TARLAC STATE UNIVERSITY

College Of Teacher Education

Graduate Studies
Tarlac City, Tarlac

INSIGHTFUL LEARNING THEORY

AND EDUCATION
(EDUC 501: FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION)

Submitted by:

May Marie C. Pasion

MAEd Physical Science

I. INTRODUCTION

When an individual faces a problem, he thinks and looks over the situation and
tries to find out solutions. He tries to get some clues in the ways he should proceed to
solve the problem. Then suddenly, he arrives at a solution. A solution to a problem is an
example of insight that results from integration of all the mental processes. As to when a
learner solves simple math equation inside the classroom up to solving dilemma outside
the school.

Educational perspectives use concepts and theories to assist learners in

examining, understanding, and explaining education within different contexts thus
making them apply everything they learned in real life situation like simply solving life
problems. This written report aims to discuss one of the theories of learning, insightful
learning theory and its implication to education.

II. LEARNING OBEJECTIVES

A. Describe the characteristics of insightful learning theory.

B. Explain stages and factors of insightful learning.

C. Understand the implications of insightful learning theory in education.

III. ACTIVITY LEARNING

A. Solve the following Rebuz puzzle. Write your answer on the space provided.

Sample: you just me- Just between you and me

1. sta4nce- __________________

2. CC C CC- __________________

3. SYMPHON- __________________

4. Little Little Late Late- __________________

 B. 9 DOTS CHALLENGE. Connect the 9 dots with straight lines without lifting the
pencil off the paper.

IV. CONTENT

A. CHARACTERISTICS OF INSIGHFULFUL LEARNING THEORY

Insightful learning theory is also known as Gestalt Theory of Learning which

means that learning is concerned with the whole individual and arises from the
interaction of an individual with his situations. Through this interaction arise new forms
of perception, imagination and ideas which altogether constitute insight in an organized
and unified pattern. According to gestalt point of view, the situation should be learned as
a whole rather than separated into component parts and learned piece by piece. A
desktop computer is more than a CPU and monitor. A book is more than a collection of
a few printed pages. Similarly a learning situation is more than the elements of which it
is composed. This theory can be summed up in the statement: “The whole is greater
than the sum of its parts.”
 The proponent of Insightful Learning Theory is Wolfgang Köhler. Wolfgang
Köhler was born in 1887 in Reval, Estonia, and grew up in Wolfenbüttel, Germany.
Köhler studied Philosophy, Science, and Psychology at the Universities of Tübingen,
Bonn, and Berlin. One of his teachers in Science was Max Planck. He studied
Psychology with Carl Stumpf and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin in
psycho-acoustics in 1909. Then he moved to Frankfurt am Main, where he
collaborated with Max Wertheimer and Kurt Koffka from 1910 to 1913, working on the
foundations of Gestalt theory. (Seel, 2012)

Kohler conducted many experiments on chimpanzees and brought out a book

entitled ‘Mentality of Apes’ in 1925. Among all his experiments, his experiments with
Sultan, a chimpanzee, were the most noteworthy.These experiments, show learning by
insight. 

Kohler divided his experiment into four steps.

1. Sultan was placed in a cage. A stick was placed in the cage and a banana just
outside the cage, but outside Sultan’s direct reach. Sultan made many attempts to
obtain the banana but it failed. It sat down in despair. But, after sometime it suddenly
got up, lifted the stick and used it to draw the banana towards itself.
2. In the second stage, Kohler placed inside the cage two sticks which could be joined
to each other. This time the banana was so placed that it could not be drown by the
chimpanzee towards itself with a single stick. After numerous attempts, Sultan joined
the two sticks together and succeeded in obtaining the banana.
3. In the third step, Kohler hung the banana from the roof of the cage of such a height
as to ensure that Sultan could not reach it even by jumping upwards. A box was also
placed inside the cage. After many attempts, Sultan climbed up on the box and obtained
the bananas.
4. In the final step, Kohler placed two boxes at one place in the cage the banana was
placed at an even high level. At first, Sultan kept on trying to reach the banana by
standing up on one box, but after numerous failures, it placed one box upon the other
and claiming quit obtained the banana.

photo courtesy of psychologyfacts.com

With such experiments, Kohler concluded that in the solution of problems, his
apes did not resort to blind trial and error mechanism.  They solved their problems
intelligently.  Kohler used the term ‘Insight’ to describe the learning of his apes.
 While learning, the learner always perceives the situation as a whole and after
seeing and evaluating the different relationships takes the proper decision intelligently.
The learner tries to see and judge the relationship between various factors involved in
the situation. As a result, the learner is helped in the sudden grasping of the solution of
the problem. Therefore, learning according to them is re-structuring the field of
perception through insight.  Insight can also be described as the sudden flash in the
mind about the solution of the problem. Insight is sometimes called an epiphany, an
"aha" moment or a "eureka' feeling when a solution to a problem presents itself
suddenly.

Insight learning is a form of learning because, like other forms, it involves a

change in behavior. However, it differs from other forms because the process is not
observable. It can be hard to define because it is not behavioral, a characteristic that
distinguishes it from most theories of learning throughout the history of psychology.

B. STAGES AND FACTORS OF INSIGHTFUL LEARNING THEORY

In addition, the following are the stages of learning by insight. (Gurugubilly, 2019)

Step 1: Preparation- The individual gathers information about the problem. Initially
the learner feels helpless (I’m never going to figure this out).

Step 2: Incubation- The problem is consciously put aside but worked on at an

unconscious level.

Step 3: Insight- Some mental event bridges the gap between the problem and the
solution. Unconsciously the learner has reassembled the elements of the problem into a
meaningful whole. This is the stage of “Aha!” moment.

Step 4: Verification- Solution arrived at mentally is now tested out physically. This
will now help with future problem solving in a sense the learner is learning how to learn.
 For example:

STAGE
SITUATION
PREPARATION INCUBATION INSIGHT VERIFICATION
1. KOHLER’S Sultan tries to Sultan sits at Sultan realizes Sultan joined
EXPERIMENT reach with his the back of the he is holding the two sticks
ON SULTAN arms and tries cage and both stick and together and
(Second stage) to reach with seems to have can join them succeeded in
one stick, all given up. together. obtaining the
attempts fail. banana.

2. Jerome is Jerome spent He “cracks” it A half way He bolts home

enrolled in an an hour trying a and decides to through his and tests his
online class variety of go for a walk. walk, he theory and sure
and he can’t unsuccessful suddenly enough it
figure out how strategies. realizes that he works.
to load free needs to put
educational the video in
videos from iTunes first.
youtube on to
her iphone.
3. (Based on Wendel spent He got Before the At home, he
my experience almost a half frustrated to the school time tried his own
as a teacher) hour thinking point that he ends, he solution and
what to do and shared his suddenly finally solved
Wendel, a
tried so many problem to me reached me out his simple
table tennis
ways to bring as his coach. and shared his problem.
player, got a
back the ball own solution to
problem on his
into its original the problem.
equipment
shape. He realizes that
when the
he needs to
 increase the
pingpong ball
temperature of
he is using got
the gas inside
dented
the pingpong
ball through
boiling it up into
water for its
volume to goes
up and make
the ball bring
back to its
original shape.
He
remembered
our lesson
about Charle’s
law.

(Gandhi, 2010) As a whole, insight depends upon the following factors.

 Experience- For example, a problem of modern mathematics can be solved

provided that a learner is well acquainted with its symbolic language.
 Intelligence- The higher the intelligence quotient of an individual the greater is his
insight.
 Learning Situation- Insight occurs when the learning situation is organized and
accessible to the learner.
 Initial Efforts- Insightful learning has to pass through the trial & error. This stage
is quick in a bit up until the learner open up ways to put initial effort.
 Repetition and Generalization- Gained solution of a problem is applied in another
situation requiring similar type of solution.
C. IMPLICATIONS OF INSIGHTFUL LEARNING THEORY IN EDUCATION

The following are the notable implications of insightful learning theory in education.
(Maheshwari, 2015)

 Problem Solving Approach: This theory emphasis that as the learner is able to
solve problems by his insight, meaningful learning, learning by understanding,
reasoning, etc. must be encouraged in the school. Insight helps in solving
problems through one’s own efforts. This approach trains the child to solve his
problems in life. Therefore, the teacher should make use of problem solving
approach for better learning. He should prepare children emotionally and
intellectually to solve the problem. Instead of telling him, how to do a work or
solve a problem, he should be placed in the position of an independent inquirer
and discoverer.
 From Whole to Part: The teacher should present the subject matter as a whole to
facilitate insight learning. The teacher should present the things in the class as a
whole atleast to start with. Examples are (i) The whole sentence should be
presented first and then analyze into words or letters. (ii) While teaching Biology,
the model of the whole body should be presented before the children and then
the various parts and organs of the body should be emphasized. (iii) While
teaching geography, we should part from the globe and then come down to
country, state, district and city.
 Integrated Approach: While planning curriculum, gestalt principles should be
given due consideration. A particular subject should not be treated as the mere
collection of isolated facts. It should be closely integrated into a whole. Simply,
there should be correlation between various subjects.
 Importance of Motivation: the teacher should arouse the child’s curiosity, interest
and motivation. He should gain full attention of the whole class before teaching.
In Kohler’s experiment enough of the motivation was created by keeping the
monkey hungry. He was impelled to acquire the food, and this made him to put
his heart and soul in the solution of the problem. The teacher should, therefore
arouse motivation.
 Goal Orientation: As learning is a purposeful and goal oriented task, the learner
has to be well acquainted with these objectives.  He should be fully familiar with
the goals and purposes of every task.
 Emphasis on Understanding: It has made learning an intelligent task requiring
mental abilities than a stimulus – response association. So the learner must be
given opportunities for using his mental abilities. It puts emphasis on insight and
understanding rather than rote learning. So spoon feeding and cramming should
be discouraged. If insight is to be achieved, school-tasks must not be too difficult
to perform. They must be appropriate to the understanding of the child on the
part of the student and there are more failures in examination, when the work is
too difficult for the pupils to achieve insight, or when explanations by the teacher
or by the text books are no sufficiently clear. The theory of insight learning lays
especial emphasis upon understanding to achieve success.
 Checking of Previous Experiences: As insight depends upon the previous
experiences of the learner, the teacher must check the previous experiences of
the child and relate them with the new learning situation.
 Child as a whole: Parents and teachers should see the child as a whole and in
total setting. It is not wise to conclude on the basis of single act about the child’s
behaviour.
 Persistent efforts: It needs a lot of patience on the part of the teacher. Insight
does not develop in the learner immediately. It needs persistent efforts. If the
teacher believes in the theory of insight learning he seeks, to overcome
impatience as the moment of insight is unpredictable and sudden. He must give
his students a chance to fumble and search for the solution.

Insightful learning might have criticisms like small children and dull children learn
more through trial and error than through insight which they lack and every kind of
learning for example; reading, writing, speaking etc., cannot be satisfactorily
explained by the theory itself. Yet learning by insight needs to be encouraged in the
ordinary instructional program of the school. Insightful learning theory might make
educators to be more interested and challenged professionally but what makes them
 most important is their ability to affect how students live their lives, tackle life's
obstacles, and live in the best way possible.

V. EVALUATION

Applying what you have learned about insightful learning theory, create a digital
collage showing the solution to the given problem.

Situation: In the amidst of COVID 19 pandemic, learning and teaching should

never stop. As a teacher, analyzing your students’ situation, how learning will
take place in the most effective way regardless of our situation today?

RUBRIC FOR DIGITAL COLLAGE

LEVEL 1- 1 point LEVEL 2- 2 points LEVEL 3- 3 points LEVEL 4- 4 points

VI. REFERENCES

Arunarun J. (2015) Learning By Insight: Kohler

https://educationposter.blogspot.com/2015/01/learning-by-insight-kohler.html
Gandhi (2010).Factors and educational implications of insight
learninghttp://dgwaymade.blogspot.com/2010/10/factors-and-educational-
implications-of.html

Maheshwari V.K. (2015). Gestalt Theory- The Insight Learning

http://www.vkmaheshwari.com/WP/?p=1841

Shrestha P. (2017), "Insight Learning," in Psychestudy.

https://www.psychestudy.com/behavioral/learning-memory/insight-learning.

Seel N.M. (2012). Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Köhler, Wolfgang (1887–
1967). Springer, Boston, MA. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1487

Gurugubilly S.(2019). Insightful Learning Theory And Educational

Implications.http://srividyagurugubilly.blogspot.com/2019/10/psychology-of-
teaching-and-learning.html

Weibell, C. J. (2011). Principles of learning: 7 principles to guide personalized, student-

centered learning in the technology-enhanced, blended learning environment. 
https://principlesoflearning.wordpress.com/