Psychological principles underpinning learner-centred learning
Learner-centred activities concentrate on the needs of the learner rather than those of the facilitator or trainer. People are different and have individual requirements so designing developmental activities which the learner sees as relevant and useful will greatly improve their motivation and success.
The American Psychological Association (APA) has developed 14 learner-centred psychological principles for informing schools and education and we have used these to review what learners need and how facilitators can support them when designing learner-centred learning events.
1.The nature of the learning process
Learners construct meaning from information, experiences and their own thoughts and beliefs. Successful learners are active and will assume responsibility for their own development.
Facilitator role: To develop intentional processes/exercises that can be used by the learner to construct meaning. For example, learning sets can help learners construct meaning from their day to day experiences.
2. The goal of the learning process
Successful learners are goal-orientated. Sometimes these goals may be vague but over time they will be refined and adjusted to ensure long term success.
Facilitator role: To help learners create meaningful learning goals that meet both their personal and career aspirations.
3. Construction of knowledge
Learners develop and expand their knowledge by building links between new and existing information. Unless new knowledge is integrated into learners' existing knowledge it is difficult for them to transfer it readily to new situations.
Facilitator role: To support learners by helping them to organise and categorise new information into their existing cognitive structures.
4. Strategic thinking
Effective learners think strategically and can reason, problem solve and develop concepts. This enables them to apply their knowledge to novel situations by reflecting on their performance and what does and doesn't work.
Facilitator role: To provide opportunities for critical reasoning, problem-solving, feedback and reflection.
5. Thinking about thinking
Being able to reflect on how they think and learn allows learners to set reasonable goals as well as select the most appropriate methods for learning.
Facilitator role: To help learners identify their preferences for thinking and learning using appropriate tools such as psychometric instruments.
6. Context of learning
Learning is contextual and variables such as group dynamics can significantly impact on learners' success.
Facilitator role: To support learners by ensuring the learning environment is appropriate to their needs and does not impact negatively on their motivation or performance.
7. Motivational and emotional influences on learning
A learner's motivation is influenced by their emotional state, beliefs, interests and habits of thinking. Beliefs about themselves as learners can markedly influence their motivation as well as the quality of their thinking. Negative emotions such as intense anxiety, panic or insecurity will generally interfere with the learning process.
Facilitator role: To provide a nurturing environment where learners can experiment without fear of failure, ridicule or punishment.
8. Intrinsic motivation to learn
Intrinsic motivation is stimulated by tasks of optimal novelty and difficulty, relevant to personal interests. If a learner perceives a task as interesting and personally relevant and meaningful their motivation will improve.
Facilitator role: To provide activities that spark learners natural curiosity by ensuring they are novel, have the appropriate level of difficulty and allow a degree of personal choice and control.
9. Effects of motivation on effort
The acquisition of complex knowledge and skills requires prolonged effort and energy by learners.
Facilitator role: To provide purposeful learning activities that enhances learners' positive emotions by being relevant and interesting. To consider timing/difficulty of activities in accordance with the effort required to achieve them.
10. Developmental influences on learning
People learn best when the material is appropriate to their developmental level and is presented in a way that is enjoyable and interesting.
Facilitator role: To assess developmental levels and design material that is appropriate for the physical, intellectual, emotional and social dimensions.
11. Social influences on learning
Learning is influenced by social interactions and can be enhanced by opportunities to collaborate with others.
Facilitator role: To create a positive learning environment where learners feel safe to share ideas, and actively participate in group discussions/exercises.
12. Individual differences in learning
Learners have preferences for how they like to learn and the pace at which they learn.
Facilitator role: To help learners assess their learning preferences and be sensitive to individual differences by adapting and mixing materials and methods.
13. Learning diversity
Language, ethnicity, race beliefs and socio-economic status can all influence learning.
Facilitator role: To show that individual differences are valued, respected and catered for in the learning activities.
14. Standards and assessments
Successful learners feel challenged to work towards appropriately high goals and ongoing assessment can provide valuable feedback on their progress.
Facilitator role: To provide tools and techniques for performance assessment and self-assessment at relevant intervals throughout the learning process.
Eight things to consider when designing a group learning event