by Educational psychology & Educational psychologists have identified several principles of learning, also referred to as laws of learning which seem generally applicable to the learning process. These principles have been discovered, tested, and used in practical situations. They provide additional insight into what makes people learn most effectively. Edward Thorndike developed the first three “Laws of learning:” readiness, exercise and effect.
Readiness
Since learning is an active process, students must have adequate rest, health, and physical ability. Basic needs of students must be satisfied before they are ready or capable of learning. Students who are exhausted or in ill health cannot learn much. If they are distracted by outside responsibilities, interests, or worries, have overcrowded schedules, or other unresolved issues, students may have little interest in learning. For example, we may identify the situation of an academic examination of a school, in which the cause of securing good marks in various subjects leads to mental and emotional readiness of students to do more hard labour in acquiring knowledge.
Exercise
Every time practice occurs, learning continues. These include student recall, review and summary and manual drill and physical applications. All of these serve to create learning habits. The instructor must repeat important items of subject matter at reasonable intervals, and provide opportunities for students to practice while making sure that this process is directed toward a goal. But in some or many cases, there is no need for regular practice if the skill is acquired once. For instance if we have learnt cycling once, we will not forget the knowledge or skill even if we aren’t exercising it for a long time.
Effect
However, every learning experience should contain elements that leave the student with some good feelings. A student’s chance of success is definitely increased if the learning experience is a pleasant one.
Primacy
Primacy, the instructor must present subject matter in a logical order, step by step, making sure the students have already learned the preceding step. If the task is learned in isolation, if it is not initially applied to the overall performance, or if it must be relearned, the process can be confusing and time consuming. Preparing and following a lesson plan facilitates delivery of the subject matter correctly the very first time.
Recency
The principle of recency states that things most recently learned are best remembered. Conversely, the further a student is removed time-wise from a new fact or understanding, the more difficult it is to remember.
Intensity
The more intense the material taught, the more likely it will be retained. A sharp, clear, vivid, dramatic, or exciting learning experience teaches more than a routine or boring experience. The principle of intensity implies that a student will learn more from the real thing than from a substitute. Examples, analogies, and personal experiences also make learning come to life. Instructors should make full use of the senses (hearing, sight, touch, taste, smell, balance, rhythm, depth perception, and others).
Freedom
Since learning is an active process, students must have freedom: freedom of choice, freedom of action, freedom to bear the results of action these are the three great freedoms that constitute personal responsibility. If no freedom is granted, students may have little interest in learning.
Requirements
The law of requirement states that “we must have something to obtain or do something.” It can be an ability, skill, instrument or anything that may help us to learn or gain something. A starting point or root’
Laws of Learning Applied to Learning Games
The principles of learning have been presented as an explanation for why learning games (the use of games to introduce material, improve understanding, or increase retention) can show such incredible results. This impacts flow and motivation and increases the positive feelings toward the activity, which links back to the principles of exercise, readiness, and effect. Games use immersion and engagement as ways to create riveting experiences for players, which is part of the principle of intensity. Finally, part of the primary appeal of games is that they are fun. Although fun is hard to define, it is clear that it involves feelings such as engagement, satisfaction, pleasure, and enjoyment which are part of the principle of effect.
Principles:
- Participation
Learning should permit and encourage active participation of the learner. Participation improves motivation and apparently engages more senses that reinforce the learning process. As a result of participation, people learn more quickly and retain that learning longer.
For example, most people never forget how to ride a bicycle because they actively participated in the learning process.
The learning activities should be experiential rather than just informational.
Therefore, the trainers should arrange the physical surroundings to facilitate small group interaction and promote the sharing of ideas.
- Repetition
An important principle of the learning is to provide the learner with the opportunity for practice and repetition. To gain the full benefit of training learned behaviors must be overlearned to ensure smooth performance and minimum of forgetting at a later date.
Proficiency in learning and retaining new skills is improved when individuals visualize themselves performing the new behavior.
- Relevance
Learning is helped when the material to be learned is meaningful. The learning should be problem-centered rather than content centered.
People are motivated to learn when training is immediately relevant to help them solve a current problem. Learning something just because someone says “it is important” is not as motivating.
- Transference
Because the training occurs in a special environment, an important question to ask is whether learning will transfer to the actual job situation.
Understanding the environment in which the firm operates is the key to achieving organizational effectiveness.
Transfer of training occurs when trainees can apply the knowledge and skills learned in training course to their jobs. If the learning in one setting does not transfer to the actual job situation, the training has failed.
Three transfers training situations are possible
(1) Positive transfer of training when the training activities enhance performance in the new situation;
(2) Negative transfer of training, when the training activities inhibit performance in a new situation; and
(3) No observable effect of training.
- Feedback
Feedback gives learners information on their progress. Performance feedback is a necessary prerequisite for learning. Feedback improves performance not only by helping learners correct their mistakes but also by providing reinforcement for learning.
Knowledge of results is a positive reinforcement itself. Learning activities have more intrinsic interest if the feedback is available.
