical situation in post-16 education and training, learning is more likely to be
effective when it is related to, and conducted in, the knowledge of a student’s (work)
experience.

We need, at this stage, to consider how we as teachers might best provide the experiences
so as to make the learning as easy and quick as possible. We might consider two possible
approaches to the design of a teaching programme.

(i) A programme where the content is carefully derived from an analysis of the
student’s personal, social and/or vocational needs and which is implemented by
you in such a controlled and organized manner that the student is almost certain to
learn, and is aware when the learning has taken place. By this method
motivation is generated by immediate success and the avoidance of failure.

Unfortunately this rarely takes place because it has a fundamental drawback. Apart from
the requirement for the students to place themselves in the hands of the teacher and thus
tend to develop a relationship of dependency, it confirms to them that learning is a
process which is organized by someone who knows better. It does not help students
to learn on their own.

(ii) The other approach starts from the experience of the student, experience that has
taken place as part of life or which has been organized as part of the
programme. It then depends upon the student identifying and accepting a need to
learn. Such as approach has been described as ‘problem solving’, ‘student-
centered learning’,
‘participative learning’, and so on.

The problem with this approach is to ensure that important areas of learning are
not omitted and that the ‘right’ balance is struck between these areas, and that each area
is learned as effectively as possible.

Teaching methods which allow this second approach to be implemented

include:
project work derived from students’ current experiences;
discussions which allow students to recognize and consolidate what
the experience has taught them, and also lead them to identify what else they need
to learn and practice;
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the learning of specific problem-solving techniques which can be applied to a

range of situations;
activities designed to provide opportunities for specific learning outcomes.

Such a list of teaching approaches identifies a second problem associated with the
approach; that of (over) concentrating upon the activities – the practical work which
tends to be more enjoyable, and neglecting to recognize the possible learning that can
accrue from such activities.

Conclusion:

The paper gives insight into a few concepts of teaching and learning, especially at the
higher levels of education. Many countries make it mandatory for teachers to undergo
formal course on education principles where the concepts of teaching and learning are
taught. However, this exposure to teachers is non-existent for professional teachers who
enter into teaching profession without any exposure to formal training in education. This
sometimes may act as a constraint in the process of effective teaching and learning
process.

References:
1. T.V. Rao, Human Resource Development - Tata McGraw Hill Publication,
1998.
2. Ian Reece and Stephen Walker, Teaching, Training and Learning -
Business
Education Publishers, 1997.
3. Dave R.H., Developing and Writing Behavioral Objectives - Educational
Innovators
Press, 1975.
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