Principles of learning
Teaching principles (also: didactic principles ) are general guidelines for the design of education and teaching.
A variety of different, sometimes opposing explanations and opinions on the main principles has varied ranges and scopes. Critics warn of terminological blurring and ideological overload; from a scientific point of view, they are sometimes criticized for being too practical and have been suspected to strong regulation and normalization of teaching.
Teaching principles are therefore often based on purely formal selection, structuring and design of learning content. Not regarded as rules, but as guidelines for pedagogical- didactic decisions, they outline a desirable orientation. Their validity is general and applies to all areas of education and school subjects, each age group and type of school.
Sometimes they have a certain polemical character, they are used as a hint for defects, such as the principle of activation as a critique of " verkopften " ( too much dominated by the intellect ) lessons.
Fundamental principles by Comenius
1657 Comenius formulated first principles for the didactic dealing with adolescents.
- Activity should be learned by own doing
- Learning with deed and example is better than learning with provision
- Consolidate the material learned in another exercise
- Dwelling on the subject until it is completely understood
- Teachings through sensual and natural illustration.
Currently valid teaching principles
Principle of motivation
Motivation in the classroom means the awakening and the consideration of learning and performance needs of the students. Motivation is a " summary construct" all the behavior -influencing factors, which are usually manifest as needs. Distinction can be drawn here between the needs of the desire ( appetitive ) and the avoidance ( aversion).
Principle of illustration
Illustration is, the subject matter as to present that students can recognize him fully and accurately with the help of their sense organs and according to their perception. A view is available if the Detected can be in its details without contradiction associated with the previous experience is coherent and as a whole. Especially young children are dependent on illustration as it boosts learning effectiveness and memory liability.
In the reform pedagogy illustration was requested by many pages. Rousseau spoke of "the experience in the things " while Pestalozzi " view as an educational force " demanded.
Principle of activation
Activation is, to encourage the students and to give him the opportunity to gain learning experience in making dealing with things. By the principle of activation is attempted, the student's self-activity (in your own occasion towards a goal with freely chosen means and social nature ) to effect. Often, this requires that the teacher or educator obvious failures not ended prematurely, but the student is given the opportunity to learn from his own actions.
The focus of the pedagogical and didactic efforts activation was, for example, in John Dewey ( "learning by doing " ) and Georg Kerschensteinerschule ( "The origin of all thought is in the practical doing ").
Principle of differentiation
Differentiation means the resolution of the heterogeneous class association in favor of homogeneous groups with respect to the performance or interests of the students. Differentiation is, in extreme cases up to the " fit" or " individualization". It is hoped thereby to be able to pick up the individual students better in its current state of development.
The differentiation has a long academic history. So already schools of ancient Greece offered to different areas where you could join according to their own abilities. In the Middle Ages moved regardless of age, after examination of knowledge in certain departments before. During the Comenius opposed to the formation of annual classes came in, sat down in the progressive education, among others Maria Montessori for individualizing process with the goal of "self- education".
Can be distinguished internal differentiation or the internal differentiation ( within the classroom- differentiation with respect to level of difficulty, type of learning provision, additional offers, ...) and the external differentiation, which inter- school differentiation denoted by type of school or intra- school each school structure.
Principle of confirmation of success
The student must be familiar with the success or failure of his learning behavior mediates order to initiate more learning success. The confirmation of success is an important part of the school's teaching and learning. Almost all learning psychological concepts to show that the probability of occurrence of a behavior decreases if no successful acknowledgment is given.
The confirmation of success has different meanings:
- Traditional pedagogy: praise and blame as a means of education
- Theories of learning: reinforcement of learning behavior
- Cybernetic Pedagogy: feedback for approximation of actual and nominal value
Principle of ensuring success
Appropriate measures of success in learning a lesson is to be retained longer time and the acquired knowledge against oblivion and decay are hedged (also called " principle of consolidation ").
Possible forms of the exercise by mere repetition, application of the learned in practice, or transfer to other areas.
Principle of student orientation
This principle refers to the consideration of the individuality and recognition of personhood (affects form of association, mutual respect for the dignity, open and trusting partnership ) of the student in all areas of teaching.
Sabine Ragaller distinguishes three aspects of child guidance for teachers in elementary schools:
- Essentials of primary school child, to take seriously his being a child
- The individuality ( biography, interests, needs, ...) to recognize each child
- Consider the current situation of children ( Altered childhood, life and interests of today's world children)
Student orientation is closely related to the principle of differentiation. The mutual recognition of the person and the personal dignity is the hallmark of "democratic education ". It calls for the common Discuss the planning, organization of teaching and the conduct of the parties in the context of meta- communication.
Principle of wholeness
Wholeness or holism means a primordial unity from which the importance of the integrated areas derived and which is characterized by an indissoluble operative relationship ( " The whole is always more than the sum of its parts" ) is characterized in contrast to the random juxtaposition or for additive aggregation.
Already Pestalozzi, in its idea of elementary education, the participation of " head, heart and hand ", ie not isolated activity within the cognitive, emotional and practical areas.
Principle of structuring
A structure is an inner connection of an area in which emerge sub-areas, but they are always necessarily related. By means of this relatedness can be the area often according to certain criteria hierarchically organize (eg the learning structure analysis as a method of structuring content or the ( trivial ) principle beginning, middle, end as a method of structuring the end ). In addition to this inner connection to a structure characterized by the fact that the structured nature involves the distinctiveness of a reality of other conditions.
This principle has a resemblance to the teaching principle of wholeness, but here other priorities are set: the principle of structuring is more related to the choice of content and the design methods.
This principle is also known under the name " principle of least steps ".
Teaching skills for teaching principles
In differentiated canon of subjects, there are other special didactic teaching principles: for example, the problem orientation, multiple perspectives, science orientation.
International discussion
In the U.S., the "Nine Events of Instruction " by Robert Gagné among the best known approaches to lesson planning.