TEACHING AN LEARNING PROCESS

Teaching and learning is a process that includes many variables. These variables act together as learners work toward their goals and add in new knowledge, behaviours and skills that add to their choice of learning experiences.

Over the past century, various views on learning have appeared, among them – behaviourist (response to external stimuli); cognitivist (learning as a mental operation); and constructivist (knowledge as understood by element resulting from the learning process). Rather than considering these theories separately it is best to think of them together as a range of possibilities that can be included into the learning experience. During the amalgamation process, it is also important to consider a number of other factors – cognitive style, learning style, the multiple natures of our intelligence, and learning as it relates to those who have special needs and are from different cultural backgrounds.

Thoughtfulness of these factors and the ways in which they interact provide an organic view of the teaching-learning process that is often called a ‘system approach’. This approach also provides a way of looking at ourselves, the environments in which we teach, and the environments around us. Using this perspective, we can better examine the process and better design the process itself.

By: Anita Gamage