LEARNING PARADIGMS
LEARNING PARADIGMS
One of the primary functions of learning theories is to help students learn more effectively. Theories explain and guide educators using a variety of methods of designing instruction and teaching methodology. To understand how a person learns, the instructor must first identify the nature of teaching and learning before even attempting to teach. Educational theorists perceive learning through different lenses. The instructor should, therefore, choose an eclectic approach.
Under the right conditions, trained teachers can enhance teaching and learning significantly. Learning can be spiritual, physical, emotional and cognitive. A good instructional design to address the various styles of learning considers the goals, objectives, skills and knowledge to be expected of the learners. It also provides opportunities for the learners to engage actively in problem-solving techniques and learning methodologies. Clearly, an effective instructional design must provide learners with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, making them interested in learning and improve critical thinking skills.
A good instructional design provides explicit guidance on how to help learners develop learning skills and apply those skills to real life situations. Teachers use psychology to figure out how students learn so that they can teach effectively. Psychology helps instructors understand the learning process, so they can develop learning instructions to motivate students in the classroom. Instructors and scholars use psychology to give them the foundation to make decisions about teaching in the classroom. Educational psychology, a discipline that concentrates on the learning patterns of individuals, sheds light on the stages of development in a human being that affect the way he learns.
Psychology also teaches instructors about social interaction and human behavior. Therefore, a good knowledge of psychology is essential for effective teaching. Educational psychology deals with the study of how people learn especially very young children, gifted children, children with learning difficulty and those learners who acquire knowledge in an unusual pattern. Educational psychology also deals with the school and classroom environment.
It helps teachers create a conducive learning environment by developing instructions that suit different styles of learning in the classroom. It also assists teachers to handle young learners who have trouble in school, as well as providing guidance to teachers on how to help learners who are psychologically and emotionally unstable
Instructors are advised to use their artistic imagination to produce skillful learners. Teaching as an art requires crafting, imagination and creativity.
Designing a physical teaching environment is a piece of art that requires creativity and engagement. Designing a classroom environment that takes care of students who are emotionally and psychologically unstable requires artistic imagination. That is why teaching is often considered an art, especially if it involves designing artistic and dynamic activities in the classroom to motivate the young, to spur them on to acquire the knowledge or skills required. Teaching requires decision-making as well as skills to implement multi-tasks in the classroom. Therefore, the effective methodology, which teachers utilize to educate different types of learners, is a piece of art in itself.