Name: Unica Marietta D.
Gonzales Course: MAED- ELE
Principles of Language Learning and Teaching
Professor: Dr. Dinia Delfina S. Reyes
As an educator, the students’ learning is one of our main goals in teaching. We
are eager and determined to teach anything which is necessary for them to know as
they continue to grow. It is said that learning is an experiential process which is true
enough when it comes to the students. Students learn more as they experience doing
it. Progressive education as described by Dewey should include socially engaging
learning experiences that are developmentally appropriate for young children
(Dewey, 1938).
But there are circumstances or factors that affect the student’s learning.
And it is stated in Edward Lee Thorndike’s Laws of Learning. These laws are
universally accepted and apply to all kinds of learning: the law of readiness, the law
of exercise, and the law of effect. The first law is the Law of Readiness. It is a
satisfying state of affairs results when an individual is ready to learn and is allowed
to do so. Being forced to learn when not ready, or being prevented from learning
when ready to learn, results is an annoying state of affairs. (Thorndike, 1930). An
individual learns best when he or she is mentally, physically and emotionally ready.
And it will be very difficult for a person to learn if he’s not capable and interested
to learn.
The second one is the Law of Exercise. It is stated there that
other things being equal, the oftener or more emphatically a given response is
connected with a certain situation, the more likely it is to be made to that situation
in the future. This law may be more briefly stated as: - ‘Other things being equal,
exercise strengthens the bond between situation and response’. (Thorndike, 1912).
The things that are mostly repeated are best remembered. If you apply a particular
learning most often, practice and repeat it, it has the highest possibility that the
students retain information longer. Correct practice makes perfect and the more
meaningful practice and positive feedbacks you have, the greater improvement will
follow. Under this law is the Law of use and disuse. The Law of Use tells that learning
is strengthened with repeated trial and the Law of disuse tells the opposite, the
learning is weakened when repeated trial or practice is discontinued.
The third is the Law of Effect which has a direct relation to motivation.
The Law of Effect is that, other things being equal,*the greater the satisfyingness
of the state of affairs which accompanies or follows a given response to a certain
situation, the more likely that response is to be made to that situation in the futur
e. Conversely, the greater the discomfort or annoyingness of the state of affairs w
hich comes with or after a response to a situation, the more likely that response is
not to be made to that situation in the future. (Thorndike, 1912). In relation with
this is the giving of the rewards or punishments.
These laws are very applicable and evident when it comes in the classroom
setting nowadays. The Law of Readiness can easily be seen especially in the pre-
elementary students. Some of them are not yet ready to learn or to study. They’re
still thinking of playing for the whole day and their span of interest is very short.
The Law of Exercise is also applicable even on elementary students. For example, the
memorization of the multiplication table. It will be easy for them to solve Math
equations if they are familiar with the operations. But if they don’t practice
memorizing it, they tend to forget it and will find it difficult to solve the equations.
Same with the practice on speaking the English language. A person who doesn’t
practice speaking it has the low tendency to be fluent in this language. And lastly,
the Law of Effect. The students are very motivated if the teacher has a reward for
those who can be able to answer in the recitation, for those who are highest in the
quiz or exam and even for those who always show kindness inside the classroom. But,
for those who always receive punishment, it is most likely that they will lose their
motivation and don’t want to learn anymore.
It is very important for the teachers to be familiar with these laws. It will be
very helpful for us to think of a better way or strategy to impose learnings to our
students despite of the circumstances or factors that may hindrance us to teach
them.
