RESPONSIVE LEARNING: FEATURES, BENEFITS AND TECHNIQUES - PSYCHOLOGY - 2024

The reception learning is a method of learning or teaching in which students receive information already developed by an instructor. Their only job in this context is to absorb the data presented to them, so that they do not have to make any effort to relate the new concepts to what they already know.

Receptive learning is the basis of the current educational system, although in recent years attempts are being made to change this situation. This teaching method is teacher-centered, as opposed to active learning, in which students are the protagonists by taking an active role in the process.

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Receptive learning has several advantages, including the low difficulty of the process and the possibility of a single teacher teaching a large number of students. However, their learnings are often superficial and short-lived, in contrast to those that are achieved with other more complex systems.

Still, receptive learning continues to be used both in schools, colleges and universities and in other contexts, such as seminaries or religious institutions. In this article we will see what its main characteristics are, as well as its most important advantages and disadvantages.

characteristics

The teacher does all the work

The main feature of receptive learning is that students take a passive attitude in it. Their only task is to pay attention to the information they receive externally, whether orally or visually, for example through the use of a slide show or written text.

Due to this, in this type of learning the teacher has to carry out the task of selecting, organizing and elaborating the information that he wants his students to learn. In this way, during the presentation phase the students already find a final version of what they have to internalize.

It relies especially on memory

Receptive learning is closely related to others such as rote and repetition. When students passively receive information, they are usually unable to elaborate and relate it to what they already knew beforehand, so their only way to internalize it is by exposing themselves to it over and over again.

On the one hand, this saves students work; but on the other hand, the learning that is achieved is usually fragile and not long-lasting. This problem occurs especially in subjects in which there is no practical part, such as history or philosophy.

It is typical of industrial societies

Our current educational system, based on passive learning, first emerged at the time of the Industrial Revolution. His goal was to prepare citizens to carry out a tedious task over and over again, throughout their working lives.

However, today modern society requires that each individual be able to take initiative, undertake, acquire new knowledge quickly and work independently.

For this reason, many experts believe that the educational system based on passive learning is obsolete, and urgently needs to be improved.

Allows you to work with several students at the same time

The rise of passive learning occurs because, by not requiring the interaction of the teacher with his students, it allows a single class teacher to a large number of people at the same time. This is especially seen in universities, where a single teacher can teach hundreds of students at a time.

However, this feature is a double-edged sword. Numerous studies on this topic show that smaller groups of students tend to perform better. This is because, in them, teachers can interact more with their students, solve their doubts and make the process more participatory.

Advantage

We have already mentioned some of the main benefits of receptive learning. Among the most noteworthy are the low cost involved in the education system, the possibility of a single classroom teacher serving a very large number of students (something that does not occur in other systems), and the low investment each needs to make. student.

At the level of learning itself, the benefits are not so obvious. Mainly, we could emphasize that it is one of the few methods that works to help students to memorize pure information, although even in this field it is not a particularly efficient process.

On the other hand, receptive learning also allows you to work with large amounts of information in a short space of time, which can be useful in very demanding subjects or in cases where many topics have to be presented quickly.

Disadvantages

Receptive learning has a large number of disadvantages, but the main one is that with this method the students do not internalize the information correctly because they do not have to elaborate it and relate it to what they already knew. Because of this, learning is usually superficial, and forgotten in the short or medium term.

In addition to this, receptive learning is often extremely tedious for learners, who may end up disliking the process of acquiring new knowledge.

This is one of the main causes of the high rates of school failure in most developed countries, which use this system.

Finally, by presenting all the information already prepared, receptive learning does not allow students to develop their skills or acquire skills that will be necessary for them in their daily lives.

Techniques

All the techniques used in receptive learning have a common base: to present to the students the information that they have to memorize directly. The only difference in this sense is the way in which the data and knowledge that you want them to internalize are presented to them.

The most common technique in this type of educational context is the use of master classes. In them, a teacher "gives the lesson" to his students, who are expected to take notes, listen in silence, and try to absorb the information.

Other techniques that can be used in receptive learning are the use of slide presentations, or the assignment of required reading with the aim that students expand even more the information that is being shown to them.

References

1. “Active learning vs. passive learning: What's the best way to learn? " in: Class Craft. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Class Craft: classcraft.com.
2. "What is passive learning?" in: Active Learning Works. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Active Learning Works: activelearningworks.com.
3. "Receptive learning" in: Springer Link. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Springer Link: link.springer.com.
4. "Receptive learning" in: Vision For Learning. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Vision For Learning: vision4learning.wordpress.com.
5. "Passive learning" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: April 20, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.