Core 3 unit iv insight learning

I Year B.Ed - CORE 3
LEARNING AND TEACHING
Ms R SRIDEVI
Assistant Professor, Pedagogy of Mathematics,
Loyola College of Education
Chennai 34
UNIT IV
Cognitive And Humanistic
Theories Of Learning
Stages of intellectual development
(Piaget)

The questions and allotment of marks
are as described below:
• Type of course : Full course
• Type of Questions : Essay type
• Questions : 10
• To answer : 7
• Marks : Each carries 10 marks
• Total marks : 70 ( 7 x 10 )
• Maximum word : 600 words / 5 sides
for each question
• Time : 3 hrs

Unit IV
Cognitive And Humanistic Theories Of Learning
• Learning – Meaning of learning as defined by
cognitive psychologists
• Insight learning (Kohler)
• Modes of cognitive development (Bruner)
• Stages of intellectual development (Piaget)
• Learning styles (Kolb)
• Self-actualization ( Maslow)
• Theory of a fully functioning person ( Carl
Rogers).

 Name :
Wolfgang Kohler,
German Psychologist
 Born :
21st January 1887
 Died :
11th June 1967
 Famous for:
Insight Learning

WHAT IS INSIGHT LEARNING?
Insight learning is type
of learning or problem
solving that happens
all – of - a - sudden
through understanding
the relationships of
various parts of problem
rather than through
trial and error

MEANING OF
INSIGHT LEARNING
This theory is also called Gestalt
Theory of Learning.
An explanation of Gestalt School of
Psychology.
The word Gestalt in German
language means ‘whole’, ‘total
pattern’ or ‘configuration’.

MEANING OF
INSIGHT LEARNING
This school believes that the whole is
more important than the parts.
So learning also takes place as a whole’.
In this respect Kohler performed a
number of experiments on monkeys,
and arrived at the result that highest
types of learning is through insight.

MEANING OF
INSIGHT LEARNING
Learning by insight means sudden
grasping of the solution, a flash of
understanding, without any process of
trial and error.
All discoveries and inventions have taken
place through insight.
Of course the discoverer possessed a
complete knowledge of the whole
situation in peace-meal.

Experiment with box
Kohler kept a monkey (named Sultan)
hungry for some time, and then shut him
in a large cage.
He hung bananas from the ceiling, and
kept a box on the floor of the cage, fast
beneath.
The monkey could not reach the banana.
Another box was put in a corner of the
cage.

Experiment with box
 But Sultan could not get the idea of placing
one box on the other and thus reaching the
banana.
 Ultimately Kohler gave demonstration of
putting one box on the other.
 Sultan could now learn the whole situation.
 He used his intelligence and insight to put
the two boxes one upon the other, stand on
these and then reach the bananas.

Experiment with 2 sticks
 In another experiment Kohler kept two sticks in
the cage.
 One end of the shorter sticks could be fitted in the
one end of the longer sticks, so as to make them
longer.
 The monkey did not get the idea of forming the
two sticks through trial and error.
 When Kohler gave a hint through putting his
finger in the whole of the bigger stick, the monkey
viewed the whole situation and performed the
right task through understanding the insight.

STEPS IN INSIGHT LEARNING
Identifying
the
Problem
Understanding /
Insight
the
problem
Incubation
of
Ideas
Response /
Verification

Preparation
The process begins as you try to solve the
problem.
You have the materials and information in
front of you and begin to make connections.
Although you see the relationships between
the materials, things just haven’t “clicked”
yet.
This is the stage where you start to get
frustrated.

Incubation
During the incubation period, you “give up” for a short
period of time.
Although you’ve abandoned the project, your brain is still
making connections on an unconscious level.
Insight
 When the right connections have been made in your
mind, the “a-ha” moment occurs.
 Eureka! You have an epiphany!

Verification
 Now, you just have to make sure that your
epiphany is right.
 You test out your solution and hopefully, it
works!
 This is a great moment in your learning
journey.
 The connections you make solving this
problem are likely to help you in the future.

ESSENTIALS OF LEARNING BY
INSIGHT
1. Comprehension as a whole:
 Learning by insight requires full comprehension of
the situation as a whole.
2. Clear goal:
 The goal must be quite clear to begin with.
3. Power of generalisation:
 The learner must possess power of generalisation
along with those of differentiation.

INSIGHT
4. Suddenness of solution:
 Suddenness of the solution is the hall mark of
learning by insight i.e., the solution flashes
suddenly to the learner. No lengthy reasoning is
involved.
5. New forms of objects:
 As a result of insight into the problem or situation
objects appear in new forms and patterns.

INSIGHT
6. Transfer:
 Transfer of learning occurs as a result of
insight. The principles learnt in one situation
are applied to the other situation.
7. Change in behaviour:
 Insight changes our behaviour to the extent
which we have learnt through insight.

Laws of Insight Formation
1. Capacities:
Insight depends upon the capacity of the
organism. Individuals offer in their
capacities.
The more developed is the individual,
the more will be the capacity to develop
insight.

2. Previous experience:
 Insight depends upon relevant previous
experience and maturation.
 Some practice, trial and error and maturation
upto the level is essential before insight
develops.
 A child of five years cannot develop
mathematical insight since he has not done
sufficient practice in it.

3. Experimental arrangement:
 Development of insight depends upon
experimental arrangement also.
4. Fumbling and search:
 Insight follows a period of fumbling and
search.
5. Readily repeated:
 Insightful solutions can be readily repeated.

6. Use in new situation:
Insight once achieved can be used in
new situation.
7. Wholesome experience:
Experience of insight is always
wholesome. Whole is just not equal to
its parts.

Role of Teacher in Insight
Learning
Planning lesson:
 The teacher should plan his /her lesson
appropriately.
Providing experiences:
 He/She should provide significant and
meaningful experiences to the pupil.
Bringing integration:
 He/She should bring an integration between
theory and practice.

Learning
Integrated curriculum:
 The curriculum of the class should be an
integrated whole i.e., there should be
correlation between various subjects.
Problem as a whole:
 The whole problem is to be presented in
the class. A piece meal approach will not
develop learning by insight.

Learning
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.
Importance of motivation:
 The theory stresses the importance of motivation in
learning.
 Therefore, the teacher should motivate the students
properly for insightful learning.

Learning
Importance of transfer:
 The theory also emphasises the importance
of transfer of learning.
 Previous experiences are helpful in learning.
 Hence the teacher should encourage the
students to make the best use of transfer of
learning.

Learning
Emphasis on intelligent learning:
 The theory is economical in terms of human energy.
 It puts emphasis on insight and understanding
rather than rote learning.
 So spoon feeding and cramming should be
discouraged.
 There are no useless and random efforts.
 The teacher should encourage the students to learn
by understanding and insight i.e., intelligence.

Learning
Development of higher mental faculties:
 Insight involves the maximum use of intelligence.
 Therefore, learning by insight is helpful in
developing and improving higher mental processes
like thinking, imagination, reasoning, analystical
ability, problem solving, creativity etc.
 The theory specially encourages creative activity of
the child.
 The teacher has to view the situation as a whole and
then decide the line of action.

Learning
Problem solving approach:
 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
problems solving approach for better learning.
 He should prepare children emotionally and
intellectually to solve the problem.

Learning
Useful for difficult subjects:
The theory is specially useful for
learning difficult subjects like science,
mathematics and literature.
Useful for scientific inventions:
The theory is very useful for scientific
inventions and discoveries.

Learning
Individual differences:
 The teacher keep in mind the intelligence level,
maturity and other types of individual
differences.
 Intelligence plays a major role in learning by
insight.
 The more intelligent a child is, the more he will
learn through insight.
 The less intelligent child takes more time and
makes more efforts to gain insight.

Learning
Individual differences:
 Insight of the child should be carefully
handled by the teacher.
 He should know that its development is
related to the physical maturation of the
child.
 He should present the problem keeping in
view the maturation, of the child.

Learning
Logical presentation:
 The teacher should present his lesson
logically.
 He should proceed from ‘simple to
complex’, ‘concrete to abstract’, ’empirical
to rational’ and ‘psychological to logical’.
 The problems presented in the class should
be linked with life so that the learners have
the greatest benefit out of them.

Learning
Goal-oriented approach:
 The teacher should develop in the learner the
purpose of striving towards a goal on the
basis of child’s experience.
 He should relate the topic taught to the
experiences of the child and then lead him
towards the goal.

Learning
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.
Multiple approach:
 Ability of the learner and his past
experiences play an important role in insight.

In the teaching of geometry, for
instance, a problem may be presented,
and the pupil asked to think out and
reason out the solution.
The teacher may suggest some clues, to
help the pupil arrive at the right
solution.
The task of the teacher is not in spoon-
feeding and transmitting knowledge,
but in helping the child to acquire
knowledge himself.

Learning by insight needs to be
encouraged in the ordinary
instructional Programme of the school.
The teacher can adopt the Heuristic
Method of teaching.
In this way, he will develop the pupil’s
reasoning power and put him in the
capacity of a discoverer of new faces.

Core 3 unit iv insight learning

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