Republic of the Philippines

President Ramon Magsaysay State University

Teaching Social Studies in Intermediate Grades-Geography and Culture (ESC 17)

PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
Principles of Learning

Learning is an experience which occurs inside the learner and is activated by the learner.

The process of learning is primarily controlled by the learner and not by the teacher.
It is a discovery of the personal meaning and relevance of ideas.

Students more readily internalize and implement concepts and ideas which are relevant to
their needs and problems.

Learning (Behavioral Change) is a consequence of experience.

If experience is the best teacher, then teacher should make use of experiential learning

Learning is a cooperative and collaborative process.

“Two heads are better than one” and cooperation fosters learning.

Learning is an evolutionary process.

Behavioral change requires time and patience. Things that are worthwhile in life take time.

One of the richest resources for learning is the learner himself.

As a teacher, you must draw these learner’s ideas, feelings and experiences, you midwife
the birth of ideas.

The process of learning is emotional as well as intellectual.

People are feeling beings as well as thinking beings and when their feelings and thoughts
are in harmony learning is maximized.

The process of problem solving and learning are highly unique and individual.

As people become more aware of how they learn and solve problems and become exposed
to alternative models used by other people.
INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING/LESSON PLANNING
-a guarantee of 100% learning and a guide for teachers in presenting the lessons systematically.
-a written instructional plan is an antidote to aimlessness.

Types of Instructional Planning/Lesson Planning

a. Yearly instructional plan for Basic Education

1. Philippine Elementary Learning Competencies (PELCs)

2. Philippine Secondary Learning Competencies (PSLCs)
3. For tertiary level, it is called as course syllabus other term for this is the course plan or
course of study.

Lesson plan could be done weekly or daily

Elements of Lesson Plan

a. Objective
-it maybe a statement or question in nature. Like, “To explain the causes of the thinning down of
the ozone layer”.
-maybe converted into, what are the causes of the thinning down of the ozone layer.

1. Cognitive – mind

Levels of Cognitive Domain

a. knowledge
b. comprehension
c. application
d. analysis
e. synthesis
f. evaluation

2. Affective – feeling and appreciation

Levels of Affective Domain (Kratwhol Taxonomy)

a. receiving
b. responding
c. valuing
d. organization
e. characterization
3. Psychomotor – action or to do things

Levels of Psychomotor Domain

a. observing
b. imitating
c. practicing
d. adapting but Simpson (1972) added another three from Blooms Domain and these are:
e. precision
f. speed
g. distance and technique

Objectives can be coined in the acronym SMART

S – specific
M – measurable
A – attainable
R – result (oriented or reliable)
T – time bound and terminal

Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Cognitive Domain Affective Domain Psychomotor

Start with infinitives
To define, to distinguish, to
acquire
To identify, to recall, to
recognize
To interpret, to differentiate
To read, to make to determine
To conclude, to extend
To draw, to explain
To separate, to positively To distinguish by touching
respond
To commend, to follow To endure, to improve
To approve, to practice To play the piano
To appreciate, to feel To dance skillfully, to explore
To avoid, to resolve To write, to balance
To balance, to help To strengthen, to reach

b. Topic or Subject Matter

-main course of the lesson
-the center of the discussion

c. Materials
-instructional materials and media and to make the abstract concrete.

d. Procedure of lesson development

-prayer, checking of attendance and ID plus the uniform, and review the past lesson
Five Major Elements of Procedure

1. motivation
2. teaching procedure (use of pivotal questions and apply a method)
3. formative check (evaluation or assessment)
4. student participation
5. closure

e. Evaluation

Assessment VS Evaluation

Assessment and evaluation are not the same. But, what are the differences between an assessment
and evaluation in education?

Assessment – is the systematic process of documenting and using empirical data to measure
knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs. By taking the assessment, teachers try to improve the
student’s path towards learning.

Evaluation – focuses on grades and might reflect classroom components other than course contend
and mastery level. An evaluation can be used as a final review to gauge the quality of instruction.
It’s product-oriented. This means that the main question is: “What’s been learned?” in short,
evaluation is judgmental.

Example:
You’re gifted a flower.

Evaluation: “the flower is purple and is too short with not enough leaves.” (evaluation is
judgmental)

Assessment: “I’ll give the flower some water to improve its growth.” (assessment increases the
quality)

Kinds of Test and Evaluation

1. Matching Type – matching column A to the other column

2. Fill in the Blanks – formulating questions by writing statement a blank portion on it.
3. Multiple Choice – it is with a complete statement and giving three or more choices below the
statement.
4. Completion Form – completing the sentence by adding phrase or words quite related to fill in
the blanks.
5. Enumeration – it is to task for multiple answers by putting the numbers depending on the item
being asked.
6. True or False – it is by giving a statement and then analyze if it is true or not based on the
lesson previously discussed.
7. Objective Essay – it is to answer the question verbatim. It means that the answers will be based
on the words and phrases coming from the lesson and not your own ideas and opinions.
8. Subjective Essay – it could be answered either by your own opinion or based on the statement
and explanation from the book.
9. Puzzle Type – the most artistic and unique kind of test on which you will consider the horizontal
and vertical items.

Evaluation could be written or in verbal way depending on the strategy applied by the teacher.

Alternative Assessment can be one of the evaluations.

Examples: field trips, thesis defense, exhibits, field demonstration and inside competitions.

f. Assignment
-they are the synapse strengtheners
-they enforce the retention of concepts
-it will serve as the preparation for the next lesson

Role of the teacher in doing activities as part of the lesson plan

1. develop a list of study questions that focus on the objectives of the lesson.
2. develop the anticipated answers to the question, it is important that the teacher have a firm idea
of what are correct or incorrect answers.
3. establish time frame for completing the activity. Students need to feel a sense of urgency. So
don’t give them more time than you think they will need.
4. supervise during these activity, not a time to grade papers, make phone calls, plan for the next
lesson, or locate the answers to the questions in this lesson.
5. assist students in locating information, but do not find it for them.
6. keep students on task and eliminate distractors.
7. plan for reporting of answers.

Selection and Use of Teaching Strategies

1. Learning is an active process

-it means that we have to actively engage the learners in learning activities if we want them to
learn what we intend to teach.

As the saying goes:

What I hear, I forget

What I see, I remember
What I do, I learn
2. The more senses that are involved in learning, the more and the better the learning.

Humans are intensively visual animals.

Sight – 750%
Hearing – 5.5%
Touch – 4%
Taste – 3%
Smell – 3%
3. A non-threatening atmosphere enhances learning
-it deals with physical and psychological climate of the classroom

Physical – the board, ventilation, proper lighting condition, order and tidiness and painting of the
room.

Psychological – is an offshoot of our personality as a teacher.

4. Emotions has the power to increase retention and learning

We tend to remember and learn more those that strike our hearts! Let us add an emotional touch
to learning.

5. Learning is meaningful when it is connected to students’ everyday life.

6. Good teaching goes beyond recall of information

It is to develop creative and critical thinking. It should reach the levels of application, analysis,
synthesis and evaluation to hone our student’s thinking skills.

7. An integrated teaching approach is far more effective than teaching isolated bits of
information

Different Approaches and Methods

Steps to follow:

a. provides the rationale

b. demonstrates the skill
c. provides guided practice
d. check for the understanding and provide feedback
4. provides extended practice and transfer
Different Approaches and Methods

How to do it?

1. Explain the rationale and objectives of the lesson. Inform them of how long the lesson will take.
2. Provide motivation and draw commitments from them.
3. Conduct the demonstration
4. Assign practice for short periods of time. Continue practice to the point of over learning for
complete mastery.
5. Provide feedback, videotaping of performances, tests or written comments.
6. Focus on performance evaluation rather than on pencil-and-paper test. The student should
exhibit the skill mastered.

Different Approaches and Methods

Example:

1. Deductive Method – is a teacher-dominated. It begins with the abstract rule, generalization,

principle and ends with specific examples and concrete details.

Advantages and Disadvantages

a. Coverage of a wider scope by stating at once the rule or the principle at the beginning of the
class, we cover more subject matter over period of time.

-no bother on the part of a teacher to lead the leaners to the formulation of the generalization or
rule.

b. It is not supportive of the principle that learning is an active process. Less involvement on the
part of the learner.

-lesson appears uninteresting at first. Due to abstract presentation at start then it will look irrelevant
and uninteresting.

2. Inductive Method – is less teacher directed than the deductive method. It begins with specific
details, concrete data and examples and ends with an abstract generalization, rule of principle.

Reflect on:

a. Socratic, on which the image is wise, somewhat crusty teacher who purposely gets into
arguments with students over the subject matter through artful questioning.

b. Town – meeting, on which the teachers whom adapt this style use a great deal of discussion and
play a moderate role that enables students to work out answers to problem by themselves.
c. Compulsive type, on which the teacher is fussy (choosey), teaches things over and over, and
concerned with functional order and structure.

d. Boomer, on which the teacher shouts in a strong voice, “You’re going to learn, there is no
nonsense in the classroom.

e. Maverick, on which everybody loves the teacher, except perhaps the principal. She raises
difficult questions and presents ideas that disturb.

f. Quiet one, on which the teacher is calm, sincere but definite. The teacher commands both respect
and attention.

g. Entertainer, on which the teacher is free enough to joke and laugh with the students.

h. Explanatory, on which the teacher is in command of the subject matter and explains particular
subjects of the lesson.

i. Interactive, on which through dialogue and questioning, the teacher facilitates the development
of student ideas.

j. Pragmatic, on which the teacher guides students’ activities and facilitates self-instruction and
independent learning.