Principles of Learning and Teaching

This article explores the principles of learning and teaching, covering topics such as learning in behaviorism, factors influencing learning in constructivism, examples of cognitivist learning theory, and the use of technology in teaching based on humanism principles.

Running head: PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
Principles of Learning and Teaching
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1PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
1. How does learning occur in Behaviourism?
- As per the behaviourists, the knowledge prevails independently and outside of the people.
For them, learners are a blank slate that are to be provided with experience (Waisbord, 2018).
In behaviourism, learning occurs when the new changes and behaviours are attained by
means of association of the responses and stimuli. In other words, it can be said that it is
association that leads to change in the behaviour and this learning behaviour is completely
based on the objectively observable changes that takes place in the behaviour of the
individual.
2. What are three factors that influence learning in Constructivism?
- It is to note that the main focus of constructivism is on the creation of cognitive tools that
reflect the wisdom of the culture in which they are used and the experiences and the insights
of the individuals. As per (), there is absolutely no needs for acquisition of the self-contained,
fixed and abstract details and concepts. In order to be successful, long lasting and
meaningful, learning needs to include the three important factors and they are- Activity,
culture and concept (Li, 2015). Activity refers to practice, culture refers to context and
concept refers to the knowledge and these are the factors that influence learning in
constructivism.
3. Describe briefly two types of learning OR two classroom activities that are good
examples of Cognitivist Learning Theory?
- The two classroom activities that are good examples of Cognitivist Learning Theory are:
 Asking the students to reflect on their experiences (Ashman & Conway, 2017)
 Helping the students in finding out new solutions to the problems that they face or the
problems suggested by the teachers and justifying and explaining their solutions and
thinking

2PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
4. How would technology be used by a teacher who adhered to the principles of
Humanism in his/her teaching?
- Humanism is all about providing a foundation for personal development and growth in
order to ensure that learning will continue throughout the life in a self-directed way. In this
process, the main focus is on the emotional and intellectual growth of the students or learners
as it give them the freedom and independence of learning and taking the responsibility of
their own learning (Branch et al., 2017). Hence, the teaching application of the conceptual
discussion and the enquiry based learning like providing students with reflective tasks like
portfolios, are two of the learning methods that associate significantly with the humanism
learning and teaching. With the same, by means of reflective tasks, e-portfolio, blogging and
projects, the learners can be tracked well.
5. How would knowing learning theories contribute to your teaching and classroom
practice?
- As per Goldie (2016), understanding the concept of different learning theories helps in
getting an idea on how the learners learn and realise that the learners are more important than
the teachers in the process of determining what is learned. This is due to the fact that true
learning takes place when the learners are engaged, and not the teachers. The theories of
learning provide a pedagogical basis that helps the teachers understand how their students are
learning. The understanding of the conditions of every learning theory, comprising of the
needs of the learners, their performance goals, the weaknesses and strengths, all provide a
clear guidance for the teachers while deciding on the best suited learning theory for teaching
contents.

3PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING AND TEACHING
References:
Ashman, A. F., & Conway, R. N. (2017). Cognitive strategies for special education:
Process-based instruction. Routledge.
Branch Jr, W. T., Frankel, R. M., Hafler, J. P., Weil, A. B., Gilligan, M. C., Litzelman, D. K.,
... & May, N. B. (2017). A multi-institutional longitudinal faculty development
program in humanism supports the professional development of faculty
teachers. Academic Medicine, 92(12), 1680.
Goldie, J. G. S. (2016). Connectivism: A knowledge learning theory for the digital
age?. Medical teacher, 38(10), 1064-1069.
Li, K. M. (2015). Learning styles and perceptions of student teachers of computer-supported
collaborative learning strategy using wikis. Australasian Journal of Educational
Technology, 31(1).
Waisbord, S. (2018). Family tree of theories, methodologies, and strategies in development
communication. Handbook of Communication for Development and Social Change,
1-40.