Transcript Psychology for teachers and students

Psychology for
teachers and
students
A short introduction
Knowledge and education
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Knowledge (‘ilm) is the ability to conclude a
meaning on certain thing (Syed Muhammad
Naquib al-Attas). Refer the definition of useful
knowledge and the division of knowledge
(epistemology).
Education is a process of moralising (ta’dib). It
does not only deal with cognitive and mental
process but must be followed by behaviour that
compliance with shari’ah – the manifestation of
soul.
Application of psychology
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Psychology or the study of soul could be
applied by teachers and students in:
 Motivating
to love the knowledge (‘ilm); to
study, to teach and to develope the
knowledge.
 To understand the personality and the
individual difference.
 To explain the learning and thinking process,
including the perception and memory.
Belief and motivation in learning (1)
Beliefs
Expectancy
X
Values
Motivations
Motivated
behaviours
• Dowson (2005) has drawn the model to visualize
the role of belief in any religion towards the
motivated behaviour influenced by the metaphysical
motivation. He concluded that the religious beliefs
are motivational because of highly valued outcome,
assured expectancies, and positive religious
efficacy.
Belief and motivation in learning (2)
• Every Muslim is responsible to learn and to teach as well as to
do research and to develope the knowledge – the manifestation
of the soul or more specific, the belief. The belief system creates
the metaphysics motivation, motivating the believers to follow the
rules and guidance according to the revealed knowledge.
Furthermore, the belief system nowadays is more significant for
the organization to boost their achievement.
• Csikszentmihalyi (1996) found that the high achievement by the
creative people in any field is not because of the materialism –
the material motivations. Metaphysics motivations that rooted by
the belief could be understood as the non-material motivations.
However, Muslim intellectuals should choose Islam as their belief
system, the most correct and true than other belief system, and
the God bless should be the ultimate goal in their career.
The choice in knowledge habit
‘Aql as the consultant
Qalb as the
decision maker
Nafs as the consultant
Man has the power of choice in knowledge habit; teaching, learning
etc. The decision that will be made by the heart (qalb) is consulted and
advised by the inner mind or intellect (‘aql) and soul (nafs) as shown in
the following Figure 2. Without any doubt, the true belief inside the
heart (qalb) is not enough without the ‘useful knowledge’ (as defined
above) inside the mind (‘aql) grounded by the revealed knowledge; alQuran and as-Sunnah. The decision maker role by the heart is
explained by the messenger of God p.b.u.h.: “Surely there is in the
body a small piece of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it
is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is surely the heart.”
(Recorded by al-Bukhari)
The important of mind and soul
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Abdul-Lateef Abdullah (2006): “As the motivating factor
was the Qur’an and the quest to know God through His
revelation and His creation, Islamic scholarship in the
classical age was not driven by the desire for wealth
creation, nation building, or international respect.
Individual perfection was the underlying goal, for the
Muslims of that age knew that knowledge and action
were the keys to true human development and progress.
The purification of the individual soul through knowledge
of God (including both revealed and rational knowledge),
and subsequently acting in accordance with this
knowledge, was the highest goal in life to scholars such
as Al-Ghazali and others. A great society can only result
from great individuals, and it is only from knowledge and
right action that great individuals can arise.”
Salam vs. Ibn al-Haitham
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Ziauddin Sardar (2007): The eras of Salam and al-Haitham
could not be more different. Al-Haitham flourished in a
civilisation which valued scientific enterprise, Salam the
product of a society where science was conspicuously absent.
What happened in the thousand years separating these two
Muslim physicists is a subject of intense study, conjecture and
controversy. My purpose tonight is to explore these issues
and suggest why conventional explanations are both
unsatisfactory and totally fail to indicate potential remedies,
the kind that would restore the enterprise of science in Muslim
societies.
(Continue): Two things can be stated with some certainty.
One, science thrived during the classical period of Islam; two,
science in Muslim society has suffered a drastic decline. The
difficulties arise in trying to ascertain when the decline began
and what the causes were. Historians of science offer different
dates and varied reasons.
The inspiration of the Quran
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Ziauddin Sardar (2007): The most common stance is simply
to blame Islam itself. There is something in the teachings of
Islam, the argument goes, which does not allow science to
take root in Muslim societies. This suggestion not only belies
history but also the basic teachings of Islam which proclaims
itself as an intrinsically rational worldview.
(Continue): Both Salam and al-Haitham were inspired by the
spirit of the Qur'an. Al-Haitham, wrote not only philosophical
but also religious treatises. He made two Qur'anic verses, one
stating believers should urge one another to truth' (103: 1) the
other that truth claims should be tested (33: 8), the basis of
his scientific work. He wrote: Truth is sought for its own sake&
(But) finding the truth is difficult, and the road to it is rough'.
Science, he suggested, should be based on severe criticism';
and the claims of scientists themselves should be put to
critical tests.
Learning (1)
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Learning as well as teaching are the utmost
important activities in education. Related
activities are reading, memorising, discussion,
debating, researching etc.
Learning is to acquire knowledge (‘ilm).
Every Muslim is oblige to learn, in other word
Muslim is oblige to read, to do research, to write,
and also to respect books and scholars (as a
kind of ibadah) towards the ultimate goal, God
bless (mardhatillah).
Learning (2)
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Adapted from Amir Awang (1986), learning
involve:
 Planned
and unplanned; e.g. accident.
 Formal, not formal, and informal.
 Controlled and uncontrolled; e.g. loving
somebody.
 Overt and covert (anger, love, hate etc.)
 Single and multi senses.
 Not included all of the entire behaviour
change.
Western learning theory
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Behaviourism (highlighting skills and behaviour
change) and cognitive (highlighting mental and
thinking process including problem solving and
creativity).
Behaviourism: Pavlov, Watson, Skinner,
Gestalt etc.
Cognitive: Piaget, Kurt Lewin, Gagne, Bruner,
Hull, Ausubel, Johler, Gutherie etc.
Le Farncois (1982): Hebb theory could be
considered as the 3rd major theory.
Behaviourism however…
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Focus on skills and behaviour change that can
be measured and be experimented, meanwhile
education involves psychomotor as well as
cognitive and affective.
Does not favour on internal process. For
instance creativity, which can be studied and be
taught.
Behaviourism as other western theories do not
accept the revealed knowledge as the
foundation and absolute reference of the theory.
Memory
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Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…And
remember your Lord when you forget…” [Qur'an
al-Kahf 18:24]
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: ... (Muhammad said) I
am only a human being and I forget just as you do; so
when I forget, remind me, ... (Abu Dawud: book 3,
number 1015, Hasan)
Al-Khateeb reported in al-Jaami‘ (2/387) that Yahya
ibn Yahya said: “A man asked Maalik ibn Anas, ‘O Abu
‘Abd-Allah! Is there anything that will improve my
memory?’ He said, ‘If anything will improve it, it is
giving up sin.’”
Akil: Knowledge as if light.