**7. Meaningful learning**

Today's field of education includes the relevant concept of "meaningful learning", which, for all aspects of learning, requires a different attitude than the traditional educational thought patterns. Through meaningful learning, the education system faces not only a challenge and an opportunity, but possesses the practical means to realize its commitment to the appropriate growth and empowerment of future generations [27]. Generally, meaningful learning refers to the intentional effort involved in relating new information to prior knowledge, especially new knowledge that is relevant to or experiential for the individual [28]. Meaningful learning were classified based on three criteria: (1) relevant prior knowledge of the student, (2) meaningful material organized by the teacher to connect to this prior knowledge, and (3) the conscious choice of the student to make connections between the prior knowledge and the new meaningful material. Integration between achievements of cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains can lead to meaningful learning [29, 30]. When a student is engaged in a learning activity and attempting to make sense of a new experience, the brain is inherently recalling previous feelings as well as previous thoughts and actions [31].

Meaningful learning connect the old information to the new information for understanding the difficult concept. It makes the learner in active and constrictive practices, which allow students to develop knowledge, reflects on the activities and articulates the information that are gained in a project [32–35]. It is also intentional and authentic by whom students are motivated towards a goal. Meanwhile, educators should plan their lessons and specify the outcomes that the students need to achieve. According to Meyers, there are three strategies for creating meaningful learning experiences such as (i) assessing early and often, (ii) letting the students get their feet wet, and (iii) welcoming student input in assignment and content [36]. There are five attributes of meaningful learning which are (i) cooperative learning, (ii) active learning, (iii) constructive learning, (iv) authentic learning and (v). Implementation these attributes with emotive cognition strategies in undergraduate teacher education programme enhance their meaningful learning behavior.

*Perspective Chapter: Emotive Cognition Strategies on Enhancing Meaningful Learning… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.111885*

## **8. Meaningful learning in teacher education**

Teacher education and teachers' professional development have regularly raised the problems of teacher education preparing teachers for delivering a predetermined curriculum instead of supporting their critical reflection and thinking skills [37, 38].

Meaningful learning practices in teacher education induce student-teachers to think logically, critical enquiry skills, individual and social understanding, solve problem and higher level cognitive functions. However, deeper understanding is needed for teacher education students' perception of meaningful learning. Student-teachers may construct their identity as teachers based on their processes of meaning making [39, 40]. Thus, the quality of their learning is an important element in their development as teachers and their teacher identity, as individual learning is naturally linked with changes in social role and identity. Meaningful learning occurs through learning habit, inside the classroom, outside the classroom and metacognitive behavior in learning. Undergraduate teacher education programme need to train their student-teachers meaningful learning behavior on above mentioned dimensions. It is explained in the following sections.

#### **8.1 Learning habit**

Learners have their own way of learning methods and techniques. These strategies develops the learning habit among learner. Every learner differ in their learning habit as well as their nature of learning preferences. The job of a teacher to cultivate the habit of new learning behavior, experience and ability to connect learned information with new information for meaningful learning. Developing appropriate leaning habit among learners enrich their knowledge, skills and behavior. Layng defines learning habits as the convergence of competencies in patterns of behavior aimed at learning [41]. The individual's learning habit is interrelated to cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and social/emotional behavior. Building these behaviors enhance individual learning habit.

#### **8.2 Learning inside the classroom**

In classroom learners acquire knowledge and skills through cognitive and emotional involvement. The cognitive and motivational quality of classroom instruction is extremely important for students' learning. Well-structured, clear instruction and use of moderately challenging tasks promotes students understanding. As a result, students' experience influences on increase of self-confidence and enjoyment, and a reeducation of boredom and anxiety. The motivational quality of instruction influences the perceived value of learning, thereby promoting enjoyment and reducing boredom. Motivational quality involves meaningful tasks that catch and hold students' interest and attention towards their attainment of learning goal. Teacher emotions influence students' learning. Teachers' positive emotions can promote students' enjoyment of learning within the classroom and can have long-lasting effects on the value of learning perceived by students, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) [42]. Therefore, appropriate cognitive and emotional applications in classroom teaching can enhance students' meaningful learning.

#### **8.3 Learning outside the classroom**

Learning takes place outside the classroom also. Learning outside the classroom is the use of places other than the classroom for teaching and learning. Learners

observe, practice and get experience outside the classroom based on what they have learned inside the classroom. Learners can learn outside the class room. Some learns feel hard to engage inside the classroom environment. They learn freely or interestingly with their peer group outside the classroom. They interact, discuss, collaborate, argue and express positive and negative feelings and engage the self-learning behavior while learning outside the classroom. Learning outside the classroom can happen at almost any time and almost anywhere – outdoors or indoors: in the institutional grounds, in museums and art galleries, field trip or elsewhere in the world. Students can participate in debates even outside the class. They also participate in writing and oratory competition, inter and intra cultural events and active role in team projects outside the class. Learning outside the classroom creates progressive experiences and it develops knowledge and skills among learners. It is a powerful tool that is proven to raise attainment, strengthen social, emotional and personal development and contributes to the health and wellbeing of the learners.

#### **8.4 Metacognitive behavior in learning**

Metacognition is defined as individuals' knowledge about their cognitive behaviors or arranging these behaviors through the learning process [43, 44]. Metacognitive knowledge and skills are essential in effective learning. Metacognitive knowledge can be described as the knowledge, awareness, and deeper understanding of one's own cognitive processes and products [45]. Metacognitive skills can be defined as learning how to learn [46]. Metacognition refers to the knowledge one possesses about cognitive processes, monitoring and regulating these cognitive processes in order to serve a concrete goal [47]. With more detailed expression, it can be said that metacognition involves knowledge about cognitive process, and monitoring and controlling of this process [48, 49]. It plays important role in process of learning. Learners' metacognitive behavior in learning enables their regulation in cognitive process, monitoring, understanding ability and problem solving skills. It generates meaningful learning among learners.

#### **8.5 Meaningful internship and school experience**

Pre-service teacher education programme should provide and engage meaningful learning internship and school experience. During the internship training programme pre-service teachers need to understand the curriculum, pedagogical practice, classroom climate and appropriate usage of teaching and learning aids. They should understand the cognitive, emotional, social and physiological aspects of learners and teaching-learning environment. Through internship student-teachers train to design, organize, and conduct meaningful classroom activates, critically reflect upon their own practices through observations, record keeping and evaluation of students and evaluation himself. Pre-service teachers should get meaningful school experience through observing the in-service teachers while teaching in their classroom. It create awareness among student-teachers regarding classroom management, learners cognitive engagement, in-service teacher emotional management and learners emotional expressions. These practices proved pre-service teachers to understand the school experience and it will helpful for regular teacher in a school. National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE) [50].

To enhance meaningful learning among undergraduate student-teachers, the teacher education programme should have proper emotive cognition strategies application in their programme. When the student-teachers get meaningful learning experience during their pre-service training, definitely they will inculcate the behavior of meaningful learning in their learners.
