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Thiagi on Learning Theories: 14 Things Thiagi Wants You To Know About Learning
Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan reaches even further for his
models and theories. "I want my students to know the central
ideas from all the great theories," he says. "We even talk about
the ‘14 Laws,’ the commonalties that come from this huge
body of work. But I remind my students to reach beyond the
psychologists and their theories as well. I ask them to look at
the practice of magic and improvisational theater and even to
stand-up comedy to learn how people hold an audience’s
attention and make an impact."
hich theory or theories of learning should guide your
work? That will depend upon your situation—the people you
serve,the nature of the skills they must master and the context
in which they are to perform—and,fra nkly,your comfort with
the tenets of and confidence in those theories. But make no
mistake,s ocial psychology pioneer Kurt Lewin’s reply to the
question of why he labored so hard over his theories is as true
for us as it was for him: "There is nothing so practical as a good
theory."
Cutting through the clutter and getting to the useful stuff in the ever-increasing body of learning
theory and research can be, and is, daunting. Sivasailam Thiagarajan, Thiagi to friends and
admirers, has distilled from that mass of knowledge, wisdom, obfuscation and speculation 14
pithy "Laws of Learning" that we all would do well to post on the cubical wall and read anew every
morning before attempting any act of instruction, facilitation or instructional design.
APPLIES TO ALL LIVING CREATURES:
1. Law of reinforcement: Learners repeat behaviors that are rewarded.
APPLIES TO ALL HUMAN BEINGS:
2. Law of individual differences: Different people learn in different ways.
3. Law of emotional learning: Events that are accompanied by intense emotions result in
long-lasting learning.
4. Law of practice and feedback: Learners cannot master skills without repeated practice and
relevant feedback.
5. Law of active learning: Active responding produces more effective learning than
passive listening or reading.
6. Law of response level: Learners master skills and knowledge at the level at which
they are required to respond during the learning process.
7. Law of learning domains: Different types of learning require different types of
strategies.
APPLIES TO ADULT LEARNERS:
8. Law of previous experience: New learning should be linked to (and build upon)th e
experiences of the learner.
9. Law of relevance: Effective learning is relevant to the learner’s life and work.
10. Law of self direction: Most adults are self-directed learners.
11. Law of expectations: Learners’ reactions to training sessions are shaped by their
expectations related to the content area, training format,
fellow participants and the trainer.
12. Law of self image: Adult learners use a variety of standards to judge their
learning
13. Law of multiple criteria: Adult learners use a variety of standards to judge their
learning experiences and accomplishments.
14. Law of alignment: Adult learners require the training objectives, content,
activities, and assessment techniques to be aligned to each
other.
 Dr. Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan is the Resident Mad Scientist at The Thiagi Group, an organization with the mission of helping people improve their performance effectively and enjoyably. Thiagi has published 40 books, 120 games and simulations, and more than 200 articles. Internationally recognized as an expert in multinational collaboration and active learning in organizations, Thiagi has lived in three different countries and has consulted in 21 others. Visit his website at www.thiagi.com.
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