How the environment plays a role in learning

[Running Head: Environment’s role in learning]
How the environment plays a role in learning
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How the environment plays a role in learning
Introduction
A large number of people believe that learning is linked to the experiences that one goes through; these experiences shape up several different developmental aspects of a learner’s behavior. Human beings are extremely affected by their external environments. Even though primary socialization occurs within one’s home, the world that one is exposed to after that has a significant impact on how one’s world view, perception and thoughts are shaped. It would not be a long stretch to assume that an environment has a large role to play when it comes to the learning process itself. Several psychological theories have elaborated on the part an environment plays in building a learner’s learning experience.
The constructivism theory tells us that we learn by developing meaning and associations with different structures of knowledge. Primary learning takes place through two different processes i.e. a person first learns by failing which results in new concepts and boundaries, and a person develops their learning by adding new information to existing concepts. One’s experiences and perceptions are shaped through these two processes. Proof of this is the difference that one’s culture or background can have on learning. Students from the United States of America could never be compared to students from India because of the environments that they’ve grown in. The exact same course could have different implications and influence students differently. A story about a girl who is a superhero could be met with interest in the USA while it could be ridiculed in India (Tobias & Duffy, 2009).
The process of learning within different environments can vary as well. A student in one school could be asked to think, reflect and question what they’re learning; on the other hand, there do exist, educational institutes where the student isn’t given a chance to question anything and he has to trust what he’s being taught. There is a popular argument as to which environment is more suited for learning i.e. a nurturing one or a controlled one. Both are different and produce different results in children. In addition, the place that one is from has a large bearing on the kind of learning that will take place. A student from a developing country cannot in anyway compete with one from a developed country. While one has to work with a dearth of books and at times a dire lack of an education structure, the other has the entire world at his/her fingertips through books, teachers, ...