Theories and principles for

planning and enabling

learning
Dates for your Diary

Peer presentations – 27th April +

4th May

2 observations – 1 x Tutor, 1 x mentor

Completed by 4th April

Hand in Date: May 14th

Theories and principles for planning
and enabling learning
 Explain the application of theories and
principles of learning and communication to
inclusive practice
 Use and justify theories and principles of
learning and communication to plan for and
enable inclusive learning
 Apply a range of subject appropriate learning
and teaching strategies which demonstrate
knowledge of the minimum core
 Evaluate and improve own teaching practice
with reference to relevant underpinning theory
 Aim: To overview the barriers to
learning
 To identify barriers to learning within
subject specialism
 To explain different types of barriers to
learning
 To analyse the implications of different
barriers in terms of their impact on
enabling learning
Barriers to learning – Shannon and
Weaver (1949)
 Physical and mechanical barriers
 Semantic barriers
 Psychological barriers

 A more recent set of barriers could include

those associated with individual learning
needs.
 Physical or mechanical barriers to
learning
 These barriers relate to the physical transmission
and reception of a message:
 Is the environment distracting or noisy?
 Is the environment appropriate?
 Is the timing of the lesson a problem?
 Are the learners too hot, cold, thirsty, hungry?
 Are there learners with specific hearing or sight
problems?
 Semantic barriers to learning
 Semantic barriers are essentially to do with
the extent to which the meaning of the
learning is successfully shared with the
learners:
 Jargon or technical language
 The generation gap
 The use of unfamiliar or
culturally specific gestures
 The level of learning
 Psychological barriers to learning
 These barriers relate to the perceptions that
develop between teacher and learner:
 Unapproachable teachers (real or perceived)
 Prejudice (teachers and learners)
 Fear of failure (historically)
 Low expectation of learners

(historically)
 Poor motivation
 Individual learning needs
 Dyslexia
 Dyscalculia
 Dyspraxia
 Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ADHD etc)
 Individual learning styles
 Analyse the barriers affecting
learning
 Choose 4 barriers that relate specifically to
your learners (one from each group might
be good – you decide)
 Analyse? Identify separate factors, say
how they are related and how each one
contributes to the topic.
 Analyse how your 4 chosen barriers could
affect the learning.