Health Education

• STRATEGIES OF HEALTH EDUCATION 2001 Jeport Chapter 12 HOLLA THEORIES AND PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
• "It is rewarding in the sense of having shared the results of your work and efforts with colleagues of having contributed in some small way to the nursing profession and having learned much about yourself in the process.": 'Mary Jane Morrow Ward'
• Learning theories


  Guidelines or principles that direct an individual to understand the meaning of an event or situation
• Theories provide basic knowledge that underpin the teaching-learning process. Theories and practice are interrelated. They explain the relationship of each other since without theories, there can be no practice and practice can be irrelevant without theories.
• Although transition from theory to practice is difficult, a little critical thinking and reflective thought, reveals that the study of human learning theory, types of learning, and forces that influence learning can provide guidelines for practice and help teachers establish the conditions necessary to achieve learning outcomes.
• Over the years, theories of learning and the study of specific factors and conditions that influence learning have universal applicability. In addition, (White 1991) learning principles have been generated for particular age groups. A teacher who makes decisions based on these principles is using the best available techniques to guide professional teaching behavior. She has a chance of interacting effectively with learners than one who is not willing to apply the principles.
• The following principles of learning are supported by empirical evidence and have broad applicability to all types of learners, yet modification based on individual differences and particular circumstances would be useful.
• Satisfying Stimulus


  If response to a stimulus is satisfying to oneself, the tendency for this is to be repeated under similar circumstances. The behavior is reinforced, developed, and internalized.
• Reinforcement


  Immediate, positive, tangible or intangible reinforcement through praise, reward, or recognition are major conditions for successful behavioral change. Negative reinforcement slows down the rate at which behavior occurs but does not eliminate it. However, frequent negative reinforcement may either suppress or demotivate the learner causing unhealthy behavior or impaired learning process. Response to learning is strengthened by multiple and consistent reinforcement. The shorter the time interval between response and reinforcement to learning, the more effective is the reinforcement in building stronger response. However, overuse of repetition or reinforcement can lead to students' loss of interest and will not by itself establish association or connection to learning.
• Overlearning


  Overlearning increases memory and improves learning performance. Frequent application of the learned principles into practice strengthens the learning process and can easily be internalized and shown in students' attitude and behavior.
• Verbal and Non-verbal Associations


  A critical prerequisite to behavior change is the establishment of verbal and nonverbal connections. Knowledge put into practice provides a significant meaning of interrelationships between what is real and what is ideal. Forgetting occurs because of interference of new learning experiences with previously acquired ones. Previous practices may be replaced by current trends which makes previous knowledge irrelevant.
• Cognitive-perceptual readiness and internal motivation


  These are mandatory conditions for behavioral change. The student who has the desire to learn regarding the subject matter makes comprehension and retention easy, whereas, students who are not interested to learn make teaching and learning difficult.
• The Ordering of Information

  This influences the ease with which learning takes place. Systematic and dynamic presentation of subject matter consistent with students' readiness to learn motivate active and productive learning process.
• Stimulus-response associations and discrimination abilities


  These are prerequisites to chained behaviors. However, connection or association cannot be established by mere repetition of a response.
• Cognitive Constructs


  The cognitive constructs of perceptual imagery and recognition of features, such as form, spatial arrangement, texture, and so on are prerequisites to concept formation.
• Multiple discrimination and generalization responses

  Students observe and analyze events and its relevance to current practice, retains those that are useful and eliminates those that are not. These can be done through active sensory, cognitive and emotional participation and direct physical involvement in learning process.
• Previous Knowledge


  Prerequisites to principles of learning and perception are concept acquisition, and recall of previous knowledge learned, while Prerequisites to problem-solving behaviors are perception, association, discrimination, concept formation, generalization, recall and selection responses.
• Critical thinking skills


  Some cognitive, affective, and psychomotor behaviors can be acquired, strengthened or weakened by observing and imitating the actions of others. The use of critical thinking skills is a prerequisite to acquiring these cognitive psychomotor skill. This include the process of perceptual awareness, reception, memory, recall, discrimination, association, generalization, chaining, and decision-making responses. Psychomotor behaviors include affection and cognition, while Cognitive knowledge, include comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis responses which precede evaluation responses.
• Flexibility and adaptation


  Flexibility is the ability of students to change and allow for more ways to expand the learning process. Adaptation to change to suit oneself into different events and situations in order to speed up the learning process. Developing general patterns of personal, social, and emotional adjustment include affecting, receiving, responding, valuing, and organization responses.
• Feedback


  Feedback about performance, which includes why and of how topics learned improves learning. If feedback is given too late, it will have little value. Crucial conditions for behavioral change include being assertive, sharing, active, overt, short periods of practice and periods of rest, positive reinforcement, and corrective feedback.
• Balanced growth and development patterns


  Learning can be enhanced by matching learning activities with the learner's level of development, cognition, abilities, styles, strengths, modalities, and preferences (Emerson: 2007).
• The Five (5) Processes of Learning

  1. Learning is a treasure within. 2. Learning to know. 3. Learning to do. 4. Learning to live together in peace and harmony. 5. Learning to be.
• A combination of all these principles of learning facilitates the students understanding and internalizing the learning process.
• Characteristics of Learning


  1. Unitary and holistic. 2. Individual and social. 3. Self-active and self-initiating. 4. Purposive and goal-oriented. 5. Selective and creative. 6. Influential and is transferable.
• Learning is Individual and Social
• Learning is individual


  Every behavior has to do with her own learning. Each student must learn using her own style of learning.
• Learning is social


  It takes place in a group as some type of response to the social environment of the individual.
• Differences among individuals


  • Heredity and genetic factors
  • Family upbringing and religious orientation
  • Educational opportunity
  • Health
  • Nourishment
  • Work experience
  • Environmental factors
• Meaningful learning can proceed only by means of the learner's own purposes, aptitudes, abilities and activities
• Good teaching must consider individual differences among learners and provide them a variety of learning experiences
• Self-activity


  An individual can learn only through her own reactions to situations based on her capabilities to understand and internalize such situations
• Learning is a personal process

  A student draws inferences from factual data through his senses. Every individual must develop her own habits of learning because a teacher cannot fully hand over her learning habits and her knowledge or skills to her students.
• Role of a teacher

  To guide and direct the students' self-activity so that learning can be efficient and effective
• Self-activity


  • Must be psychologically sound
  • Expected learning outcomes are paramount rather than mere expenditure of energy
  • A student may spend so much time and energy on the activities of learning and still does not learn much
  • The choice of learning activities must be consistent with the goals and objectives of these activities
• Learning is Purposive and Goal-oriented


  Goals and objectives should be set for every learning situation. Goals are determined directly by motives and indirectly by incentives.
• Types of goals


  • Short-term goals
  • Long-term or ultimate goal
• Factors influencing goal selection

  • Religion or the learner's spiritual orientation
  • Philosophy, beliefs, and practices in life
  • Culture and values
  • Environmental conditions
• Learning is Selective and Creative


  The decision of what is to be learned is made by the learner in terms of how important it is in her eyes and to others. Learning is a process of personal choice-making by deciding for oneself what she is to believe and what she is to do with his or her life.
• Learning is not merely duplication of an act performed by someone else nor merely summing up of previous knowledge and experiences, but a creative synthesis of all the knowledge and experience aspired by the learner.
• Learning is Influential and Transferable

  Transfer affects the extent of all learning activities, meaning that whatever is learned in one context or situation applies or affects another context or situation making learning broader and expansive.