What is learning?  What is your experience regarding learning?  When do you say/feel that you have learned something?

 “Learning is an enduring change in behavior or the capacity to behave in a given fashion which result from practice or other forms of experience.” (Schunk, 2004 )

Learning is so simple that we don’t question its presence, but if we were to think about it…  Is learning something tangible and observable or is it a hidden process happening behind scenes?  Are we able to achieve it on our own or do we need others?

 Modification from the old behavior to the new one.  Change in behavior over time. So it is not temporary behavior; it lasts for ever. * that is the kind of learning you want your students have.  Learning occurs through practice.  Learning also occurs through observation.

How do we learn as human? There are four popular theories that explain human learning: 1. Behaviorism Theory 2. Social Cognitive Theory 3. Constructivism Theory 4. Cognitive Development Theory

 Learning is an acquisition of a new behavior.  Mental processes are not necessary to explain acquisition and generalization of behavior/ learning.  Practice is a key to strengthen the desired behavior.  Stimulation and reinforcement are important factors in in learning and maintaining the desired behavior. Schunk, 2004

 Behaviourist method of teaching includes a lot of repetitions; question and answer sequence, positive reinforcement and this method rely on tests and examinations as an observable behaviours measure. Arhur, Cremin, 2010

 Social cognitive theory stresses on the idea that much of human learning occurs in a social environment.  Learning is done by observing others. Students acquire knowledge, rules,skills, strategies, beliefs, and attitude by observing others.  Individual also learns from models (teachers). The usefulness and appropriateness of behaviors, and the consequences of the modeled behaviors affect our decision to perform the acquired behavior. Schunk, 2004

 Social constructivist method uses collaborative learning, which includes helping learners to develop teamwork skills, using discussions guided by directed questions and using strategies like modelling and scaffolding = assisting= guiding.

 According to Piaget, children come into the world with minimal equipments to guide their behavior. Their cognitive development passed through sequences of stages dependent on the preceding one. In each stage, children view the world differently. Implication: The role of the educator is to set up an environment in which help stimulate their development and growth that is suitable to their level or stage. Schunk, 2004

 What we already know determines what will we learn. *Therefore, each one of you will have different understanding of what I talked about in this lecture. I depends on your background knowledge of today’s topic  *New learning is dependent on old knowledge.

 Constructivist method of teaching includes assisting learners in constructing new information into existing knowledge by providing them with strategies that would help them accommodate new materials.

 Now, you might ask yourself how the psychological theories are related to teaching and curriculum?  More specific, how and why these theories are helpful for primary teacher to know about?  All These thoughts and questions are good questions. How?

To answer your questions, let us read the following scenario taking from Soltis Book (Perspective on Learning) (1998) and try to understand and suggest answers to the question stated in the scenario.scenario.

Imagine the following scenario: Four of your friends want a favor from you.  One wants to learn to keep off junk food and seeks your advice and encouragements.  The second one is trying to learn Spanish vocabulary and ask you to act as a tutor.  The third wants your help in learning how to do public speech because you are good at it.  The forth one is stuck on Einstein’s Theory and asks you to explain it to her. Kindly, YOU agreed to help all of them HOW? ( From Phillips, Soltis book (1998 )

 In group, please discuss the problem each of your friend have. ( what kind of problem is it?)

 Because you are not only promoting learning, but you also as a teacher is motivating students, catering for different learning style and abilities, deciding the content, and socializing your students to become good citizens for their country.

 I will Leave you with this YouTube clip to think about and reflect on I will Leave you this YouTube clip to think about and reflect on

 Learning to Teach in the Primary School. Arthur& Cremin, nd edition. Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group, London  Palincsar, A. and Brown, A. (1984) ‘Reciprocal teaching of comprehension- fostering and comprehension- monitoring activities’, Cognition and Instruction, 1(2):

 Managing Classroom Behavior: Organizing effective classroom talk p,