Online Education Blog

We are interested in maximum learning by the child. This can be achieved. Here are the various factors which influence the learning of the child.

A. Physiological Factors :

The following factors are included in this aspect.

• Physical Health : Maximum learning by the child is only possible when he has a sound mind. A sound mind is always associated with a sound health. Hence, health child can learn much more than an ill child.
• A Balanced Diet : The child should take a balanced diet and avoid bad habits like smoking and drinking. These affect the neuro-muscular system and indirectly influence the learning activities of the child.
• Age : The learning capacity of the individual varies with age. The child can easily learn some subjects at an early age. They have a will and capacity to learn.
• Time of Learning : Our mental capacity to learn differs during the difference hours of the day. Morning hours are the best for children to learn.
• The Weather : Extremes of weather both heat and cold and a humid climate affect mental efficiency. Absence of proper atmospheric conditions like fresh air, proper light, noise, physical discomforts, hamper the learning capacity of the child. They obstruct his power of concentration and therefore his efficiency of learning.
• Fatigue : A child, when fresh is full of energy and can learn much more than a child who has fatigue of any type. This fatigue leads to boredom and indolence which affect learning. The fatigue may be due to various conditions either at home or in the school. Its presence reduces the learning capacity of the child.
• Sense Perception : Our senses are our gateways of knowledge which is acquired through learning. A child who has strong sense perceptions comes to have a better judgment about objects, persons and situations in which he is placed. He has a better capacity of learning in comparison with a child who has weak sense of perception.

B. Psychological Factors :
Psychological factors play a vital role in the learning of the child. The following suggestions may be kept in view by the teacher to achieve his target:

• A Sound Mental Health : The child should have a mental balance and should be free from all mental conflicts. The outstanding complex from which the children may suffer is inferiority complex.
• Proper Motivation : Children should be properly motivated to learn. The teacher should try to create an urge in the child to learn through motivation. This urge will energize the behavior of the child and he will put in best in learning and achieve the goal. The teacher also should proceed from simple to complex and make the subject of learning as enjoyable as possible.
• Praise, Blame and Punishment : Whenever the child achieves success in learning he should be praised. Hi sense of achievement will motivate him for a higher success. He maybe suitably rewarded if he deserves it.

If the child shows any indifference in learning due to the difficulty of the subject matter try to meet it. He may be    encouraged to master easier portions first and difficult parts later on. We should not blame the child unnecessarily specially grown-up children. They take things to their heart.

Punishment is the last resort and should be sparingly used. However, the fear of punishment should always remain in the mind of the child.

C. Environmental Factors:

• Proper Learning Conditions : Provide a healthy atmosphere in the classroom. Bad learning conditions like noise, poor lighting and ventilation do not lead to proper learning by the child.
• Organizational Set-up :

1. The time-table should well-framed and based on psychological principles. Dr. Mathur, S. S., is of the view that in proper learning there should be a proper schedule of work and play. This child should know when he is expected to devote his attention to learning.
2. Children should be given freedom to learn as they like. There is no fixed and rigid rule to be followed.
3. There should be a proper ration between pupils and one teacher.
4. The entire class may be divided into three or four groups. There may be group competitions in learning. Dr. Mathur is of the view that competition often produces good results as far as learning is concerned in spite of its limitations.
5. A well organized Educational Guidance Service would enable children certain limitations which they might not be able to find themselves.

D. Methods of Instruction:

• Proper Presentation of Teaching Materials :  The teacher should properly present the learning materials in the class. It may be divided into units or sub-units. They should be properly graded according to the age and ability of the pupils.
• Emphasis on Learning by Doing : The different units of learning materials should provide for some activity. The child learns unconsciously when he is busy in some activity.
• Discourage Postponement of Learning : Children should not be allowed to postpone their learning activities. Dr. Mathus is of the view that after psychological investigation, it has been found that students who postponed their learning for a future date did not enjoy the satisfaction of ‘work well done’.  They were also found to be inefficient in their learning.
• Understanding the Basics of Learning : If the child understands the meaning of the material to be learnt it leads to better retention of the subject matter. The child may not remember the actual words but a brief summary of the matter learnt is equally meaningful.
• Concentration of Attention : Ask the child to concentrate for enough time and devote himself to learning. Study for short durations or few minutes is not correct. It has been correctly said ‘ill got, ill spent‘.
• Continued Practice Helps Learning : The child should learn the subject matter again and again. This will yield maximum results. This is established from the field of type writing. Learning on the whole requires constant practice.
• Forgetting Wrong Learning : If the child has wrongly learnt some thing he should try to forget or not repeat it again or he may practice a new and better activity in place of the wrong activity.
• Special Methods for Special Subjects : The teacher should teach poetry by the whole and the parts methods and mathematics by giving concrete examples - Numbers and numerical tables by the recitation method.

E. Evaluation:

1. Children should be timely and properly evaluated. This will enable them to correctly estimate the learning acquired by them
2. The teacher should constantly inform children the results of their achievements. This will encourage children to progress further in their learning.

So, these above mentioned factors are very important to all who are involved in teaching-learning including the guardians, teachers and pupils.