Expected Learning: What They Are And How They Influence Education
The development of the human being is a long and complex process. Although there is a tendency for this process to occur in certain periods, we all have our own pace of physical and mental maturation, and the learning we acquire throughout life also happens at different paces.
This is taken into account in the field of education, although this does not prevent the fact that, as a general rule, the different school years take into account that it is necessary to possess certain knowledge, aptitudes or abilities to be able to overcome them. This is the concept of expected learning which we will talk about throughout this article.
Expected learning: what is it and what does it entail?
Expected learning is understood as all that set of knowledge that a subject in a learning situation (for example, at school) is expected to achieve within the educational level he or she is studying. It is considered that said learning must be able to be expressed in a concrete and operational way, and can be applied and generalized later.
This specificity implies that the concept of expected learning is usually very concise, referring to a specific activity or knowledge that the subject should possess. These are indicators regarding the achievements that each student is expected to achieve in different facets during the training period.
Technically, these expected learnings serve to evaluate what has been achieved through the evaluations that are carried out throughout the school year. It does not refer only to theoretical concepts but can also incorporate attitudes, perspectives, skills, actions and other competencies that can be demonstrated through the evaluation. Basically, if we look at the objectives of a teaching plan we will generally be seeing the expected learning that we want to achieve.
The expected learnings not limited to early childhood education: In any educational or training process, certain objectives are intended to be achieved. For example, also in university education the acquisition of content and skills is expected in order to guarantee good future professional performance, or even in unofficial courses in order to assess whether the process has been followed and what was expected has been acquired. get.
The need for good sequencing
The expected learning does not arise on a mere whim nor is it organized randomly: the fundamental aspects that must be acquired must be carefully evaluated and take into account both the capabilities of the subjects who follow the course and the learning that they have already acquired previously and those that they have already acquired. They plan to get it later. This is essential if we want these expected learning to be meaningful (that is, that we can attribute meaning to them), although expected learning could also be merely memoristic.
In this sense, they must be organized in a logical and organize the contents in such a way that the demand and difficulty for the student gradually grows In this way we would go from the fundamental and basic to the complex.
In this sense, there are a large number of guides prepared regarding the knowledge that students in different courses should have, although each of them must be taken into account and adapted to the conditions of the students themselves, the country and culture and the educational and socioeconomic conditions of the group members.
As we have said, expected learning is used as an indicator of the achievements achieved by students and allow you to assess your learning capacity and compliance with educational objectives In other words, they have learned what was intended to be learned. And as we have seen, they are not limited only to theoretical knowledge: there are different elements that are valued and expected to be acquired.
For example, if we group them by training fields we can find those that are part of language and communication, mathematical thinking, nature, art, social and physical development. But although each subject generally has its own objectives and expected learning, in general the areas or fundamental factors that are considered to be learned can be included in three large groups.
1. Know
Knowledge refers to the theoretical knowledge acquired during the school year. It does not require practical application or even generalization, but the acquisition of knowledge itself is sufficient. It is probably the most easily assessed depending on whether the content is learned or not, being the most representative of academic training
2. Know how to do
In this case reference is made to the practical use of knowledge. It necessarily implies an understanding of the processes necessary to reach an end, although sometimes theoretical knowledge is not essential of what they imply for it. Applied mathematics, music, carpentry or mechanics are some of the knowledge that usually requires learning more associated with know-how.
3. Know how to be
This last factor brings together the set of attitudes, ways of acting and integrating beliefs and values ​​into daily life, bonding positively and maintaining motivation and direction towards a goal. It is something that can be worked on in emotional education, or what is intended to be achieved by carrying out various activities. Many of the skills required in university training or in professional fields such as psychology (for example empathy, unconditional acceptance, etc.) would be part of this group of expected learning.
The development of a learning system based on expected learning is very useful for both students and educators. And in the first place allows training to be organized adaptively structuring what, how and when to introduce the different concepts to learn and facilitating the generation of strategies.
Now, it must be noted that these objectives are generalized for the average of the age group or school year, but they must also be taken into account and individualized plans or adaptations must be developed for those people with functional diversity at a psychological, physical or sensory level, whether It is by default as if it is by excess.
In addition, it must be taken into account that learning must be operable, clear, and relevant or else it would be complicated or absurd to incorporate it as expected.
