Principles of learning

Edward Thorndike developed the first three "Laws of learning:" Readiness,Exercise and effect. Readines:            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. Exercise :         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 . 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 pleasa...

Cooperative learning is an educational approach  which aims to organize classroom activities into academic and social learning experiences. There is much more to cooperative learning than merely arranging students into groups, and it has been described as "structuring positive interdependence."  

        Nature of active learning :                      Purposive:  the relevance of the task to the students' concerns. Reflective:  students' reflection on the meaning of what is learned. Negotiated:  negotiation of goals and methods of learning between students and teachers. Critical:  students appreciate different ways and means of learning the content. Complex:  students compare learning tasks with complexities existing in real life and making reflective analysis. Situation-driven:  the need of the situation is considered in order to establish learning tasks. Engaged:  real life tasks are reflected in the activities conducted for learning.