Sibonga Community College

Poblacion, Sibonga, Cebu

486 – 8232

FACILITATING LEARNER-CENTERED TEACHING

Module 1:

Chapter 1: Learner-Centered Psychological Principles

It is not about what teachers cover; it
is about what students discover.
— Anonymous

Introduction psychology plays a very important role in understanding the teaching and learning process. Many
innovations in the learning process have been made possible because of the contributions of psychology. Psychology
is a branch of science that studies human behavior, and helps educators and teachers to understand the nature of
diversity of learners. Teachers are now more confident and competent to teach because of a deep understanding of
their learners. They can facilitate learning according to the learners' needs. History has been witnessed as to how
concepts, information, and studies in psychology have helped immensely in understanding the nature of the human
being. They are bases for innovations and reforms in teaching. Teaching strategies are made more appropriate for
every learner. Part of human nature is learning, which has been made interesting because of the application of
knowledge obtained from psychology. Studies are continuously undertaken to enhance knowledge about the teaching
and learning process. In this chapter, you are expected to:

 explain learner-centered psychological principles;

 discuss implications of the learner-centered psychological principles to teachers and
educators;
 analyze specific classroom situations where the 14 learner-centered psychological
principles are used; and
 suggest teaching strategies that could further enhance the 14 learner-centered psychological
principles.
 Lesson 1: Learning Principles Associated to Cognitive, Metacognitive,
Motivational, and Affective Factors

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

 explain the cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and affective factors of teaching and

learning;

 summarize learning using graphic organizers; and

 cite classroom situations that manifest applications of the principles.

THINK
In the early 1990s, the American Psychological Association (APA) appointed a group, a Task Force on
Psychology in Education, to conduct further studies in both psychology and education.
The purpose of this group was to conduct studies that could further enhance the current understanding of
educators on the nature of the learners about the teaching and learning process. The end goal was to
improve the existing school practices so that learning becomes more meaningful to all kinds of learners.
The 14 Learner-Centered Psychological Principles are categorized as follows: (l) cognitive and
metacognitive factors; (2) motivational and affective; (3) developmental and social; and (4) individual
difference factors. All these principles influence the teaching and learning process (APA, 1997). In this
lesson, the cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and affective factors of learning are discussed.

Cognitive and Metacognitive Factors

Cognitive factors refer to the mental processes the learners undergo as they process an information. The
way learners think about their thinking as they engage in mental tasks is the concern of the
metacognitive factors.

1. The learning of complicated subject matter is most effective when it is an

intentional process of constructing meaning from information and
experience.
Teachers play a significant role in guiding their learners to become active, goal-directed,
and self-regulating, and to assume personal responsibility for their learning. The learning
activities and opportunities provided by the teacher are very important situations where learners
can integrate knowledge and concepts to their experiences. Whenever teachers plan their lessons
and topics, they always need to consider how they can bring reality in the classroom. Learners
need to have a clear and concrete understanding of knowledge and concepts presented so that
they would also know in what particular situations they have to apply them. Learning through
experience is the most effective way of teaching. An intentional learning environment is one that
fosters activity and feedback and creates a culture that promotes metacognition, that is, one in
which the learner becomes aware of his or her learning process and can use tools to enhance this
learning process (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1989).
 2. The successful learner, over time and with support and instructional
guidance, can create meaningful, coherent representations of knowledge.
Learners need to be goal-directed. Teachers have to guide learners in terms of determining their
personal goals. They need to set their goals, not dictated by others, to ensure their
willingness to achieve them. Meaningful learning takes place when what is presented to
learners is very much related to their needs and interests. When learners have good
understanding of the concepts discussed in school, they can reach long-term goals most
likely. Indeed' it is challenging to motivate learners to succeed.

3. The successful learner can link new information with existing knowledge in meaningful
ways.
In planning a new lesson to be presented, teachers would usually find it more effective
when they connect the learners' existing knowledge to new information. The integration of prior
experiences to a new concept to be learned is a way of making connections between what is new
and what is already known. That new knowledge is created from old knowledge is the very heart
of constructivism. Teachers should initiate more opportunities for learners to share ideas,
experiences, observations, and readings as the need arises. Sharing prior knowledge can be done
in creative strategies like concept mapping, group activities, and other collaborative techniques
where learners are also able to learn from each other's experiences.

4. The successful learner can create and use a repertoire of thinking and reasoning
strategies to achieve complex learning goals.
Strategic thinking is a person's ability to use knowledge in different ways to solve
problems, address concerns and issues, decrease difficulties in certain situations, and make sound
decisions and judgments in varied conditions. Strategic thinkers do not easily give up even in
difficult situations. They are more challenged to find ways to solve a problem no matter how many
times they already failed. They are not afraid to commit mistakes because they perceive them as
meaningful learning experiences to continuously discover other ways of arriving at solutions.
Teachers are supposed to give them as many opportunities to learn, experiment, solve, and
explore new ideas and concepts. Thus, to motivate and encourage the learners to be more creative
and innovative in their ideas, opinions, and responses are musts for teachers.

5. Higher-order strategies for selecting and monitoring mental operations facilitate

creative and critical thinking.
One of the most challenging roles of the teachers is to develop among their learners' higher order
thinking skills (HOTS). It means that their learners can do evaluation, synthesis, analysis, and
interpretation of varied concepts, information, and knowledge. As previously mentioned,
learners develop their thinking skills when they are provided with opportunities and learning
experiences to process varied events and situations, specifically if given real problems. This
context means that aside from mastering information, discovery, problem-solving, creation,
and evaluation should also be integrated into their learning experiences. Assessment tools in
school should be authentic. Students can make inferences, sound judgments, and relevant
conclusions, and use their learned knowledge to varied situations. HOTS are very much
needed in this fast changing world.
 6. Learning is influenced by environmental factors, including culture, technology,
and instructional practices.
Learning does not only take place inside the classroom. Much of what learners learn in the
classroom with their teachers can only have meaning once they see them concretely in their
everyday life. Examples given in the classroom should be a reflection of their actual life
experiences. The digital tools and instructional practices must be carefully selected to
facilitate a motivating, stimulating, and encouraging learning environment geared toward
effective acquisition of knowledge, concepts, and skills among learners.

Motivational and Affective Factors

How the learners push themselves to learn and how they value learning are the concerns of the motivational
factors. Meanwhile, the affective factors relate to the attitude, feelings, and emotions that learners put
into the learning task.

1. What and how much are learned are influenced by the learner's motivation.
Motivation to learn is influenced by the individual's emotional states, beliefs, interests and goals, and
habits of thinking. Motivation plays a very important role in learning. It pertains an individual's inner
drive to do something, accomplish something, pursue a goal, learn, and master a skill, or just discover
without necessarily being forced or pushed by anyone. The level of one's motivation would also
determine the extent of his or her ability to accomplish desired tasks. The way teachers motivate their
learners is then crucial to make them actively engaged in the learning process.
In lesson planning, the motivation part of the lesson sets the positive mindset of the learners. No matter
how new, challenging, and technical a topic is, if the level of their motivation is high, they would
always find the interest to participate and get themselves engaged. Meanwhile, if there were no
efforts to motivate learners, then, there would also be no engagement to learning.
Teachers and parents' encouragements, praises, and rewards can boost the learners' confidence. They
can also establish positive emotional states and good habits of thinking in individuals. Learners
will always feel that mistakes and errors are normal parts of learning. Teachers should also
use learning materials and strategies that would eradicate learners' anxiety, panic, and even
insecurities. ,
2. The learner's creativity, higher-order thinking, and natural curiosity all contribute to the
motivation to learn.
There are two kinds of motivation—intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is
manifested when an individual engages in an activity or task that is personally gratifying. It is
personally rewarding, and there is no expectation for any external or tangible reward. Extrinsic
motivation, meanwhile, is its direct opposite. A person engages in a task or activity to earn
external rewards or to avoid punishments in some situations. Intrinsic motivation is stimulated by
tasks of optimal novelty and difficulty, relevant to personal interests, and providing for personal
choice and control.

As teachers and mentors, the most important way to motivate the students to learn is to present the
value of that knowledge or concept to their life. Learning is not only about getting good grades or
complying with requirements, but it is more of knowing why they need to learn such and to what
specific instances in their lives that they would be able to use them. When what is being taught to
the students is presented creatively, it stimulates their HOTS, enhances their curiosity, and
 heightens their interest to learn more about it. Teaching strategies that allow personal choice and
control, collaboration, and creation for learners contribute to a more heightened intrinsic
motivation for learning.

3. Acquisition of sophisticated knowledge and skills requires extensive learner's effort and
guided practice.
The learners' motivation to learn is also partnered by their extended efforts. Teachers facilitate
learning opportunities and experiences that encourage learners to exert time and effort and at the
same time commitment and enthusiasm toward a task they have to do and a concept they have to
learn. It is through the teachers' encouragement that they will have to do tasks with quality and
not just for compliance's sake.
Teachers can praise works that have been done well. They can also acknowledge every little
achievement of a person. Teachers can use the students' errors or mistakes as opportunities for
mentoring. All these raise a person's motivation to learn. Positive emotions established in the
classroom as well as with others make learning interesting for everybody in general. The learning
environment can also foster positive emotions when there is no competition between and among
learners, and numeric grades are just secondary considerations as pieces of evidence of learning.

EXPERIENCE
Learners acquire knowledge and skills from the experiences that they actively engage in. This
scenario demands the teachers to be in an active role as well to effect the intended positive changes to
the learners. Initially, teachers' awareness of students' background or characteristics is vital input in
instructional design. Common experiences shared by teachers in seminars and trainings reveal the varied
methodologies and strategies they have proven in their action researches to be effective. Cognition is
triggered by the varied types of motivation used by teachers and the strategies they use to build a more
positive affect among the learners. Likewise, prior knowledge has been found useful in the learners'
metacognitive thinking. The stock knowledge and skills have developed greater confidence for the
learners to hurdle the task—in the planning of the strategies to solve a task, in their monitoring of their
solving processes, and in evaluating their output. Based on common experiences by teachers, learners
achieve more if they exert effort in the tasks given to them.
The teachers should consider all the major elements of the cognitive and metacognitive factors of
learning as follows: nature of the learning process, goals of the learning process, construction of
knowledge, strategic thinking, thinking about thinking, and the context of learning. Each teacher's
learning plan should be carefully checked as to its appropriateness and effectiveness in lesson delivery.
Mentoring of new teachers by seasoned teachers should also be a good practice that needs to be observed
in schools. Teachers have best practices in motivating and stimulating their learners depending on their
age and grade levels. Sometimes, extrinsic motivation works effectively among those in the lower
grades, like giving tokens, stars, or any tangible reward. As they progress from one grade level to the
other, teachers also modify motivation from being extrinsic to intrinsic because they are now becoming
more matured learners. Their interests as well as the commitment to finish their tasks are now more
critical rather than just the concrete rewards.