What are the laws of learning

at THORNDIKE?

EDWARD LEE
THORNDIKE
EDWARD LEE THORNDIKE

 Edward Lee Thorndike (August 31, 1874 – August 9, 1949) an American

psychologist who works in Teachers College, Columbia University.
 Achievements:
 His Comparative psychology learning led to the theory of connectionism and
helped lay the scientific foundation for modern educational psychology.
 Was a member of the board of the Psychological Corporation and served as
president of the American Psychological Association in 1912.
 Thorndike ranked as the ninth most cited psychologist of the 20th century.
 Had a powerful impact on reinforcement theory and behavior analysis, providing
the basic framework for empirical laws in behavior psychology with his Law of
Effect.
 EDUCATIONAL EDWARD
PSYCHOLOGIST AND LEE
PEDAGOGUES THORNDIKE

principles of learning, also developed the first three

referred to as laws of learning, "Laws of
which applicable to the  learning:" readiness, exercise,
learning process. and effect.
 7 PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING (mostly
instructor/teacher
duties)
1. Readiness
• Implies a degree of
willingness and eagerness of
an individual to learn
something new.
• physically, mentally, and
emotionally ready to learn
• Example: Giving hint or pointing
out interesting part of the
lesson/subject.
7 PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING
2. Exercise
• States that those things that
are most often repeated are
the ones that are best
remembered. Your audience
will learn best and retain
information longer when they
have meaningful practice and
repetition.
• Example: Recapitulate the
main points of the lesson
before discussing new lesson.
7 PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING
3. Effect
• Learning is strengthened
when accompanied by a 
pleasant or satisfying feeling,
and that learning is
weakened when associated
with an unpleasant feeling.
• Example: Compliment the
students for being good in
class once in a while.
7 PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING
4. Primacy
• The state of being first, often
creates a strong impression
which may be very difficult to
change. Things learned first
create a strong impression in
the mind that is difficult to
erase. ‘Unteaching’ or
erasing from the mind
incorrect first impressions is
harder than teaching them
correctly in the first place.
• KEY: discuss the lesson
accordingly. Example: lesson
1, lesson 2 or step 1 step 2.
7 PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING
5. 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.
7 PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING
6. Intensity
• The more intense the material
taught, the more likely it will
be retained. A sharp, clear,
dramatic, or exciting learning
experience teaches more
than a routine or boring
experience.
• Example: giving students
activity such as reports and
role playing.
7 PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING
7. Freedom
• States that things freely
learned are best learned.
Conversely, the further a
student is coerced, the more
difficult is for him to learn,
assimilate and implement
what is learned.
• This means students most
likely to listen and become The instructor would say:
interested to the lesson if the Study our lesson students, so
instructor do not force them. that you’ll passed my subject,
Goodluck.
Rather than:
You must study this lesson or
else you are going to fail my
subject.
 WHAT IS THE LAW OF REQUIREMENT?

 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.
7 LAWS OF LEARNING

 LAW 1: WE ARE ALL BORN TO LEARN- We must first believe that

everyone wants to learn and then understand the resistance— history,
approach, ego, frustration—and welcome that person, in his or her own
way, into a learning experience.
 LAW 2: YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN LEARNING WILL OCCUR- We are
surrounded by metaphor, examples, conversations, observations,
interactions, and experiences that are rich with learning and teaching
material.
 LAW 3: YOU LEARN BY CONNECTING- We learn and remember best when
we connect to life.
7 LAWS OF LEARNING

 LAW 4: WE ALL LEARN DIFFERENTLY- By learning how people learn and

accommodating various styles, you connect with more people in a meaningful way.
 LAW 5: CONNECTIONS COME THROUGH STORYTELLING- In all
societies, there’s a chief, priest, healer, and storyteller. Before the written
word, a society’s knowledge base was conveyed through stories. We
engage with stories. Hence, learning to tell great stories is key to engaging
the people you lead.
 LAW 6: LEARNING IS BOTH AN EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL
EXPERIENCE- Emotional connection to the teacher or topic opens a door
to the mind.
 LAW 7: LEARNING CAN ‘CHANGE LIVES- In making such connections,
guided by the light of ethics and morality, you can change lives, lift people,
and impact organizations.