1.5.6 LEARNING CURVE
Laboratory experiments on skill learning consistently prove that the first trials are slow and coordination is lacking. Mistakes are frequent, but provide clues for improvement on further trials. Students may have reached the limit of their capabilities, their interest may have waned, or they may need more efficient instruction before they can progress further. It must be emphasized that the plateau does not necessarily mean that learning has ceased or that further progress is impossible. This leveling off process is to be expected after the normal initial period of rapid improvement. Students may feel frustrated and discouraged by this apparent lack of progress unless they are told to anticipate it.
A beginning student quickly reaches a point where additional practice may reverse progress. To prevent discouragement, practice of the particular task should be terminated before tension and fatigue occur. Then, after the student has gained experience, longer practice periods will be profitable.
Another consideration is whether to divide the allotted time into segments or to plan on one long, continuous sequence. This depends largely on the student's stage of training. The process of learning to fly an airplane consists of related subgroups of skills which allow the instructor a certain amount of flexibility in planning a flight training session.
In the final analysis, the question is, "Can the student use the skill?" For the answer to be affirmative, two conditions must be present : the student must have learned the skill so well that it is easy, even habitual, to perform and there must be recognition of the situations where it is appropriate to use the skill. The second condition involves the transfer of learning, which is discussed later in this chapter.
1.5.7 THEORIES OF FORGETTING
To be useful, the thing which was learned must be retained, so it can be recalled as needed. Consideration of why people forget may indicate ways to help them remember. The following are the various theories which contribute to forgetting.