Page 116 - NAVAL SCIENCE 3 TEXTBOOK

II How to Give Instruction

As YOli become an upperclassman in your school and achieve
higher ranks within your NJROTC units, you will often be called
50
upon to give either formal or informal instruction to schoolmates
or to junior NJROTC cadets. In this chapter we will discllss man)'
0
things that will be helpful when YOll find yourself in this situation. -------- ~
These include leaning theory, preparation for instruction, and 0
techniques for delivery. \
0
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Learning Theory 0

The good instructor is Ilmster of m<1ny skills. Successful instruc- o
tion demands competence in the subject matter and knowledge of o 10 W m ~ m ~ ro w ~ 100
teaching skills. Utlt the methods of instruction depend largel), 011 Number of Trials
an understanding of how people IL'nrn and the ability to apply that
A typical learning curve for acquiring a ski ll. As the number of trials
understanding.
increases, the number of errors decreases rapidly until a learning
"plateau" is reached, after which further improvement comes slowly.
What Learning Is
One of humankind's outstanding characteristics is the abilit}, to
learning process may include many types of learning, ali taking
learn. People learn continuously from the time they are born until
place at once.
they die. As a result of a learning experience, people mily change Research has shown that some of these types of learning appear
ways of perceiving, thinking, feeling. and doing. Thus, learning can to take place mainly on one side of the brain, while others OCCllr
be defined as a change in behavior as a result of experience. The mainly on the other side. Activities involving numbers, logic, word
behavior can be physical ilnd apparent, or it c;m be intellectual or puzzles, alld analysis appear to stimulate the left side of the bmin,
attitudinal, not easily seen. while activities involving music, imagination, colors, motion, i1l1d
Each student sees the classroom situation diA-erently because creative expression stimulate the right side. For many people, how
he or she is a unique individual whose past experiences aftec! read- they think, behave, and leaJ'Jl appears to be dominated by one side
iness to learn and understanding of the requirements invol\'ed. or the other, although much interaction takes place between the
The responses difter because each person acts in accordance with
two sides. Traditionali}', academic instruction has focused Illore 011
how he or she sees the situation. left-side activities, while somewhat neglecting the right side. Not
Most people have fairly definite ideas about what they want to surprisingly, much recent educational research has shown that the
do and achieve. The student brings these purposes and goals into rate of learning can be greatly increased when instructors in\'olve
the classroom. Some of these purposes may be persona!, and oth- both sides of the brain in their teaching strtltegies.
ers mny be shnred with classmates. Individual needs may deter- The process of learning a skill appears to be much the same,
mine what the student learns as much as what the instructor is regardless of ",hether it is a right- or left-brain nctivity. Graphs of
tr)'ing to get him or her to learn. So the eftective instructor seeks the progress of skilliearnillg usually foliow the same pattern (see
ways to relate new learning to the student's personal goals. the figure). There is rapid impro\'ement in the endy trials. ilut the
Learning is an individual process. The instructor cannot do it clll've may tend to level off thereafter for significant periods of time.
for the student; he or she cannot pour knowledge into the latter's Such a development is il leamillg plateali and ma}' signify all}' of a
head. The student can learn only from that which is experienced. number of conditions. The student may have reached the limits of
Psychologists sometimes classify learning by types: verbal, COI1 - his or ht'r capability; the student may be consolidating the level of
ceptual, perceptual, IllataI', problem solving, and emotionnl. The

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