Relationship between code and concept

Peer group based self-learning concept - Part 4:

P I Keerthisinghe Additional Director, College of Technology, Galle

The learner is the most important factor in the learning and teaching process. The learner has to go from the unknown to the known, simple to complex and concrete to abstract at their own pace which is not possible in educational institutions where formal education is given. Only the fast and clever ones are hailed by the teaching profession and the slow learners are, most of the time, rejected and scorned at, as a result the triangle of teacher, learner and the subject matter are in constant imbalance.

Learners vary greatly in there intellectual capacity and the ability for concept formation and no learner can keep to the same pace as that of the other peers.

In the learning process it is important to questions what they learn by expressing their ideas clearly and openly. Very seldom do the teachers appreciate learners of this type.

Learners expect kind consideration, honest guidance and respectful acceptance in the classroom but really can learners receive this from their teachers in classroom situation due to the psychological barrier between teachers and students.

The loss of close teacher learner relationship found in face to face or direct teaching can be compensated by organized and guided peer group studies to some extent.

The collective responsibility in education can help the learners to find the learning environment more interesting and relaxed.

The learners can also reduce their dependence on parents and elders etc for homework or over dependence on teachers for examination preparation. More knowledgeable peers and their own effort will help them to become more productive as workers in the future. And there will be better performance in forming social relationships due to their participation in group work.

The ability to co-operate with others can be enhanced through sharing of knowledge with others. They learn to compete with the others in a healthy manner. This system can help them to be more peaceful and connected with the others and can make them forget racial, cultural and religious barriers which have made men destroy other fellow beings.

When the learners fail to understand facts they are more afraid or shy to seek help or clarification from teachers. Sometimes some learners may feel threatened when a difficult question is hurled at them by their teachers.

They are afraid when they are questioned by teachers in front of the entire class. Instead they can form groups with better or more intelligent peers and find answers to difficult questions or they can get together and ask questions as a group to avoid embarrassment they feel as individuals.

Asking and answering questions is a vital part of learning process which can be made more interesting and stress free by group learning.

In the learning process, it is important to explore, observe, examine and organize information.

It is difficult to organize information in a tensed classroom situation where such activities can be given a very short time. Longer time is available to collect facts, study the surroundings, interact with the socio-cultural environment, plan and organize learning activities in peer groups based learning. It can also help in finding examples, drawing conclusions and conducting experiments. This method of learning can also enhance the use of reading material by getting together.

In the learning process, a learner can organize his learning environment according to his psycho-physical field. The knowledge giver must be a positive valiancy in the field.

Then only, the learner can fulfill the teachers goal and aims. If it is negative, he will dislike the teacher, miss most of what the teacher says and what is taught and thereby fail to achieve a particular target set by the curriculum because the goal of the study programme will not be achieved. The teachers cannot force knowledge on the learners when they are less motivated and most of the knowledge given will lie in waste.

Forming insights is an important part of the learning process.

There is less scope for sudden insights in a tensed classroom situation.

With peer groups, there is more scope in solving problems which come up in the learning process there is more probability for such deep insights to occur because there is more opportunity for observation of external stimuli in a classroom it is more passive listening which reduces the ability to observe details in forming insights.

Another important aspect of the learning process is concept formation expressed in acceptable language.

Most learners find it hard to comprehend clearly what they learn after they see or hear their lesson material due to lack of proper perception. Some find it hard to present what they comprehend in appropriate vocabulary.

They lack the ability to communicate their ideas effectively. Both these contributes to failures in education.

They do not have the cognitive picture of those concepts and thus cannot define or describe these phenomena.

They can only label the concrete objects they come across but nothing beyond that. The learners are compelled to cram these concepts and thereby study how to codify them in others’ language.

With peer group discussions there is more scope to establish in a learner's mind the relationship between code and concept.