What Does the Teaching-Learning Process Consist of?

Teaching and learning are directly related and form a complex process. In this article, we explain the elements involved in the teaching-learning process.

Written and verified by the psychologist Ana Couñago.

Last update: 12 October, 2022

Schools have the function of teaching children certain knowledge and skills that they must learn. In this regard, we should note that the teaching-learning process is very complex and involves various elements. In this article, we explain everything you need to know about this topic.

The first thing to keep in mind is that learning, retaining information, and knowing how to apply it correctly isn’t an easy task. But the teacher’s work isn’t easy either, since teachers must relate properly with their students, in order to get to know them well and discover how to transmit and impart knowledge so that they understand and assimilate it.

Differences between education, teaching, and learning

To understand what the teaching-learning process in education consists of, it’s necessary to know the definition and the differences that exist between the following terms:

• Education. It’s a process that involves the development of a person’s potential and skills, especially those related to the affective and social sphere. Therefore, education occurs throughout the life cycle in different contexts, such as in the family, school, and circle of friends, among others.
• Teaching. It’s a process that takes place at a specific stage in people’s lives. Thus, for learning to occur, it’s important for a reciprocal communicative interaction between the students and teachers to exist.
• Learning. It’s a process in which teachers and students must act actively and consciously, in order to achieve certain goals related to behavioral and cognitive development. In other words, learning is aimed at promoting critical and creative thinking and promoting good behavior.

What does the teaching-learning process consist of?

The teaching-learning process is one that occurs intentionally, both by the teacher and the student. In other words, the teacher has to want to teach and the student has to want to learn. Thus, both functions are directly related and are essential for this process to take place correctly.

In this sense, teachers must plan the activities and teaching strategies they’ll implement in the school context. In addition, they have to evaluate whether the expected goals were achieved. On the other hand, students must strive and learn from the instructions given in class and through the educational resources available to them.

Furthermore, students, as apprentices, must gradually carry out the following learning stages, which are interconnected:

• Motivation and interest.
• Attention.
• Acquisition.
• Understanding.
• Assimilation.
• Application.
• Transfer.
• Self-evaluation.

The ultimate goal of the teaching-learning process is for students to acquire a series of skills and contents that are specified in an educational curriculum.

Elements involved in the teaching-learning process

In short, we can say that the elements involved in this process are:

• The active figure of the teacher and the student.
• Open and fluid communication among teachers and among teachers and students.
• The clear determination of goals, content (conceptual, procedural, and attitudinal) and skills that must be developed throughout the process.
• The implementation of appropriate methodologies for knowledge transmission and application.
• The existence of various educational resources and means to facilitate learning.
• A continuous evaluation system to assess the functions of both teachers and students.
• The educational and cultural context that directly affects the entire teaching-learning process.