A Foundation of Psychological Principles Relative
to
Cognition, Motivation, Development, and Social
Psychology
APA/MCREL (1993), in it publication Learner-Centered Psychological
Principles: Guidelines for School Redesign and Reform, enunciated
twelve psychological principles that they believe should be applied
to the framework of content, instruction, and assessment. In summary,
the twelve principles are as follows:
- The nature of the learning process. Learning results from
student pursuing personally meaningful goals. It is a process
of discovering and constructing meaning from information and
both personal and vicarious experiences.
- The goals of the learning process. The learner attempts to
construct meaning no matter how concentrated or sparse the information
available.
- The construction of knowledge. The learner links new information
with old in unique and meaningful ways.
- Higher-order thinking. Metacognition -- "thinking about
thinking" -- facilitates creative and critical thinking
processes.
- Motivational influences in learning. How much and how well
a person learns are related to beliefs about salience, interest,
and goals, self-perceptions about competence, ability, and personal
control, emotion, states of mind.
- Intrinsic motivation to learn. Students are inherently interested
in learning -- they show natural interest and enjoy learning,
but intense negative emotions (feeling unsafe and insecure, worrying
about failure, being self-conscious or shy, and fearing punishment,
ridicule, and stigmatization, etc.) reduce or altogether eliminate
this motivation.
- Characteristics of motivation-enhancing learning tasks. Curiosity,
creativity, and higher-order thinking are stimulated by relevant,
authentic learning experiences of optimum difficulty and novelty
for each student.
- Developmental constraints and opportunities. Individuals
progress through stages of physical, intellectual, moral, emotional,
and social development that are a function of age, genes, and
environmental factors.
- Social and cultural diversity. Learning is enhanced by social
interactions and communications with others in an flexible, diverse,
and adaptive instructional setting.
- Social acceptance, self-esteem, and learning. Students learn
best under an atmosphere of acceptance and respect, that characterizes
caring relationships with others who perceive each individual's
worth, unique talents, and potential.
- Individual differences in learning. Learners have different
capabilities independent of ethnicity, social class, religion,
physical ability, and sex. Nonetheless, particular classes of
students might demonstrate preferences for learning that are
functions of gender, environment, and heredity.
- Cognitive filters. Personal beliefs, thoughts, and understandings
resulting from prior learning become the individual's basis for
constructing reality and interpreting life experiences.
APA/MCREL (American Psychological Association and Mid-Continent
Regional Educational Laboratory). 1993. Learner-Centered Psychological
Principles: Guidelines for School Redesign and Reform. Denver:
Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory.
Return to Planning for Effective Teaching