VOL. 1CHAPTER 7

Learning Theorgies and Teaching Methodologies for

O&M

Behavioral Learning Theory

Classical conditioning Involves reflexive actions

Innate: Humans are born with reflexes Most environmental stimuli are neutral therefore do not

automatically elicit a reflexive response BUT Humans may LEARN to respond reflexively in

circumstances other than those biologically designed. Conditioning can be used to change behavior

Classical Conditioniong

What does it mean for the Orientation and Mobility Specialist

Desensitization Fears and phobias can result from

classical conditions. (pairing can result in maladjusted behvaiors.)

Example: bumping and jostling in the hall resulting in stomach tightening may result in anxiety, even when traveling with no one present

Deconditioning Involves: demonstrating that the

situation contains no negative consequences and

Producing in the student contradictory biological impulses

Operant Conditioning

The use of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to change behavior Reinforcement and Punishment

Reinforcer is any consequnce that strengthens or increases frequency of a behavior.

Punisher reduces a specific behavior. SO what is a punisher for one student may be a

reinforcer for another For Example: removing a student from a classroom for

misbehaving

Reinforcers

Can be both positive and negative

Primary reinforcers: Innate pleasurable stimuli; satisfy

built in biological needs Food Water

Secondary reinforcers: Conditioned Stimulus

Praise Grades Rewards

Secondary Reinforces and the O&M

Tricks of the Trade!

The use of secondary reinforces as a means of helping students learn patterns of behavior. Commodities

Toys, clothes, recreational materials Fun or Interesting Activities

Music, park, games Social Reinforcers

Praise, approval Feedback

Useful informtion aobut performance Token Reinforcers

Grades, certificates, actual token to exchange

Gestalt Learning Theory Cognitive Theory

● Humans have an inherant capacity for making sense out of one’s environment Describes world in meaningful

wholes rather than isolated stimuli

Motor learning: Individual goes from learning small parts of a task to performing entire task• Swimming: Person can learn

the breathing, proper strikes and kicking but still sink until the gestalt (new awareness) is reached and components are integrated

• Touch Technique: similarly when all the components come together it results in smooth movement

Humans build schemes of connected facts and concepts The learning is an active pariticpant

in the process of learning Instructors need to connect new

understandings and new facts to the learner’s current network of facts and concepts. Advance organizer: initial statement or

visual abou thte subject to be learned Analogies Insertion of questions to help student

assess their own understanding Asking students to point to a landmark

Cognitive Learning Theory

Social Cognitive Theory

Learners are active in the learning process AND they are conscious processors of information about themselves the their context Learning is an internal process that may or may not

lead to particular behavioral change Behavior is directed toward specific goals Learning gradually become sef-regulated

Social Cognituve Theory

Continued

Self-Efficacy Humans are more likely to engage

in particular behaviors if they believE they will be able to exectue those behaviors successfully

Self-Regulated Learning To become self dircted, self-

regulared learners, students need to reach a point where they establish their own learning goals; monitor and evaluate their own behaviors toward that goal

What does this mean for your students?

Ideally we would like our students to get the level of indepdendence that they are able be actively involved in instruction through self-regulated learning.

Ideally students will:

Goal setting and planning: Articulate what the goals are and

how they plan to make those happen

Attention control, self-motivation, self-monitoring: Stay in the moment Concentrate on details Stay relaxed and use kinesthetic

and emotional feedback Self-instruction

Remind themselves of the appropriate actions

Self-evaluation During and after the learning

activity

Memory and Information Processing

The Memory System Memory and cognitive processing are necessary

components of O&M 3 Components of the Memory System include:

Sensory register Short-term memory Long-term memory

SENSORY REGISTER:External stimuli enters the sensory register where it is Forgotten (Sometimes that is what we want with extraneous sensory input)

OR IMMEDIATELY processed……And goes to

SHORT TERM MEMORY:Storage system with limited amount of information for a LIMITED amount of time (up to 30 seconds!) and is crowded out by new information. The information is OR it must be CODED to move it to:

LONG TERM MEMORY:Coding is easier with a visual….see a problem here? Long term memory is believed to be QUITE LARGE ….YIPEE! Memory is stored in three ways!

Types of Long Term Memory

Episodic Memory Individuals memory of personal experiences

Impression of things seen or heard Stored like a script for a movie: beginning, middle and end Details of a frequent experience (i.e. being in your home) can be easily

recalled A “snippet” of information can cause a total recall (i.e. chorus to a familiar

song)

Procedural Memory Recall how to do something; especially a physical task

Stored as a kind of stimulous response pairing (cane + walking = smooth unconcious action of cane movement)

A sequence of actions that also have a beginning, middle and end

Semantic Memory Information learned in school

NO natural beginning, middle or end Organized into schemes (networks of connected ideas)

Successful Long-term Memory Storage

High SalienceCommon ExperienceVivid Sensory ImageryMultiple potential paths for making

connections

Guided Learning Discovery Learning

Especially important for novice learners

Actively engages learner Variation in extent to which

instructor provides demonstrations and structure Set up the task so the learner is motivated Engage the learner to find out how well he or

she has followed the lesson

Efficient when student needs to show the same behavior repeatedly, Material is presented largely in “final form” (i.e. cane skills)

Good in predictable environments Careful structure to the learning task

along with coaching and feedback

Self-directed discovery of key concepts

Increasing value once basic O&M skills have een consolidated

Allows students to engage in the learning task at their preferred style of learning

Requires instructors to provide sufficent information regarding goals of the problem solving task and directions

The instructor must continue to provide an appropriate level of guidance for a productive discoery exercise.

Guided Learning vs. Discovery Learning

GOOD COACHING

GUIDED Practice DISCOVERY Learning

• GOOD COACHING

• GOOD O&M INSTRUCTION