Learning Theories

Learning Theories

Click the icon next to the learning theory to learn more! References

Behaviorism

Constructivism

The association between a provided stimulus and the response that follows.There is an emphasis on the consequences of actions without changing the response, but instead avoiding the stimulus.

Learners create meaning from experiences Branches from cognitivism Learning is an interpretation of the real world in our minds

Cognitivism

Major Theorist:

Triadic Reciprocal Causation:The relationship between behavior, personal thoughts, and environment Shift from studying observable behavior to more complex thinking processes

Major Theorist:

B.F. Skinneret

Jean Piaget

Major Theorist:

Albert Bandura

Behaviorism

Types of Learning Best Explained:

Role of Memory:

• Nonuse of responses will deteriorate a learner's response readiness
• Behaviorists pay more attention to the habits students create or have than memory, but do not consider them closely

Students benefit from

• instructional cues
• practicing concepts
• reinforcement

In order to

• generalize
• make associations
• perform a specified task/procedure

Does not explain how students develop higher level skills or intense processing for problem-solving and critical thinking

How Learning Occurs:

• environmental factors are very important
• learners are assessed for the best time to receive instruction
• effective reinforcers are used based on the individual students
• close attention to the environmental stimuli and consequences
• students transfer information by generalization and connections

Cognitivism

How Learning Occurs:

Types of Learning Best Explained:

• Changes between states of knowledge
• Focuses on what students know and how they learned the information
• Receiving, organizing, retrieving, and storing information in the brain
• Corrective feedback benefits the learner
• Planning, goals, and organization that lead up to response is the focus

• Complex learning processes
• Problem-solving
• information-processing
• reasoning
• Communicate knowledge in an efficient/effective way
• Simplified knowledge that is broken down and standardized information that can be analyzed is important

Role of Memory:

• Very important in the learning process
• Learning occurs if information is stored in an organized way
• Teachers relate information to prior knowledge so that it may be retained
• Forgetting of information happens when a student is unable to retrieve from their memory due to missing cues to access information or interference

Constructivism

How Learning Occurs:

Role of Memory:

• Meaning is created by humans
• Each person has a unique reality created from their own perception
• Knowledge is constantly changing
• Knowledge is affected by the context in which the learner applies or retrieves it

• Memory develops through repeated usage of knowledge
• Concepts can continually grow and develop with new experiences
• Memory grows and changes, nothing being cemented as learners create their perception and connect what information has been gathered.
• Learning must include activity for practice, a concept for retaining knowledge, and context to be retained in a meaningful way

Types of Learning Best Explained:

• Considered most effective for advanced learning
• Provides learners with the ability to handle complex or loosely structured problems
• Realistic as much is learned in a context of poor structure

References

Deeper Learning: Beyond 21st Century Skills, edited by James A. Bellanca, Solution Tree, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/lib/gcu/detail.action?docID=3404972. Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43–71. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/piq.21143 Films Media Group. (2003). Bandura’s social cognitive theory: An introduction. Films On Demand. Retrieved October 11, 2023, from https://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=96349&xtid=44898.