Topic One

Nature of Teaching and Learning

Introduction
This topic is a preamble to understanding the key concepts you require to know as you get
introduced to teaching and learning in the classroom environment. It defines the terms teaching,
learning, training and instruction. We hope that you will enjoy this introductory session. The topic
has 4 sections namely the concepts of;
i. Teaching
ii. Learning
iii. Training
iv. Instruction

CONCEPT OF TEACHING
Teaching is a journey undertaken from one point to a destination. A professional teacher should
be well endowed in the subject matter (content). Be a master and not a slave of your content.
President J. F. Kennedy said ‘A child miseducated is a child lost’. Develop your confidence, have
self-esteem and like your subject.
The role of a teacher is to guide learning. The rest of the learning is done by learner.
Education in Kenya is shaped by the quality of teaching. You cannot talk about a teacher without
a learner; consequently teaching without learning. (Give current state of education e.g no teaching
goes on in schools due to strikes which compromises the standards of education – (a cyclic effect).
Teaching can be defined in the following 3 ways:

i) Teaching as a process
 Transforms learners’ behavior through informing, persuading, illustrating,
demonstrating, and guiding.
 Invokes, sustains and inspires intellectual desires in learners and their adjustments to
life situations.
 Process of guiding learners to discover and use knowledge to better their lives.
 Process of orderly organization and presentation of knowledge, skills, attitudes, values
and cultures from one generation to the next.

ii) Teaching as an art

 It calls for inspiration, intuition, imagination, innovativeness.
 Needs improvisation in the style of delivery of instruction to facilitate learning. Calls
for talent and creativity i.e applying different styles of teaching to motivate learners.
Don’t be dormant as a teacher, moody, etc.
 Requires reflective and systematic thinking.
 Operates like a system with many components that interact e.g what to teach, how to
teach, whom to teach, etc.
  Calls for procedures and skills in the teaching process.
 Brings life into the classroom.

iii) Teaching as a science

 Has techniques, procedures and skills to follow.
 Relies on systematic application of concepts to communicate effectively.
Teaching is a dialogue between the teacher and the learner in the sense that when one partner is
vocal, then the other partner is a listener. Teaching is therefore an intricate and challenging job in
that when the teacher is vocal, the learner responds (gives feedback) verbal, non-verbal, or visually
and vsv. This makes teaching a 2-way communication process. In this way the learner develops
intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically.
Teaching is therefore an organized, purposeful and deliberate efforts designed to bring about
certain specifically desirable ends in an individual learner.

Nature and Characteristics of Teaching

 To communicate knowledge - teaching is giving information - many things that a learner
may not find out and many things they can never know unless they are told. Told so that
one acquires new knowledge in a structured manner and common setting.
 Teaching is causing to learn - Knowledge cannot be passed on from one person to another
like money. It will be received only when the learner is prepared to receive it. Thus real
teaching consists of persuasion of the child/learner through one method or the other to learn
himself or to be real in instructional life of teaching. A teacher is an instrument in helping
a child to learn and to do things by himself or herself.
 Teaching is stimulation and encouragement - teaching should fire enthusiasm of the learner
in the development of his natural desires to work and be active. (A teacher describing how
Napoleon was seated on the table, partitioning Africa - inspires learners to develop interest
in the subject, they will not doze off). Psychologists say the best moment of a learner is
going to school. What has made schools now not a pleasant place for learning?
 Teaching is training the emotions of the child - to develop the emotional life of the child
by providing an atmosphere of love, affection and freedom. Warning and embarrassing a
student (torn dress, dirty etc). It demotivates a learner. The Principle of Logo Parentis -
the teacher is a father figure. A teacher who comes to class with canes all the time makes
the learners to live in fear of learning.
 Teaching is formal as well as informal - Formal is deliberately planned and systematically
organized (Planning for instruction). Informal teaching is carried out outside the classroom
by the family members and the community. Both forms of teaching must co-operate, thus
school should supplement the training imparted by the home and community. Values,
mannerisms, respect are learnt at home but extend to school e.g kneeling to greet.
 Teaching as a skilled occupation - every successful teacher is expected to know general
methods of teaching. It is also expected that the teacher knows National Goals of
Education.
 Teaching is guidance - that a teacher guides the learners to learn the right things in the right
manner and time.
 Qualities/Characteristics of an Effective Teacher

 Effective communicator - is fluent in the official language. Note wrong spellings, broken
English. It embarrasses. Use CB effectively.
 Understands his content (subject matter) and explains ideas clearly. Dream your subject
 Have the right attitude to teaching as a profession and to the subject and pupils and
environment.
 Have passion for teaching. We don’t expect a teacher to be so rich - have enough to sustain
yourself.
 Reflective - evaluate himself after teaching.
 Be able to provide right guidance and counseling. Do not appear as if you must be
counseled yourself.
 Prepares and uses professional tools in teaching.
 Creates conducive classroom atmosphere.
 Uses friendly humour when teaching.
 Knows student names and uses pupils good ideas
 Reinforces learners and appreciates their efforts.
 Addresses classroom problems promptly.
 Firm and enhances good class discipline.

CONCEPT OF LEARNING
 The process by which an individual acquires and retains knowledge, skills, values, attitudes
and experiences, not attributed to natural growth and development.
 Learning is inferred from a change in behavior/performance as a result of training,
experience or practice.
 Learning is not directly observed, rather inferred - when we observe change in behavior.
 Learning is relatively permanent.
 One learns and performs the behavior learnt.

Learning takes place in three perspectives/categories (domains):

i) Cognitive domain/learning – development of the mind/brain, recognition of

knowledge. Associated with mastering of subject matter.
ii) Affective/attitudinal domain/learning – concerned with behavior related to
emotions that leads to changes in interests, attitudes, values and development of
appreciation.
iii) Psychomotor domain/learning – manipulative or motor skills associated.
Associated with physical activities of all kinds. Development of skills which
requires co-ordination between the brain and muscles.
Factors affecting learning
- Nature of the learner eg prior knowledge, age, interests etc
- Nature of the content being taught
- Method of instruction
- Environment around which learning takes place
- Learners attitudes towards learning and the significance of learning
CONCEPT OF TRAINING
- A teaching activity which focuses on shaping behavior of an individual in order to perform
certain skills.
- Involves development of mastery of skills.
- Achieved through practice.
- Seen through performance.

Continuous training increases employees’ productivity and enhances motivation and job
satisfaction, reduces problems associated with supervision of employees and increases workers
value.

Types of training
i) Physical training – develops specific skills like training soldiers
ii) Job training – additional training other than initial qualifications
iii) On-job training – using actual tools and equipment at the work place e.g
apprenticeship
iv) Off the job training – training away from work e.g seminars

What relationship exists between teaching, training and learning?

- You can learn by trial and error, by observation, by experience, by own intelligence or
from mistakes without needing to be taught formally whereas teaching is just one of the
ways that can be adopted in order to learn.
- Teaching can speed up learning and make it more relevant
- T/L is actually an ongoing interaction and communication between two players ie the
teacher and the learner. There is response, feedback, mutual learning and growth.
- Training is learning physically like work outs, while teaching are learning verbally like
teachers’ speeches.
- Training requires a shorter time frame while teaching in contrast implies deeper knowledge
and a longer time frame.
- Both T/L require ongoing professional growth.
- Both are partnerships in learning. Learning proceeds training whereby a trainer learns to
train before starting to train. This shows that both depend on each other.
- We listen to learn and we learn to train.
- Teaching, Learning and Training create a nourishing environment to make education
successful
- They are incremental where something new is added on what is already known
- For one to undertake teaching, he has to go through learning and training.

Note: All the three processes require an observer/participant and instructor

INSTRUCTION
Instruction refers to teaching and learning process. It can be by a facilitator or self. This takes place
in an environment which may be either formal or informal. Successful instruction calls for
discipline for both the learner and the teacher. Both have to exercise soft skills such as listening
skills, patience and motivation

TOPIC SUMMARY
In this topic you have learnt about teaching where you covered meaning, characteristics of good
teaching and types of teaching. We also looked at learning as a concept and categories of learning.
You have also learnt about training where we said it focuses on mastering of a specific skill. We
further examined instruction which involves teaching and learning process. In topic 2 we will
discuss systems approach to classroom teaching.

QUIZ
Attempt the following questions to assess your level of mastery of the content you have learnt in
this topic
1. Define the term teaching? (6 marks)
2. List five characteristics of an effective teacher (5 Marks)
3. Describe the various types of learning that take place in the classroom (5 marks)
4. What is the relationship between teaching, learning and training? (8 marks)
5. Describe the domains in which learning takes place (6 Marks)