Outdoor Learning

Outdoor Learning

[Name of the Institute]Outdoor Learning

What is learning?

Learning is a process that takes place when individuals interact with their environment. The outcome of learning is changes in human behavior. Learning can be defined as permanent changes that take place in human behavior. These changes in behavior occur as a result of experience. The definition of learning excludes temporary changes in human behavior. It is because temporary changes do not take place as a result of learning but due to motivation, fatigue, and other factors (Stoll et al, pp: 16).

Role of Behavior in Learning

Behavior plays a vital role in the learning process. The definition of learning also focuses on behavior as an important determinant of learning. The changes in human behavior take place when individuals interact with their environment. A majority of behavior is learnt.

Behavior is the core of psychology. It is because behavior allows individuals to analyze and comprehend. Behavior changes that take place as a result of learning increase the horizon of human comprehension (www.behaviour4Iearning.ac.uk).

Learning can be classified into two types. The two types of learning involve classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classic conditioning is the type of learning that takes place when we learn to respond to a stimulus. The process of cognitive learning occurs when a certain stimulus is repeated after regular interval. For examples, if a mother rings a bell every time before feeding a baby, the baby would start responding towards the sound of the bell (DfES, pp: 5).

Classic conditioning was discovered and explained by Ivav Pavlov. He has provided an excellent comprehension of this type of learning through an experiment conducted on dog. In order to determine the impact of stimulus and response on the learning of dog, an experiment was conducted. In that experiment, the dog was conditioned to respond towards the ringing of the bell. The ringing of the bell indicated the food. After some days, the dog began to salivate after hearing the ringing of the bell. Pavlov later observed that the dog started salivating with him entering the room (Nutbrown, pp: 5).

There are different types of terminologies that are associated with classic conditioning. These terminologies include neutral stimulus, conditioned stimulus, and unconditioned stimulus. Neutral stimulus has been explained in the example of bell. When the response of the dog was conditioned with the ringing of the bell, it was conditioned stimulus. In unconditioned stimulus, an innate stimulus produces a response (Clarke, pp: 5).

Another type of learning is operant conditioning. In this type of learning, behavior changes are a result of responding. Classic conditioning states that individuals learn a certain behavior when they receive incentives. Similarly, individuals do not repeat behavior when they receive punishment. For example, if a child receives rewards on finishing his/her homework, the behavior would be reinforced. Like classic conditioning, operant conditioning can also be applied to all creatures. Operant conditioning has several implications in the field of learning and psychology. Operant conditioning is used by psychiatrists to modify the behavior of ...