Pedagogy: Barriers to learning

INDEX

Sl.No CONTENTS Page. No

1. INTRODUCTION 01-03

2. CAUSES OF BARRIERS IN LEARNING 04-06

3. STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME BARRIERS IN 07-10

LEARNING
4. RECENT TRENDS IN METHODS OF LEARNING 11-15

5. CASE STUDIES 16-17

6. REFERENCE 18-18

Department of Mechanical Engineering, UVCE, Bangalore University

Pedagogy: Barriers to learning

UNIT: 4 BARRIERS TO LEARNING

LIMITED RESOURCES AND LARGE CLASS SIZES

1. INTRODUCTION:

A barrier to learning is anything that stands in the way of a child being able to learn effectively. A
learner may experience one or more barriers to learning throughout his or her education.
For example: extreme poverty, abuse or neglect will all act as barriers to a child's learning.
According to Lozanov (Dryden & Vos, 2005:321), the three main barriers to learning are the
following:

a) Intelligence, genetics, environment

b) Critical-logical, intuitive-emotional, critical-moral
c) Teachers, parents, peers

Why is it important to identify potential barriers to learning?

It is important that this situation is prevented for learners with dyslexia. It is for that reason that
the barriers to learning need to be identified at an early stage and strategies are in place to prevent
failure. One of the main means of doing this is by ensuring the student has some early success.

Types of barriers to learning:

There are a number of barriers to learning. Some are emotional, others are motivational, and some
are related to learning disabilities.

1. Emotional Barrie rs to Learning :

They are mental walls that keep you from openly communicating your thoughts and feelings
to others. They prevent you from being yourself and living your life to the fullest. Individuals
with emotional barriers tend to be extremely reserved, cautious, and insecure.
It includes:

 Fear : This could be a fear of Criticism and Judgement, or a Fear of Failure and Fear of
Rejection.
 Shame : Learners could feel their work will never be as good as others, hence do not even
try to succeed.
 Emotional Sensitivity : Emotionally sensitive learners can at times become overwhelmed
and lose control of their emotions.
 Adjusting to Change : A person’s level of adaptability can impact on their ability and
willingness to learn.

2. Motivational Barrie rs to Learning include:

 Out of flow : If the level of challenge is well above someone’s capability, they can become
‘paralyzed’ and under-perform. Likewise, if the challenge is too low, they can lose
motivation.
 Lack of a Goal : An absence short and medium term goals can mean a learner drifts in a
place where little is of material importance. Setting goals helps to give focus. Achieving
small goals along the way can be motivational. Begin with the end in mind.

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Pedagogy: Barriers to learning

 Procrastination : Some things are not always enjoyable, but are necessary. Don’t put off
things that can be done today.
 Lack of prioritization : Some people become overwhelmed by workload. Always put first
things first.
 Learning Environment : It is important to have the right atmosphere for learning. This
could be a nice quiet place without distraction.

3. Inte rnal barriers to Learning :

Internal issues come from within the pupil.
Example : poor self-esteem or specific issues such as ASD, ADHD and dyslexia.
Learning Disabilities include:
1. Depression
2. Dyscalculia (where the person has trouble understanding math)
3. Dyslexia (where the person has trouble understanding the written word)
4. Dysgraphia (where the person has trouble with forming letters when writing)

People with learning disabilities process information differently to others and need to put
more effort into learning compared with others. There are many famous people, including
Walt Disney, Winston Churchill, and Alexander Graham Bell have all been successful despite
having learning disabilities.

4. External barriers to Learning :

They are the ones when processes, activities, resources and situations themselves create
barriers to someone accessing the learning opportunity.

5. Intrinsic barriers to Learning :

Intrinsic barriers include physical, sensory, and neurological and developmental impairments,
chronic illness, psycho-social disturbances and differing intellectual ability.

6. Extrinsic barriers to Learning :

Extrinsic barriers are those factors that arise outside the learner, but impact on his or
her learning.

7. Physical barrie rs to Learning :

Physical barrier is the environmental and natural condition that act as a barrier in
communication in sending message from sender to receiver. Organizational environment or
interior workspace design problems, technolo gical problems and noise are the parts
of physical barriers.

8. Social barrie rs to Learning :

Social Barriers are Differences (inequalities), in gender, ethnicity, race, religion, health or
socioeconomic status, between individuals or groups that prevent the m from achieving or
accomplishing their goals, or deny their opportunity to access resources and to advance their
interests.

9. Pedagogical barrie rs to Learning :

The term pedagogy refers to the transmission of information and skills from a
teacher/instructor to the learner, whereas the term andragogy is the process for providing
procedures and resources to help learners acquire the information and skills.

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Pedagogy: Barriers to learning

10. Barrie rs to participation :

On an individual level, people with a disability may face a number of addit ional barriers to
participation in sport compared with people without a disability. Lack of early experiences in
sport (this varies between individuals and whether a disability is from birth or acquired later in
life).

11. Barrie rs to inclusive education :

The challenges of inclusive education might be blamed on the students' challenges instead of
the shortcomings of the educational system.
Example : Physical Barriers: In some districts, students with physical disabilities are
expected to attend schools that are inaccessible to them.

12. Some barriers that prevent students from being s uccessful in school :
 Student ownership and accountability.
 Inadequate resources.
 Lack of consistency in students' education.
 Attendance.
 Peer pressure.
 Poor attention spans.

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2. CAUSES OF BARRIERS IN LEARNING

The cultural, emotional and psychological barriers are been listed below:

1. Motivation or "availability to learn"

A student’s availability to learn depends largely on their motivation. Our personal desire to
achieve results and improve our knowledge, regardless of the material being studied, is one of
the most important factors in our ability to learn.

Looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of school needs, we see that self-actualization comes top of the
list in the essential ‘needs’ that we require to learn. A lack of motivation is a major barrier to
student’s learning and without the desire to achieve; students often end up doing the bare
minimum amount of work in the classroom, enough to get by but not enough to really enhance
their learning. Alack of motivation to study typically results in students going through the
motions of learning and not retaining information.

2. Social and cultural barriers

A student's ability to interact with others greatly impacts their
learning. A child’s ability to interact socially with their peers has a significant impact on how
they progress in the classroom.The very act of learning in a classroom environment involves
interacting with other students, talking through problems and finding solutions.

Why interaction is important:

In today’s classroom with an average of 17.8 pupils per teacher. Peer to peer learning in schools
is important now more than ever.

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Discussing lessons with other students helps pupils realise their own strengths and weaknesses
and enables them to improve their knowledge gaps, learning directly from their classmates.
School students who have poor social skills often fall behind in their learning as they aren’t able
to communicate as effectively as others. Of course, not all types of learning requires students to
be social, but in the early years in particular, the ability to listen, respond and empathise with
other people are all important learning skills.

How environment can shape social skills?

The culture in which a child grows up can also have a bearing on their ability to learn. Looking
at Maslow’s table, ‘belonging’ is one of the most essential learning needs. The relationships that
we form with our parents, friends and teachers all feed into our ability to learn.

As humans, we are hugely influenced by the people around us and during our first 5 years, our
principal influencers are our parents or guardians. The beliefs that our parents hold and the
cultures that they embrace can heavily influence how we learn as students. For example, if a
student has grown up in a household where mathematical subjects are given more weight that
languages, that student may have a cultural barrier when it comes to learning subjects like
English.

3. Emotional factors that affect learning

The encouragement that we receive from our teachers, parents and friends plays an important
role in our emotional learning. If a student adopts a mindset of ‘always trying their best’ and
learning from past failures, they’ll generally have a positive outlook on their ability to learn. On
the other hand, if a student’s internal voice is always telling them that they’re not good enough
or that there’s no point in even trying, they’re more likely to underachieve in school.

A student’s emotional wellbeing majorly impacts their ability to do well at school. Students
who lack confidence and are afraid to take educated guesses could have emotional issues that
are affecting their learning. There can be a number of emotional factors at play in a student’s
learning including fear of embarrassment, doubt and inadequacy, all of which can lead to self-
sabotaging emotional states.

Generally speaking, negative emotions can be reduced by setting expectations, focusing on the
positives and setting goals for the future.

4. Personal issues that can affect learning

On an individual level, students often have personal issues that affect their learning. For
example, students with diagnosed learning difficulties like autism or Asperger’s syndrome will

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Pedagogy: Barriers to learning

find certain elements of learning more challenging than others. Similarly, students with learning
impairments like dyslexia may find that their personal barriers hinder their progress at times.

On a practical level, factors such as transport, location, language and access to resources can all
present blocks to learning for some students. For example, school pupils who don’t speak
English as their first language may find following instructions more difficult than native English
speakers. Or students who live in remote locations may find that a lack of access to resources
like the internet plays a big part in their ability to learn.

What we can do?

Having an awareness of some of these learning roadblocks can help us as teachers, careers
advisors and parents understand the individual needs of our students or children.

Learning barriers affect students differently and there’s no ‘right’ way to reduce them.
Generally speaking, a collective effort form friends, family and teachers in supporting students
to overcome any obstacles is a good starting point.

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Support 1.Literacy 2.Learning 3.Listening/

4.Speech/ 5.Behavi our/ 6.Confi dence/ 7.Social Skills/ 8.Organisation 9.Physical 10.Sensory
Strategies Attenti on
Language Control Emotion Communication
A Use of Concise 2 Ask student Provision of Positive Immediate Make explicit Use of visual Consider Provision of
mind map or 3 part to vocabulary list engagement feedback on the implicit! Be timetable seating materials in
to record instructions paraphrase
with using student work tasks and aware of literal (symbols or position, in alternative font
key ideas instructions
opportunities name approach to examples colour coded) relation to size and
to rehearse learning class room colouring
B Access to Exp licit Positive Summarise Positive Facilitate peer Structure group Provide Access to Seating
peer or adult revision of praise and tasks using rewards support via or paired homework support adjustment
scribe or prior engagement visual prompt system seating plan activities instructions at equipment eg: according to
reader learning via use of cards lin ked to the start of the sloping sensory barrier
name whole school lesson boards (Use eg deaf in one
policy of A3 lever ear
arch file)
C IT tools to Practical Give student Give visual Direct Ask student to Use of visual Pictorial and Consideration Ask student to
support apparatus a ‘role’ – demonstration engagement identify what prompts and real written labels of of posture paraphrase work
recording eg: (blue tac active of task via role they did well life examples equipment instructions
laptop, audio counters) engagement allocation at after each
recorder in task (positive lesson
redirection)
D Provide Visual ‘Turn to your Access to peer Reminder of Ensure task Provide Verbal or visual Ensure access Targeted peer
photo copy cues and partner’ models/ class rules/ appropriate to advanced notice equipment to equipment support – reader
of aids instructions supporters code of needs, using of change of task check list – use of peer or scribe
homework (pictorial within class conduct to all must, should, or lesson end partner or
or task task cards) input students could analysis LSA to
instructions support

E Provision of Alternative Visual Verbal and Structured Positive phone Clarify Awareness of Access to Repeat core
key word means of prompt cards written choices – this call o r text to understand and writing posture, alternative points made by
cards, recording summarising structures to and this parent(s)/ encourage chair tucked in, means of students during
lin ked to (peer or task support needs to be Carer(s) paraphrasing of 2 feet on floor recording (IT, class discussion
subject area adult language eg done, but instructions audio
or topic scribe, IT, cloze student recording)
pictures,) procedures determines

F Use of Peer or Use of blue Use of Exp licit Use of rating Provide student Provide pre- Provision of Use of
highlighter small tac ‘stress powerpoint to praise of scale for self with a ‘?’ card, to prepared homework appropriate
pen for text group ball’ to self structure self student to assessment indicate a request formats of instruction on auxiliary aids
work working occupy presentations class for help graphs, charts photocopied
etc sheet
Table 1.0 Strategies to overcome Barriers in Learning
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3. STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME BARRIERS IN LEARNING

1. Build relationships
Relationships and the importance of them in the classroom never goes away. As the
education pendulum flies back and forth, one thing that you can always count on still being at
the forefront of making a difference in the classroom is the idea of relationships. If you don’t
have a relationship with your students the work you do on a daily basis will be flat and not
nearly as effective as what it could be. Take the time to build connections with each and
every one of your students. What makes the tick? What are their interests? What are their
hopes and desires? These are all things that you continue to build and cultivate as the year
progresses, community and relationship building does not just stop after the first two weeks.
Regardless of class size or other circumstances that have an impact on the classroom, this is
number one for a reason.

2. Be intentional with your lesson planning

As you sit down and plan out the upcoming week, really give some thought to how you are
going to reach all your students. What are the various entry points students are going to need
to access the curriculum and reach your lesson target? Or perhaps, how you can help engage
students at the start so they are ready to learn? Would a morning meeting or quick team
building activity in table groups help get the kids primed for learning? Have a warm up to
settle and set a tone. Review the learning targets for the lesson to inform the students and tune
them in.

3. Use a balanced data approach

Using data to drive your instruction and decisions is vital. However, it needs to be done in a
balanced approach to where you are taking into consideration your students and the direct
knowledge you have about them. As educators we are lucky that we know things about
students more than what can be represented on a test. Use this information to help drive your
instruction and decisions. How can you leverage these to help improve outcomes for kids?
Are there additional ways that you can help support your students? Apply formative practices
that not only will inform you of the “Are they getting it?” factor but also use them to inform
your students about their own progress.

4. Have high and consistent expectations

Most of us would consider we have high expectations for kids, which is good. However,
don’t let your high expectations limit your students with what they can accomplish. Your
students will reach and often surpass your high expectations and when they do, don’t hold
them back. Often our perception of what they can accomplish limits them, even when they
are set at high levels. Push the students and they will surprise you…and you might surprise

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yourself. Also, those expectations need to be held consistent throughout the building.
Expectations are the Constitution of the school and need to be known and upheld in all areas
at all times. Students from trauma or adverse backgrounds have significant difficulties
adapting to differing systems or environments.

5. Scaffold instruction to grade level standards

Kids need access to grade level curriculum and grade level expectations. Yes, some students
are not ready for it but if we keep playing catch up by working on math facts when they are in
the middle school, they are never going to get exposed to higher level thinking. Educators
need to find ways to expose all students to grade level curriculum and standards while
scaffolding their learning or finding ways to provide intervention to them outside of the core
instruction.

6. Teach vocabulary explicitly

Vocabulary, vocabulary, and more vocabulary. You’ve read the research, students coming
from a poverty background have been exposed to an incredible shortage of words compared to
their peers brought up in a middle class home. What does this mean to you as an educator?
You have to go double time to expose kids to vocabulary that is varied, challenging, and new
to them. Students need a rich vocabulary environment to catch up and this doesn’t mean that
you teach the same themed words that come with the various seasons. You have to be
intentional about this and constantly on the lookout for opportunities to build this. Focus not
only on the Tier 3 words which are content specific but provide ample exposure to the Tier 2
words that provide meaning and comprehension.

7. Get your students engaged and excited

If you aren’t engaged and excited, your students won’t be engaged or excited, it is as simple
as that. You have to look for ways to connect the learning and content standards back to the
students. How can you capture their attention? Show your excitement and get passionate!
Use relevant practices and put the students in charge of their own learning. Groups, pairs,
share outs, questions and reflections encourage deeper thinking and provide meaning.

8. Reflect and reflect often

Teaching and learning can be a rushed, fast paced experience only it doesn’t have to be. As
an educator and learner, time needs to be built into the day or class period where students
reflect on what they’ve learning and make meaning of it. This helps with processing
information as they reconcile it with their prior knowledge and work to make the information
stick. This is a great opportunity for thinking to be clarified, questions to be sought, or

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learning to be extended. Simple journal responses are a great way to incorporate this into the
classroom.

9. Provide multiple opportunities. Strive to embed learning.

We all have bad days and so do students. Just because you taught something or gave a test
doesn’t mean that you are done with the concept and move on. Students come to school with
a lot of baggage that we aren’t always aware of. By allowing students to retake tests, learn
from their mistakes, or circling back through the curriculum will allow more students to
access your instruction and for you to have a better understanding of where they are at w ith
their learning. Let’s face it, learning can be messy and if you try to put it into a simple box or
say a single class period and then move on, it isn’t always effective.

10. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable

If you have a struggling student and you aren’t sure how you can help, just ask. By showing
that you are human too and not just an authoritarian figure, it can go a long way.

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4. RECENT TRENDS IN METHODS OF LEARNING

1. Collaborative Virtual Classrooms :

 Collaborative virtual classrooms make online learning more engaging. Aside from
the usual audio- video conferencing and chat features, virtual classrooms also
provide synchronous and asynchronous annotation, communication, and resource
sharing for facilitators and participants. It’s a definite must- have for any eLearning
platform!

2. Mind mapping / Brainstorming :

 These two are approaches that can also be classified under active learning methods.
Mind mapping and brainstorming are stapled methodologies for any problem-
solving activity.
 In these sessions, learners come up with ideas and post them on board. As a group,
the students then select the best ones and use those to come up with a solution. For
these methods, there are available apps that allow learners to use their own device
and collaborate with others in coming up with a mind- map or idea tree.

3. Scavenger Hunts :
 Here is another fun and engaging activity that involves the use of the company
knowledge base. Scavenger hunts start off with a customer concern.
 The learner’s task is to use the system and find the appropriate resource to address
the issue. Not only does it familiarize the learners with the system, but it also
prepares them to handle real- life customer scenarios.

4. Role Playing :
 Role-playing is also another effective approach founded on active learning
methods. Role-playing simulates a real- life situation that requires problem-solving
skills.
 More importantly, it is also a medium for gauging actual performance. Role-
playing activities can include job simulations like customer interaction (facilitator
plays the customer, learner the agent) through the phones, email, chat, or in some
cases, virtual reality.

5. Data and Tools for Problem-solving :

 A combination of a scavenger hunt and role-playing activity, this exercise is one
of the more effective active learning strategies for adults. The facilitator assigns a
case-study (preferably taken from common customer scenarios) to a learner. The
learner, in turn, makes sense of the data and uses the available resources to solve
the case.

6. Online Discussion Boards :

 Online discussion boards are also one of many proven active participation
strategies. Online boards are virtual boards where students can learn
collaboratively. They post questions and answer queries. Most of the time, there is

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a very little facilitator or subject matter expert intervention involved, with most
answers usually coming from the other participants who are more knowledgeable
on the topic.

7. Learning by Teaching :
 In a nutshell, learning by teaching means that you allow learners to prepare and
teach the lessons (or part of them) to their fellow students. Although it may look
like the facilitator is taking a very hands-off approach in this method, it actually
involves a very elaborate process where the facilitator is both moderator and
subject matter expert.
 Do take note that learning by teaching does not simply mean a presentation or a
lecture presented by the learners. In this particular approach, the learners are the
ones who are facilitating the session by engaging with fellow students. The
facilitator ensures that the learning gets processed correctly and also lends a hand to
the student-hosts. Webinars and online discussion boards are the usual media used
for this methodology.

8. The Jigsaw Technique :

 The Jigsaw Technique is another approach that fully reaps the benefits of active
participation and collaborative learning. In this approach, learners are given a
“piece of the puzzle” that they need to solve on their own. After this, they need to
collaborate with other learners to finally complete the puzzle.
 This approach would be a good addition to role-playing and using data/tools to not
only solve bigger problems but also gives participants a glimpse of the ‘bigger
picture.’ It is a good exercise to let learners realize their role in the bigger picture
by doing both individual and collaborative work and how those are all part of a
process.

9. The ‘Flippe d Classroom’ :

 The flipped classroom is a fairly new term in the learning and tech industry. Lessons
are ‘flipped;’ meaning that most of the work like reading and research is all done
outside of class. This goes in contrast to the traditional approach where most of the
class time is used for lectures, and activities are assigned as homework.
 Flipping a classroom leaves more time for the facilitator to implement active
learning methods during class time. This concept works on making efficient use of
class time with less (or no) lectures, and more time for activities.

10. Game-based Learning :

 GBL is, arguably, the most fun among all the active learning methods. Game-based
learning, or gamification, is turning a certain aspect of learning (or business) into a
game. There are available learning apps that let you do this, but you can also create
your own! Just don’t forget to apply the three elements of gamification –
achievement, competition, and fun – into the endeavor.

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11. Creative Teaching :

 Take the help of tools to stimulate creativity. Include playful games or forms of
visual exercises that will excite young minds and capture their interest.
 This is a time-tested method to identify every young student’s creative abilities and
encourage creative contributions.
 Bring aspects of creativity into all your subjects, be it mathematics, science, or
history. Think of ways to develop their creative ideas.
 Encourage different ideas, give them the freedom to explore.

12.Audio & Video Tools :

 Incorporate audio- visual materials to supplement textbooks during your sessions.
These can be models, filmstrips, movies, pictures, infographics or other mind
mapping and brain mapping tools.
 Such tools will help their imagination thrive and grow.
 These methods will not only develop their ability to listen but will also
help them understand the concepts better.
 For example, you can get some oral history materials, conduct live online
discussions or playback recordings of public lectures.
 If you are tech-savvy, there are also a number of smart apps for
preschoolers that you can utilize to create awesome slideshows or
presentations.

13. “Real-World” Learning :

 Infusing real- world experiences into your instructions will make teaching moments
fresh, and enrich classroom learning.
 Relating and demonstrating through real- life situations will make the material easy
to understand and easy to learn. It will spark their interest and get the children
excited and involved.

14. Classes Outside the Classroom :

 Some lessons are best learnt when they are taught outside of the classroom.
Organize field trips that are relevant to the lessons or just simply take students for
a walk outside of the classroom.
 Students will find this fresh and exciting. Without taking much effort, they will
learn and remember what you teach them.

15. Role Play :

 Teaching through role-playing is a great way to make children step out of their
comfort zone and develop their interpersonal skills.
 This method comes in handy, especially when you are teaching literature, history
or current events.
 The role-playing approach will help a student understand how the academic
material will be relevant to his everyday tasks.

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 Role-playing is most effective for students of almost any age group. You just need
to customize depending on the age group.
 You can even use this method for teaching preschoolers. Just make sure you keep
it simple enough to capture their limited attention span.

16. Storyboard Teaching :

 Rudyard Kipling rightly said, “If history were taught in the form of stories, it
would never be forgotten.”
 Storyboarding is a great way to teach any subject which requires step-by-step
memorization or visualization highly-conceptual ideas.
 History teachers can use a storyboard to recreate a famous event. Such visually
stimulating activity will ensure that even complex ideas are easily put across to
students.
 You can also encourage the use of storyboards as a form of communication and let
the students tell a story in pictures using their imagination.

17. Stimulating Classroom Environment :

 A classroom environment that is well-decorated, fun, and engaging will help
stimulate a student’s mind and will help think and learn better.
 Such a creative and stimulating environment will help them explore and will
encourage them to learn about the subject.
 Children, especially young ones cannot be expected to sit all day and learn. An
environment that positively impacts the children is beneficial for you as well.
 Schools associated with Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) will vouch for the
fact that the learning environment has a prime role in learning and development.

18. Welcome New Ideas :

 An open- minded attitude can help you in innovating new teaching methods.
Though you might claim to be open- minded, its human nature to resist change.
 Evaluate yourself and ensure you try out new ideas in the classroom.

19. Think About A New Hobby :

 Sometimes, a hectic workload may affect your engagement in teaching. If it
happens to you, it’s natural.
 You can take a break for a couple of hours and engage in some other activity that
you’re interested in.
 This will rejuvenate you and you can return to your work with more passion and
interest.

20. Work Together As a Team :

 As everyone knows, the end result of the collaborative effort is always immense.
Think about spending some quality time with your colleagues.
 Ask them to share their views on improving teaching methods, you can see many
of them come up with interesting strategies. So, collaborate and introduce
innovative teaching methods.

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21. Puzzles and Games :

 Learning is fun when puzzles and games are part of education. Children may not
require taking conscious effort when their lessons are introduced through games.
Puzzles and games help children to think creatively and face challenges.
22. Start School Clubs or Groups :
 What about starting an after-school club or group?
 Being a teacher you may not get enough time to work on interesting topics that
you are passionate about.
 You can share your views and learn more from others when you have school clubs
or groups.

23. Refer to Books On Creativity :

 To be a creative teacher, you need to do some research on creative ideas and
techniques. There are a lot of books on creativity.
 Choose some of the best works and start learning, it will be helpful for your
professional development as well.

24. Love What You Do :

 You can give your best only if you truly love what you do. When you are not
stressed, you will be more creative and inspired. Loving your work keeps you
relaxed and gives you room to experiment with new ideas.

25. Introduce Lessons Like a Story :

 Just think, why do you watch movies with much interest?
 You like to watch movies because there is always an interesting story to keep you
engaged. Like that, Learning sessions become more interesting when you introduce
it as a story. If you are creative, even math lessons can be related to interesting
stories. With even the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA )
emphasizing on schools to take measures for improving the quality of teaching and
learning, these innovative ideas are sure to make teaching methods more effective.

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5. CASE STUDIES

A. Barrie rs in the Learning of Englis h: An Exploratory study.

Education in Saudi Arabia (KSA) is becoming crucially important due to its economic and
technological connections. Teaching English is felt important especially at tertiary level for
many educational reasons. The experts are of the view that educational objectives will remain
unachieved unless teaching- learning of English is properly done. The entire process of the
learning of English in general is attributed to many variables’ adverse effect. The study
explores the barriers faced by the learners while learning English. Descriptive method of
analysis includes purposive sampling technique to choose two samples: students and
teachers. The study took place at KAU-Jeddah consuming around 8 months. The findings
indicate that the obstacles confronted by the learners are of different kinds such as learning
habits, information retention abilities, linguistic issues, and attitude towards learning. Other
barriers are concerned with the nature of learning styles, methods, pedagogies etc.

Statistical studies were made by collecting the data from the students and teachers by
answering the following topics mentioned below and conclusions were drawn:
i. Item-wise Analysis of the Responses.
ii. Students’ perception on learning barriers.
iii. Results (based on the Analysis Responses from the Teachers).
iv. Motivational factors.
v. Personal factor.
vi. Learning style as a barrier.

Conclusion:
Learning barriers are as crucial as learning or education. It is because of the fact that most
individuals or institutions fail to achieve the educational targets basically due to some
extraneous or intervening variables within the educational system. Keeping the learning
barriers in view, it seems imperative for policy makers, planners, curriculum designers,
pedagogues and administrators to consider the pedagogic relevance of all the expected
barriers in order to diagnose, explore their types, choose relevant material, evolve effective
strategy and finally achieve the target. It is very common with most institutions in Saudi . In
general and language department/EFL centres in particular as they face such issues in day to
day teaching- learning activities. English as a medium of instruction add up to the problem at
higher/tertiary education due to the inappropriate learning experience in the past. Bilingual
scenario though not always an adverse factor, affects negatively in most cases because one’s
mother-tongue overpowers the target language for many socio-cultural and linguistic reasons.
Therefore, it becomes inevitable to make all effort to cater to the urgent needs of the target
learners to yield maximum possible educational benefits.

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Pedagogy: Barriers to learning

B. Developing training programmes for teachers.

The interaction between teachers, classroom strategies and learners experiencing emotional
and behavioural barriers to learning and development in a system of inclusive education
results in multiple dynamics on different levels. Many teachers in mainstream education
lack training to deal with learners experiencing emotional and behavioural barriers.
Resistance towards inclusive education is therefore evident. This paper describes the process
of developing an in-service training programme for teachers who deal with learners with
emotional and behavioural barriers in their classrooms.

Method: A process of action research was used to allow the researcher, in collaboration
with 47 teachers from 2 primary schools, to develop a training programme to address the
specific needs of teachers in dealing with learners experiencing emotional and behavioural
barriers in their classes. Qualitative feedback from teachers and observations by the
researcher and external observers were used to evaluate the appropriateness of the training.

Findings: Teachers experienced that appropriate classroom management strategies made a

significant difference in the behaviour of learners experiencing emotional and behavioural
barriers. The training affected teachers’ attitudes, teacher–learner interaction, learner
behaviour and school organisation.

Conclusion: In-service training for teachers can affect the effective implementation of
inclusive education. This programme can be adapted to address the needs of teachers in
other areas.

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Pedagogy: Barriers to learning

6. REFERENCE

1. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002009000100007
2. https://blog.edlounge.com/removing-barriers-learning/
3. https://www.childpsych.co.za/barriers-to-learning/common-barriers-learning/
4. https://www.coursehero.com/file/p7dmihd/According-to-Lozanov-Dryden-Vos- 2005321-the-
three-main-barriers-to-learning-are/
5. https://successatschool.org/blog/507/What-are-the-Most-Common-Barriers-to-Learning-in-
School%3F
6. https://successatschool.org/blog/507/What-are-the-Most-Common-Barriers-to-Learning-in-
School%3F
7. http://inservice.ascd.org/10-strategies-and-practices-that-can-help-all-studentsovercome-
barriers/
8. “Barriers in the Learning of English: An Exploratory Study”, Author: Intakhab Khan,
ISSN: 2278-0998
9. “Emotional and behavioural barriers to learning and development in the inclusive
education classrooms in South Africa: Developing a training programme for teachers”
Authors: Pogieter-Groot, Maretha Visser and Carien Lubbe-de Beer.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, UVCE, Bangalore University Page 18