Learning Theories

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Learning Theories

• Mary Knestrick
• Section 1357

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Behaviorism

• It has often been said that, Behave is what
  organisms do.
• Behaviorism- a term first used by John Watson, is
  a theory of animal and human learning that only
  focuses on objectively observable behaviors and
  discounts mental activities.

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Behaviorism

• In other words, if you are a behavior theorist,
  you define learning as nothing more than the
  acquisition of new behavior.
• Some famous behavior theorists are Ivan Pavlov,
  John Watson, and B.F. Skinner.
• For more information on behaviorism go to
  Funderstanding- Behaviorism.

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Cognitivism
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Cognitivism

• Cognition is the primary source of study
• Cognitivism- a theoretical approach to
  understanding the mind, which argues that mental
  function can be understood by quantitative,
  positivist and scientific methods, and that such
  functions can be described as information
  processing models.
• For information on Cognitivism go to
• Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia

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Constructivism

• Constructivism is a philosophy of learning
  founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our
  experiences, we construct our own understanding
  of the world we live in.
• Each of us generates our own "rules" and "mental
  models," which we use to make sense of our
  experiences.
• Learning, therefore, is simply the process of
  adjusting our mental models to accommodate new
  experiences.
• For information on Constructivism go to
• Funderstanding- Constructivism

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• There are two schools of thought studied by
  Constructivists Cognitive Constructivism and
  Socio-Cultural Constructivism.

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How people learn vs. Use of Technology
Behaviorism Cognitivism Constructivism
How people learn Learning is accomplished by doing, experience, trial and error. Learning is accomplished by cognitive processes such as info. processing, symbol manipulation, and knowledge construction. Learning is accomplished by problem solving, metacognition, and critical thinking.
How technology can be used Teaching machines Instructional films and TV Instructional design Direct Instruction Simulations Artificial intelligence Expert systems Intelligent tutorial systems (CMI) Virtual reality and environments A tool for the learner An integral part of the cognitive activity Programming (LOGO) Mindtools