102. THE 14 LEARNER CENTERED PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES (LCP’S)

Meaning of LCP’S

CENTERED PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES (LCP’S)

The Learner-Centered Psychological Principles (LCPs) were developed by?

American Psychological Association (APA)

LCP’S four major categories:

• Cognitive and Metacognitive Factors

• Motivational and Affective Factors

• Developmental and Social Factors

• Individual Differences Factors

COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE FACTORS

These principles explain how learners acquire, organize, process, and apply knowledge. They also emphasize learners' ability to monitor and regulate their own thinking.

Cognitive

Thinking and learning. It’s how your brain collects information, makes sense of it, stores it, and uses it later.  

Metacognitive

Thinking about how you think. It’s being aware of your learning process, checking if you actually understand something, and changing your strategy if you’re stuck.

6 PRINCIPLES OF COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE FACTORS(NGCSTC)

• Principle 1: Nature of the learning process

• Principle 2: Goals of the learning process

• Principle 3: Construction of knowledge

• Principle 4 : Strategic Thinking

• Principle 5 : Thinking about Thinking

• Principle 6 : Context of Learning

• Principle 1: Nature of the learning process

• Learning works best when you want to learn and build meaning yourself, instead of just sitting like a robot.  

  • Unforgettable Example (The Lego Castle): Imagine someone dumped a box of Legos on your desk. If someone builds the castle for you, you don't really learn how it works. But when you decide to build it step-by-step, figure out which blocks fit together, and fix your own mistakes, you become a master builder! You are the boss of your own learning. 

• Principle 2: Goals of the learning process

• What it means: Over time, with a little help, you create big, meaningful pictures in your brain by setting goals.  

• • Unforgettable Example (The Giant Jigsaw Puzzle): When you open a 500-piece puzzle, it looks like a big messy pile of cardboard pieces. At first, it's confusing! But your goal is to finish the picture. You start small by finding the edge pieces. Bit by bit, with your teacher guiding you, the picture comes together until you see the whole beautiful superhero on the board! 

• Principle 3: Construction of knowledge

• What it means: You learn new stuff by snapping it onto things you already know.  

• • Unforgettable Example (Connecting Train Cars): Imagine your brain is a long train track. You already have a train car for "Cats" (they have fur, meow, and four legs). When you see a Tiger for the first time, you don't build a whole new train from scratch! You just hook the Tiger car right behind your Cat car because they share the same features. 

• Principle 4 : Strategic Thinking

• What it means: Smart learners use different secret tricks and tools to solve hard problems.  

• • Unforgettable Example (The Video Game Tool Belt): Imagine playing a video game where you fight a fire monster. If you only use a wooden sword, you lose! So you open your inventory and switch to a water shield or a magic spell. When you face a tricky math problem, you don't just guess; you pick the best tool from your mental belt—like drawing a picture, singing a trick song, or breaking it into smaller parts. 

• Principle 5 : Thinking about Thinking

• What it means: You check on your own brain while it works to see if you understand or need to change your plan.  

• • Unforgettable Example (The GPS Navigator): Imagine riding a bike to your friend's house. Halfway there, you pause and ask yourself: "Wait, am I on the right street, or am I lost?" If you realize you took a wrong turn, you stop, check your map, and turn around. Metacognition is that little voice inside asking, "Does this make sense, or do I need to try a new trick?" 

• Principle 6 : Context of Learning

• What it means: Where you are, who you're with, and the tech you use completely change how you learn.  

• • Unforgettable Example (Planting a Sunflower): If you plant a sunflower seed in dark, dry soil inside a closet without sunlight, it won't grow big and bright. But if you plant it in rich garden soil, water it daily, and give it warm sunlight, it blooms! You are the plant, and your classroom, teacher, friends, and tablet are the soil and sunlight helping you grow. 

MOTIVATIONAL AND AFFECTIVE FACTORS

The reasons why you want to learn. It’s your inner engine that keeps you moving, trying hard, and sticking with a tough task. 

Your feelings, moods, and beliefs about learning. When you feel confident, curious, or excited, your brain learns much better than when you feel scared or angry.

3 PRINCIPLES OF MOTIVATIONAL AND AFFECTIVE FACTORS (ME,IM,EM)

Principle 7 : Motivational and emotional influences on learning

Principle 8 : Intrinsic motivation to learn

Principle 9 : Effects of motivation on effort

• Principle 7 : Motivational and emotional influences on learning

The Idea: How you feel inside changes how well you learn.  

• Example: If the superhero is curious to see the view from the clouds, or feels excited, they soar into the sky easily! But if they are terrified of heights, their knees shake, and they can't fly straight. A little bit of excitement helps, but big scary feelings shut down their power! 

Principle 8 : Intrinsic motivation to learn

The Idea: You learn best when you choose to do something fun and interesting, not just because someone ordered you to.  

• Example: If someone forces the superhero to stack heavy rocks all day, they get bored and stop. But if you let them choose their own fun superhero mission—like saving a cute lost puppy—they get super excited and practice their flying without anyone even asking!

• Principle 9 : Effects of motivation on effort

The Idea: Hard stuff takes big effort and practice, and you only stick with it if you really want to achieve the goal.  

• Example: Learning to dodge laser beams takes days of practice. If the superhero doesn't care, they give up on the first try. But because they want to protect their friends, they spend hours practicing and pushing through, getting stronger every single day! 

DEVELOPMENTAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS

Learning is influenced by developmental capacities (aging/growth) and social interactions with others.  

2 PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS

• Principle 10 : Developmental influences on learning

• Principle 11 : Social influences in learning

• Principle 10 : Developmental influences on learning

The Idea: You learn best when lessons match your age and stage of life.  

• Example (The Bicycle Test): You don't hand a 2-year-old toddler a giant two-wheel racing bicycle and tell them to ride down a mountain! They start with a tiny tricycle. Once their legs grow strong and their balance improves, you give them a big-kid bike. Teaching works the exact same way!

• Principle 11 : Social influences in learning

The Idea: Talking, sharing, and working with nice people helps you learn better.  

• Example (The Two-Player Video Game): Imagine playing a tricky video game level completely by yourself versus playing co-op mode with a friend. When you work together, your friend spots secret doors you missed, helps you beat the boss, and cheers for you when you win! Working with classmates makes learning way easier and more fun. 

3 PRINCIPLES OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES FACTORS

• Principle 12 :  Individual differences in learning

• Principle 13 : Learning and Diversity

• Principle 14 :  Standards and assessment 

• Principle 12 :  Individual differences in learning

The Idea: Everyone has unique talents, learning speeds, and preferred ways to study.  

• Example (The Animal Race): A monkey, a fish, and an eagle are all given a test. If the test is climbing a tree, the monkey wins easily! But if the test is swimming, the fish wins. A great teacher doesn't force the fish to climb trees—they help each animal use their own special strengths to reach the finish line! 

Principle 13 : Learning and Diversity

The Idea: Learning is best when your background, language, and culture are valued.  

• Example (The Potluck Party): Imagine a class lunch where everyone brings a dish from their home country. When classmates try your favorite family food and say, "Wow, this is amazing!", you feel proud, happy, and ready to make new friends. When school respects who you are, your brain feels safe and excited to learn. 

• Principle 14 :  Standards and assessment 

The Idea: Setting high goals and checking your progress helps you grow.  

• Example (The Video Game High Score & Map): Imagine playing a game with no score and no levels—it would get boring fast! But when the game sets a High Score (Standard) and gives you a Mini-Map (Formative Assessment) showing where you are, you get excited to level up and improve!