What Roles Do Environment in Learning
Introduction
Different explanations about learning have been put down in the current learning environment. Biological makeup is among the explanations which describe how individuals do learn. Individual who believe on biological aspect have little influence on how learning takes place. There is another group which suggests that learning takes place only in the process whereby an individual gets experience on a certain subject learned. In respect to the theory of experience, it clearly explains how experience plays a major role. Children are believed to learn through the process of seeing what other people does and with that, they imitate. When an individual takes a new thought learning is believed to have taken place. Psychologists have played a major role in determining the complexity present in individuals. Different theories have been put in place to explain how learning in human beings takes place. Environment is among the different aspects that contribute on how human beings learn. This essay will concentrate on how environment plays a role on how learning takes place in human beings.
Discussion
Learning takes different directions among cultures. What may seem right in one culture, it’s a taboo on the other culture? In most African societies, learning has taken a formal approach whereby there should be a mentor who controls what need to be learnt. In most communities and cultures for that case, children have no say on what is required for learning. Certain discipline actions has been put in place so as to enhance the process of learning. For developed countries, learning has taken a different shape simply because even children do put their views across the process of learning, (Chizuko, 2008).
Among the aspects present in the process of learning, environment is one of the major ones. Environment plays a major role on the knowledge that is inflicted on our minds compared to other aspects of learning. In a learning situation, environment relates to all surroundings either internal or external. The environment may affect the learning process and some of the external factors include tutors, arrangements of the subjects and even the classmates. Looking at the organization set up, learning is perceived to take place when the organization and workers do enter into participation. Strategic plans and company’s mission are among the major environment aspects which contribute to the organization learning process, (Piaget, 1950).
Jean Piaget is among the supporters learning process who have developed the “theory of cognitive development”. According to this theory, there exist certain stages under which children undergo in the process of learning. There are four main stages under which the development of a child learning takes place. The first stage of learning is the sensorimotor which starts from 0-2 years. During this learning stage, the greatest idea is the mastery of objects in particular. We have the pre-operational stage (2-7 years) whereby the child tries to master some of the signs and symbols which come across his or her life. In concrete operation stage which is 7-11 years, the child does relate some of ideas in the process of learning. The final stage of development is after 11 years which is known as the formal operation where the individual deals with complex ideas and how they affect their life, (Chizuko, 2008).
According to the theory of cognitive development the environment plays a major role simply because in the process of mastering what the child goes through the child is exposed to different things. Piaget arguments revolves that environment in the child development is just like a catalyst due to the numerous aspects present to the child life. With organization learning, technology is perceived to be an environmental aspect which helps individuals in the process of learning new things. Technology has enabled most of organization to effect their operations with the help of automating most of their operations thus environmental playing a major role. Certain developments have been made possible due to the technological learning process, (Piaget, 1950).
The nature of a given environment greatly contributes to the learning process. Given a culture that puts more emphasis on education or knowledge, individuals greatly have simply time in their learning process simply because their environmental set up allows them get knowledge. Unlike the undeveloped countries, children who are brought up in a developed environment will have a high chance of getting enough current information compared to a child in undeveloped country. Resources present in a developed country are many which mean that the child has an environment conducive for learning. One environment might have basics of learning process which mean that the child in that environment will tend to take longer time to learn simple things which could have been learnt with a short period given conducive environment. Language being one of the environmental aspects of learning process contributes largely on how learning takes place. Individuals who come from places where their languages have not developed take time before they learn new concepts, (Jonassen, et al., 2008).
There some environments that instead of providing a positive learning process, they provide a negative learning process. According to Wood, the greatest distraction that a child or individual have during the learning process is the family life present during the learning process. Bring up a child in an environment that has negative aspects provides risks of instilling the same behaviors or manners to the child. According the research done on the effects of negative environment in learning process, result revealed that a child stands at a risk of performing poor in the class. Children brought up in a normal situation where there are no abuses do perform well. The work of the family which is among the environment aspects of learning should bring encouragement to children and preparing them to face some of the difficulties which are present in the process of learning, (Jonassen, et al., 2008).
Experience on other hand plays a major role on how individuals behave and take their learning process. According to Piaget, physical environment do also in one way affect the learning process. Being brought up in an environment that is full of disasters such as war and flood, an individual will have little or no time to undertake the learning programs thus the learning in him will be affected, (Chizuko, 2008).
Conclusion
The aspect on which the classroom is set up greatly affects the learning process. Different cultures provide individuals with different learning process whereby individuals are subjected to challenges. The way a child is brought up may affect the learning process simply because some environments lack basics of learning and others have. Family should be the key aspires of learning process whereby they are expected to provide directions on what is required to be done.
Reference:
Chizuko, I. (2008). Cognitive Psychology Applied. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, New Jersey Hove London.
Jonassen D.H., Lowyck, T. & Duffy, J. (2008): Designing environments for constructive learning Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, pp. 231-247
Piaget, J. (1950): The Psychology of Intelligence, New York: Routledge, p 35-46
Pop magazine. Jon Stewart: America’s most trusted news anchor? (2009). Retrieved, from http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/07/jon-stewart-most- , on May 1, 2011
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