Conceptualized by: Raymond D.

Garcia, MA Math
Assistant Professor 1 – Apayao State College
Episode 1: The Learning Environment Promotion of Purposive Learning

Worktext in Prof. Ed. 21

Field Study 1
(Learning Episode 1.5)
by:
RAYMOND D. GARCIA, MA Math
Assistant Professor I

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION .

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Conceptualized by: Raymond D. Garcia, MA Math
Assistant Professor 1 – Apayao State College
Episode 1: The Learning Environment Promotion of Purposive Learning
Episode 1.5: Promotion of Purposive Learning
It is the responsibility of every teacher to make sure that the students learn. To do this, the teacher
should know the type of learning to use to help the students.

Objectives:
1. Discover the students’ methods of learning.
2. Determine ways of promoting purposive learning.

Education Theory
Edward Chance Tollman made significant contributions in the field of cognitive psychology.
He conducted various studies on learning and motivation. His revolutionary views differ from other
behaviourists in the sense that he believes that there are internal factors such as cognitive maps and
physiological drives that prompt behaviour (Hergenhahn, 2009).

Unlike other behaviourists, Tollman did not believe in introspection and rejected anything
that cannot be observed. He researched on purposive or goal – directed behaviour in animals and
humans. Although most of his studies involved rats, he was able to find out that humans, like animals
are constantly learning with or without motivation or reinforcement. Tollman and colleagues studied
the behaviour of white rats in a maze. The first group of rats was permitted to move around the maze
without reinforcement. The second group of rats was rewarded once they were able to find their way
through the maze. The third group of rats was only rewarded after the tenth day of experiment.
Comparing the three (3) groups of rats, the second group of rats had fewer mistakes as the
researchers predicted. However, the third group of rats also manifested fewer mistakes when given a
reward. This only suggests that from the onset, the third group of rats had been forming mental maps
of the environment. It was only when they were rewarded that they manifested their learning.
Tollman call this “latent learning” because learning is only manifested when the right conditions are
given. Propelling students’ behaviour to learn becomes purposive in an ideal learning environment.
When the rats exhibited fewer mistakes when given rewards, learning became purposive (Pickren
and Rutherford, 2010)

Teachers should always remember that learning is purposive and that students are constantly
learning. When they observe, they learn. As students observe, they form mental representations of
expectations, processes, and consequences of their actions. As such, to promote learning, teachers
should provide students with opportunities to observe behaviour or a task. Thus, the learning
environment should provide avenues for students to observe. This kind of informal learning allows
students to form cognitive maps that enable them to make a mental representation of a specific
situation, discover the behaviour that is appropriate for that situation, and perform the expected
outcomes.

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Conceptualized by: Raymond D. Garcia, MA Math
Assistant Professor 1 – Apayao State College
Episode 1: The Learning Environment Promotion of Purposive Learning

LEARNING ACTIVITY TASK 1.5A

Promotion of Purposive Learning
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date:
________________
Course/Year/Section: _________________________________________ Score:
_______________

Direction: Use the school you observed in Learning Activity Task 1.1A. Determine if the
environment supports purposive learning by checking the box that corresponds to what you have
observed in the class. Compile your answer in a portfolio.

YES NO
1. The learning environment promotes respect by giving the students
opportunities to listen to each other.

2. The students are provided with avenues to observe and practice a skill.

3. All experiences are considered learning experiences.

4. The students are given opportunities to collaborate with each other.

5. The teacher uses other strategies aside from lecture to help students
understand the lesson.

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Conceptualized by: Raymond D. Garcia, MA Math
Assistant Professor 1 – Apayao State College
Episode 1: The Learning Environment Promotion of Purposive Learning

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Conceptualized by: Raymond D. Garcia, MA Math
Assistant Professor 1 – Apayao State College
Episode 1: The Learning Environment Promotion of Purposive Learning
LEARNING ACTIVITY TASK 1.5B
Promotion of Purposive Learning
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date:
________________
Course/Year/Section: _________________________________________ Score:
_______________

Direction: Read carefully and answer the following questions based on what you have observed in
the class. Compile your answer in a portfolio.

1. Does the teacher support purposive learning? If yes, how? If no, how can the teacher support
purposive learning?
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2. How else can purposive learning be promoted in the classroom?

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Conceptualized by: Raymond D. Garcia, MA Math
Assistant Professor 1 – Apayao State College
Episode 1: The Learning Environment Promotion of Purposive Learning

LEARNING ACTIVITY TASK 1.5C

Promotion of Purposive Learning
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date:
________________
Course/Year/Section: _________________________________________ Score:
_______________

Direction: Write your reflection of what you have learned in this lesson by completing the
statements below. Compile your answer in a portfolio.

1. I realized that
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2. I believe that
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3. I believe that
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4. When I become a teacher, I will

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