LEARNING
DEFINITION OF LEARNING:-
According to Susan
Ambrose,
“A process that leads to change, which occurs as a result
of experience and
increases the potential of improved performance and future learning.”
According to Richard E. Mayer,
“Learning is the relatively permanent change in a person’s knowledge or behavior due to experience. This definition has three components:
1) the duration of the change is long-term rather than short-term;
2) the locus of the change is the content and structure of knowledge in memory or the behavior of the learner;
3) the cause of the change is the learner’s experience in the environment rather than fatigue, motivation, drugs, physical condition or physiologic intervention.
In Simple Words,
Learning is defined as “any relatively
permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of practice and
experience”.
TYPES OF LEARNING:-
1. Motor learning:
Most of our activities in our day-to-days
life refer to motor activities. The individual has to learn them in order to
maintain his regular life, for example walking, running, skating, driving,
climbing, etc. All these activities involve the muscular coordination.
2. Verbal learning:
This type of learning involves the
language we speak, the communication devices we use. Signs, pictures, symbols,
words, figures, sounds, etc, are the tools used in such activities. We use
words for communication.
3. Concept learning:
It is the form of learning which requires
higher order mental processes like thinking, reasoning, intelligence, etc. we
learn different concepts from childhood. For example, when we see a dog and
attach the term ‘dog’, we learn that the word dog refers to a particular
animal. Concept learning involves two processes, viz. abstraction and
generalisation. This learning is very useful in recognising, identifying
things.
4. Discrimination learning:
Learning to differentiate between stimuli
and showing an appropriate response to these stimuli is called discrimination
learning. Example, sound horns of different vehicles like bus, car, ambulance,
etc.
5. Learning of principles:
Individuals learn certain principles
related to science, mathematics, grammar, etc. in order to manage their work
effectively. These principles always show the relationship between two or more
concepts. Example: formulae, laws, associations, correlations, etc.
6. Problem solving:
This is a higher order learning process.
This learning requires the use of cognitive abilities-such as thinking,
reasoning, observation, imagination, generalization, etc. This is very useful
to overcome difficult problems encountered by the people.
7. Attitude learning:
Attitude is a predisposition which
determines and directs our behaviour. We develop different attitudes from our
childhood about the people, objects and everything we know. Our behaviour may
be positive or negative depending upon our attitudes. Example: attitudes of
nurse towards her profession, patients, etc.
NATURE OF LEARNING:-
1. Learning is Universal. Every creature that lives
learns. Man learns most. The human nervous system is very complex, so are human
reactions and so are human acquisition. Positive learning vital for children’s
growth and development.
2. Learning is through Experience. Learning always
involves some kind of experience, direct or indirect (vicarious).
3. Learning is from all Sides: Today learning is from
all sides. Children learn from parents, teachers, environment, nature, media
etc.
4. Learning is Continuous. It denotes the lifelong
nature of learning. Every day new situations are faced and the individual has
to bring essential changes in his style of behaviour adopted to tackle them.
Learning is birth to death.
5. It results in Change in Behaviour. It is a change
of behaviour influenced by previous behaviour. It is any activity that leaves a
more or less permanent effect on later activity.
6. Learning is an Adjustment. Learning helps the
individual to adjust himself adequately to the new situations. Most learning in
children consists in modifying, adapting, and developing their original nature.
In later life the individuals acquire new forms of behaviour.
7. It comes about as a result of practice. It is the basis
of drill and practice. It has been proven that students learn best and retain
information longer when they have meaningful practice and repetition. Every
time practice occurs, learning continues.
8. Learning is a relatively Permanent Change. After a
rat wake up from his nap he still remembers the path to the food. Even if you
have been on a bicycle for years, in just a few minutes practice you can be
quite proficient again.
9. Learning as Growth and Development. It is never ending
growth and development. At reach stage the learner acquires new visions of his
future growth and news ideals of achievement in the direction of his effort.
According to Woodworth, “All activity can be called learning so far as it develops
the individual.”
10. Learning is not directly observable. The only way
to study learning is through some observable behaviour. Actually, we cannot
observe learning; we see only what precedes performance, the performance
itself, and the consequences of performance.
TEN COMPONENTS OF LEARNING :-
1. Learning involves change. Change
may good or bad from an organizational point of view. People can learn
unfavorable behaviors to hold prejudices or to restrict their output.
2.
The changed must be ingrained. Temporary
changes may be only reflexive and may not represent learning. Therefore the
requirement that learning must be relatively permanent in nature.
3.
Some form of experience is
necessary for learning. Experience may be acquired directly through observation
or practice, or it may be acquired indirectly, as through reading.
4.
Learning involves concentration
and participation. It usually is quicker and long-lasting when the
learner participates actively. As a result of participation, people learn more
quickly and retain that learning longer.
5.
Learning does not occur in a
specific place like in a classroom. It is informal and it can be
acquired anywhere, at any time.
6.
There is no specific
time for learning. A person can learn different things in his total
lifetime.
7.
Learning is concerned with
behavior. A change in an individual’s thought processes or attitudes,
if not accompanied by a change in behavior, would not be learning.
8.
Learners benefited more from
constructing deep explanations of the material than memorizing
the facts. If there is no explanation in learning than the learning will be
difficult for learners.
9. There are multiple ways to learn things. But the learner should know which one is the best way of learning and select this one.
It is related to frequent feedback which learners should get from instructors and peers throughout the learning process. Without it, even well-learned abilities will go away. Ewell emphasizes that the feedback will be most effective if it is delivered in an enjoyable setting that involves personal interactions and a considerable level of personal support.
CONCLUSION:-
Learning
is activity and experience. It is a reflection upon experience. It is making
connections and finding patterns. It is the consequences of being involved in some
valued activity in a culture, and as such, it is a byproduct of participation
in the cultural activity, not the direct product of some study of facts about
the world.
Though
there are specific time and place for learning, people try to learn new things
and apply those things in reality.
A
lot of our learning occurs randomly throughout life, from new experiences,
gaining information and from our perceptions.
For
example: reading a newspaper or watching a news broadcast, talking with a
friend or colleague, chance meetings, and unexpected experiences.
