Learning Readiness
Learning readiness is the capacity and willingness to learn — a physical and mental capacity that provides the necessary background for a person to learn. According to Ausubel, readiness is the adequacy of a child’s existing capacity in relation to some instructional objective. A learner’s development in terms of ability, physical and mental maturity, and prior learning together constitute their learning readiness; readiness includes all the preparatory adjustments that immediately precede a learning activity. A state of readiness exists only when a child is both able and prepared to learn — capacity plus inclination together.
Two factors considerably influence a child’s readiness to learn: their needs and their developmental status. If a child shows enthusiasm for a learning task and sustains interest through the period of instruction, a teacher can reasonably assume readiness — though the single best criterion for judging readiness is whether the child actually masters the concept, skill, or principle being taught.
Why Readiness Matters
Learning readiness is essential for effective learning: specific learning simply won’t occur until the learner is ready for it. A ready, mentally-set learner learns faster, better, and with greater satisfaction; lacking readiness produces a slower rate of gain and lower retention. Readiness is the base from which all learning has to start — without it, learning either cannot happen, or proceeds only with great difficulty and inefficiency. A child who hasn’t reached the stage of readiness cannot find real interest in a learning task, and cannot be motivated to learn.
The Learning Curve
A learning curve is a graphical representation of how learning takes place in a particular situation — a graph in which the X-axis represents some measure of practice, and the Y-axis plots a measure of proficiency. It depicts the rate of improvement across various learning situations, and comes in four types:
| Curve Type | Shape & Meaning |
| Straight Line Curve | Shows constant, steady progress in learning. |
| Convex Curve | Negatively accelerated — rapid initial improvement that slows down over time. |
| Concave Curve | Positively accelerated — slow initial improvement that increases over time, ultimately leading toward mastery. |
| Concave-Convex Curve | An S-shaped curve combining a concave and convex curve, formed by slow initial success followed by a rapid phase, then a levelling off. |
Uses of the Learning Curve for Teachers
- Helps the teacher recognise individual differences in learning among students.
- Helps the teacher improve their method of teaching.
- Provides an opportunity for self-appraisal.
- Helps the teacher understand the emotional life and other personality characteristics of the learner.
- Helps in selecting appropriate teaching aids.
- Helps maintain a proper record of a student’s regular progress.
- Helps students track and acquaint themselves with their own progress.
- Helps the teacher compare one student’s progress against others in the class.
The Learning Plateau
A learning plateau is a long, flat, horizontal stretch in the learning curve, representing a stationary stage where apparently no progress in learning is recorded. It marks a period in the learning process where no improvement occurs even with continued trials or practice — the curve runs flat, parallel to the X-axis, before (often) rising again. In other words, a period of no progress on a learning curve is referred to as a plateau.
Important causes of plateau formation in learning include:
- Poor or faulty method of learning.
- Physical as well as mental fatigue.
- Lack of proper motivation or loss of interest.
- Too much difficulty and complexity of the task.
- The conflict of previous learning with new learning.
- Transition from a lower to a higher level of performance.
- Poor and unfavourable environment and working conditions.
- Mental or physical illness of the learner.
- Distraction or lack of proper attention.
- Satisfaction of the learner with moderate achievement.
