Unit 5

THE LEARNING PROCESS

Basic Laws of Learning

Learning is the cornerstone of any community’s ability to acquire a clear and shared
understanding of an issue and the process of exploring and handling it (Florencio, 2004).
Thus, to be an effective nutrition educator, one must know how people learn. Learning is
defined as a relatively permanent change in mental processing, emotional functioning,
and/or behavior as a result of experience. It is the lifelong, dynamic process by which
individuals acquire new knowledge or skills and alter their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and
actions.

There is a big difference between a person who has learned and a person who has
only been informed. Learning must ultimately be measured in terms of changed behavior. A
teacher’s primary responsibility is not to teach facts but to educate persons. The health and
nutrition teacher’s major task is to create situations in which clients and families can learn,
succeed and develop self-direction, self-motivation, and self-care.

Learning follows three basic laws:

1) Learning is personal, occurring in relation to perceived needs.

This is very basic. This is the reason why nutrition educators try to find out what the
client’s problems are. However, sometimes clients deny the existence of a problem, either as
defense mechanism or out of ignorance. Health personnel have encountered mothers with
an underweight child who claim that the child is naturally thin. Often the health personnel
think that this is a defense mechanism because the mothers are afraid that they will be
judged uncaring or bad mothers.

The reverse situation has also been reported. Mothers of an obese or overweight
child think fatness in a child is a sign of health.

2) Learning is developmental

In the situations given above, the educator’s first responsibility is to show the adverse
effects of underweight or overweight, as the case may be. Mothers may then be receptive to
learning how to manage their problems.

A wise health educator starts where the client is. This means she must try to know
what the clients already know about the topic.

3) Learning means change, resulting in changed behavior.

This again is basic, given the definition of nutrition education as a consequential

process, which starts with awareness of a new idea, ending with adoption of the idea.
Aspects of Personality Involved in Learning

The teaching-learning experience involves three fundamental aspects of human

personality--- thinking, feeling and the will to act.

Thinking

People grasp information through their personal thinking process. Information is

taken selectively, then processed and shaped according to their needs. The nutrition
educator can stimulate thinking by asking question ---- thought-provoking questions like why
mothers in the community prefer to bottlefeed rather than to breastfeed babies or what “go”,
“grow” and “glow” foods can be grown in home gardens.

Feeling

People respond with specific feelings and to given items of knowledge and given
situations. These emotions reflect desires and needs aroused. Emotions provide impetus,
creating tensions that spur people to act. If the teacher understands the learner’s emotion,
the teacher can direct these feelings in ways that will carry forward the learning process.

Love is said to be a universal emotion. If messages on proper diet during pregnancy

are crafted to play on the emotion of love for the unborn child, or messages of proper food
selection for the family are associated with love for the family, learning can be facilitated.

Negative feelings like fear and revulsion can also be used to facilitate learning. A
noted communications expert tells of how he used those feelings to advantage in teaching
rural folks about food safety. He would show his audience a bottle of intestinal worms
(preserved in formalin) and tell them (in the local dialect) these are what you will have inside
your body if you don’t follow safe and hygienic food handling procedures. Then he gives his
audience the rules to follow. According to the expert, the strategy works.

Will to Act

Feelings create tension in the learner which has to be eased by action. The will to act
arises from the conviction that the knowledge discovered can feel the felt need and relive the
symptoms of tension. The will focuses our determination to act on the knowledge received,
to change an attitude, a value, a thought, or a pattern of behavior. The learner senses the
contribution of the will to the learning process as, “I will do it”.

Learning profiles, Styles, Strategies and Factors that Affect Learning

Learning Profile

Learning profile refers to ways in which we learn best as individuals. Each one knows
some ways of learning that are quite effective for us, and others that slow us down, or make
learning feel awkward. Common sense experience and research suggest to us that when
teachers can tap into routes that promote efficient and effective learning for students, results
are better. The goals of learning-profile differentiation are to help individual learners
understand modes of learning that work best for them, and to offer options so that each
learner finds a good learning fit in the classroom.
 There are four categories of learning-profile factors, and teachers can use them to
plan curriculum and instruction that fit learners. There are some overlaps in the categories,
but each has been well researched and found to be important for the learning process. A
student’s learning style, intelligence preference, gender, and culture can influence learning
profile.

Learning-Style Preference

Learning style refers to environmental or personal factors. Some students may learn
best when they can move around, others need to sit still. Some students enjoy a room with
lots to look at, color, things to touch and try out. Other students function best when the
environment is more “spare” because they find a “busy” classroom distracting. Some
students need a great deal of light in a room in order to feel comfortable. Other students
prefer a darker room. Some students will learn best through oral modes, others through
visual channels, still others through touch or movement. Although a teacher cannot
manipulate all these elements, and other learning style components all the time, it is possible
for a teacher to give students some learning choices. It is also possible for a teacher to
create a room with different “looks” in different portions of the room, or with differing working
assignments.

A. Intelligence Preferences

Intelligence preference refers to the sorts of brain-based predispositions we all have

for learning. Two theorists/researchers have proposed ways of thinking about intelligence
preferences. Howard Gardner (1993) suggests that we each have varying strengths in
combinations of intelligences he calls verbal linguistic, logical mathematical, visual spatial,
musical rhythmic, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic ---and
perhaps existential. Robert Sternberg (1985) suggest that we all have varying strengths in
combinations of intelligences he refers to as analytic (schoolhouse intelligence, preference
for learning in linear ways often typical of school), practical (contextual intelligence,
preference for seeing how and why things work in the world as people actually use them),
and creative (problem-solving intelligence, preference for making new connections,
innovation). Indications are that when students approach learning in ways that address their
intelligence preferences, results are quite positive.

B. Culture-influenced Preference

Culture affects how we learn as well. It can influence whether we see time as fixed
and rigid or flexible and fluid, whether we are more effusive or reserved in expressing
emotions, whether we learn best in a whole-to-part or a part-to-whole approach, whether we
prefer to learn material that is contextual and personal or discrete and impersonal, whether
we prefer to work with a work or individually, whether we most value creativity or conformity,
whether we are more reflective or more impulsive ---and many other preferences that can
greatly affect learning. Also some learning patterns may differ from one culture to another;
there is huge learning variance within every culture.

The goal of the teacher is, therefore, not to suggest that individuals from a particular
culture ought to learn in a particular way, but rather to come to understand the great range of
learning preferences that will exist in any group of people and to create a classroom flexible
enough to invite individuals to work in ways they find most productive.
C. Gender-Based Preferences

Gender also influences how we learn. As is the case of culture, there are learning
patterns in each gender, but great variance as well. Whereas more males than females may
prefer competitive learning, for example, some males will prefer collaborative learning and
some females prefer competition. Some of the same elements that are influenced by culture
can also be influenced by gender (for example, expressiveness versus reserve, group
versus individual orientation, analytic versus creative or practical thinking, and so on).

D. Combined Preferences

Combinations of culture and gender will create unique constellations of learning

preferences in individuals. Patterns of learning preference are certainly complex when we
look at an individual’s learning style; intelligence; culture-influenced, gender-influenced
preferences. A sensitive teacher understands that her students may have learning
preferences much like or much different than that of the teacher and tries to create options
and choices that make everyone comfortable much of the time.

Learning Strategies

Learning strategies refer to methods that students use to learn. This ranges from
techniques for improved memory to better studying or test-taking strategies. For example,
the method of loci, is a classic memory improvement technique; it involves making
associations between facts to be remembered and particular locations. In order to remember
something, you simply visualize places and the associated facts.

Some learning strategies involve changes to the design of instruction. For example,
the use of questions before, during or after instruction has been shown to increase the
degree of learning.

More on Learning Style

A style of learning refers to the manner in which a person prefers to acquire

knowledge or the preferred way he or she processes information and interaction with the
learning environment. It describes a person’s typical mode of thinking, remembering or
problem solving. The concept of learning style has its roots in the study of cognitive style, or
the processing of information. Learning styles include three general domains: cognitive,
affective and psychomotor.

Cognitive – a style of processing information by listening or reading facts and

descriptions

Affective domain – learning by appealing to a person’s feelings, beliefs, or values

Psychomotor domain – is learning by doing

Table 1. Activities that Promote Learning

Cognitive Psychomotor Affective

Listing Assembling Advocating
Identifying Changing Supporting
Locating Emptying Accepting
Labeling Filling Promoting
Summarizing Adding Refusing
Selecting Removing Defending

Learning style encompasses the personal attitudes one has toward the learning
environment, resources, and methods of instruction. Learning styles are manifested in the
way individuals approach educational events and are shaped by an individual’s experiences
at home, school and society. Kolb’s learning styles are:

1. accommodator – learns from hands-on experience, enjoys new experience, act

on feelings more than logic;

2. diverger – prefers observation to action, sees situations from many points of view,
enjoys brainstorming and gathering information;

3. assimilator – consolidates information into logical categories, develops theories,

favors abstract concepts; and

4. converger – finds practical ways to use theories, solves problems, uses deductive
reasoning.

Visual learners – prefer seeing what they are learning

Auditory learners – prefer to hear the message or instruction being given

Kinesthetic learners – want to sense the position and movement of the skill or task

Age and Developmental differences

Educators emphasize that learning takes place differently depending on a person’s

age and developmental level. Experts agree that teaching tends to be more effective when it
is designed to accommodate unique age-related differences. Three major categories are:

1. pedagogy – science of teaching children or those who have comparable cognitive

ability.

2. andragogy – principles of teaching adult learners

3. geragogy – techniques that enhance learning among older adults

Table 2. Age-related differences among learners

Pedagogical Learners Andragogic Learners Geragogic Learners

Physically immature
Lack experience
Compulsory learners
Passive
Need direction and
supervision
Motivated to learn by
potential rewards or
punishment
Learning is subject-centered
Short attention span
Convergent thinkers
Need immediate feedback
Rote learning
‘short-term retention
Task-oriented
Think concretely
Respond to competition
Physically mature
Building experience
Voluntary learners
Active
Self-directed and
independent
Seek knowledge for its own
sake or personal interest
Learning is problem-centered
Longer attention span
Divergent thinkers
Can postpone feedback
Analytical learning
Long-term retention
Goal-oriented
Think abstractly
Respond to collaboration
Undergoing degenerative
changes
Vast experience
Crisis learners
Passive/active
Need structure and
encouragement
Motivated by a personal
need or goal
Learning is self-centered
Attention affected by low
energy level, fatigue and
anxiety
Practical thinkers
Respond to frequent
feedback
Experiential learning
Short-term reinforced by
immediate use
Outcome-oriented
Concrete/abstract
Respond to family
encouragement

CAPACITY TO LEARN

For the person to receive, remember, analyze and apply new information, a certain
amount of intellectual ability must exist. Illiteracy, sensory deficits, cultural differences, a
shortened attention span, and lack of motivation and readiness require special adaptations
when implementing health teaching.

1. Literacy

It is essential to determine a patient’s level of literacy (ability to read and write) before
developing a teaching plan. Many illiterate or functionally illiterate people are not apt to
volunteer this information, literacy may be difficult to assess. Those who are illiterate and
functionally illiterate usually develop elaborate mechanisms to disguise or compensate for
their learning deficits. To protect the patient’s self-esteem, the nurse can ask, “How do you
learn best?” and plan accordingly. Some approaches that are useful when teaching patients
who are illiterate or functionally illiterate are:

 Using verbal and visual models for instruction

 Repeating directions several times in the same sequence so the patient can
memorize the information
 Providing pictures, diagrams, or audiotapes for future review
2. Sensory deficits

The abilities to see and hear are essential to almost every learning situation. Older
adults tend to have visual and auditory deficits, although such deficits are not exclusive to
this population. Some techniques for teaching patients with sensory impairment follow
(please refer to Table 4.5 of the book: Nutrition Education: Principles, Approaches and
Strategies by Dr. AJ Ruiz).

3. Attention and Concentration

The patient’s attention and concentration affect the duration, delivery and teaching
methods that are employed. Some approaches that are helpful include the following:

 Observe the patient, and implement health teaching when he or she is most alert and
comfortable
 Keep the teaching session short
 Use the patient’s name frequently throughout the instructional period, this refocuses
his or her attention
 Show enthusiasm, which is likely to be communicated to the patient
 Involve the patient in an active way
 Vary the tone and pitch of voice to stimulate the patient aurally

4. Motivation

Optimal learning takes place when a person has a purpose of acquiring new
information. The relevance for learning is also an individual variable. The desire for learning
may be to satisfy intellectual curiosity, restore independence, prevent complications, or
facilitate discharge and return to the comfort of home. Less desirable reasons for learning
are to please others and to avoid criticism.

Learning is most effective when the learners are motivated. Their motivation results
from their interest in the contents, from a convenient and enjoyable atmosphere and last but
not least from a teaching style which enables learning.

Suitable environment
& atmosphere

Relevant content MOTIVATION Effective Learning

Good teaching

Figure 1. Effective Learning

5. Learning Readiness

When the capacity and motivation for learning exist, the final component, learning
readiness, is determined. Readiness refers to the patients physical and psychological well-
being. A person who is in pain, is too warm or too cold, is having difficulty breathing, or is
depressed or fearful, for example, is not in the best condition for learning to take place. In
these situations, it is best to restore comfort and then attend to teaching.

7. Learning Needs

The best teaching and learning take place when they are individualized. To be most
efficient and personalized, the health educator needs to gather pertinent information from
the patient. Second-guessing what the patient wants and needs to know often leads to
wasted time and effort.

The following are questions the health educator can ask to assess the patients
learning needs:

 What does being healthy mean to you?

 What things in your life interfere with being healthy?
 What do you understand as fully as you would like to?
 What activities do you need help with?
 What do you hope to accomplish before being discharged?
 How can we help you at this time?

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

The experiential learning cycle (figure below) is made up of experiences, reflections,

generalizations, and application. It offers a format for effective nutrition education using
hands-on learning.

Do/experience: his refers to the learning activity itself. It may be a role-play, small group
discussion, problem solving activity, case study, demonstration, etc.

Reflect: process by discussing and looking at the experience; refers to the sharing of
participant’s feelings, thoughts and reactions to the experience. It may help to ask the
participant:

 How did it feel to play the role of….?

 What were your reactions when….?
 What made it difficult for you….?
 What made it easy for you….?

Generalize: connect the experience to real-world; refers to identifying principles, conclusions

or generalizations about the leaning. The educator should help consolidate the learning into
concise statements or conclusions. It may help to ask the participant:

 What did you learn from this activity?

 What meaning/s does this have for you?
 What can you conclude from?
Apply: this refers to helping participants to think about a plan or how to use what they have
learned when they leave the learning sessions or to apply what was learned to a similar
situation or practice.

Five Principles of Teaching Important for Nutrition Educators

1. Principle of individuality – we need to consider individual differences. No two

people learn exactly at the same pace.

2. Principle of participation – the learner needs to be involved in the active process of

learning.

3. Principle of contact –the new idea to be learned must hav overlap with materials
already known.

4. Principle of usefulness – the immediate utility of what is to be learned help to make

learning effective. Ex. review classes ------ to pass the board exam

5. Principle of appraisal – performance of the learner must be measured to find out

whether the educational goal was achieved or not.

************************************************************

References:

Contento, Isabel R. (2011). Nutrition Education: Linking Research, Theory and

Practice. 2nd edition. Jones and Barlett Publishers, LLC.

Ruiz, Adela Jamorabo and Claudio, Virginia Serraon. (2020). Nutrition Education:
Principles, Approaches and Strategies. Merriam and Webster Bookstore, Inc., Manila,
Philippines.