Learners, Learning and Learning Theories

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Learners, Learning and Learning Theories

• EDTEC 572
• COMET Week 2

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Learners Learning Theories

• Epistemology
• Expectations and understandings affect how and
  what we teach
• Factors that influence learners and learning
• Key learning theories
• Tool of the day Google in its Glory!

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Epistemology (From 10,000 feet)

• Branch of philosophy
• Theory of knowledge concerned with the nature and
  scope of knowledge
• Epistemology primarily addresses the following
  questions
• What is knowledge? (Philosophical question)
• How is knowledge acquired? (our focus)
• What do people know? (Analysis and assessment
  question)

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Factors That Influence Learning

• Cognitive
• Emotive
• Social

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Cognitive

• Learning Styles
• Prior Experience
• Prior Knowledge
• Achievement Goals
• Learning Activities

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Emotive

• Feelings of
• Self
• Community
• Learning Process
• Learning Atmosphere

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Social

• Context
• Community
• Communication
• Personal Attributes

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How do you address these factors for your
learners?

• Cognitive
• Emotive
• Social

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Learning Theories

• Behaviorism
• Cognitivism
• Constructivism

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Behaviorism

• Famous Behaviorists
• Skinner, Pavlov
• Overt behaviors that can be measured
• Sequence of cues teach objectives
• Use of positive and negative feedback
• Common applications
• Behavior Modification, Reinforcement Schedules
• Focus on repeating new behavior patterns until
  they become automatic

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Behaviorism Strengths vs. Weaknesses

• Teaching facts, simple procedures, concepts, and
  rules
• Most successful when learning cues are same as
  the desired performance

• Difficult to transfer learning to novel
  situations
• Unpredictable result when stimulus is absent
• No problem solving strategies

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When might you use Behaviorist approaches?
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Cognitivism (1)

• Well known names in the field
• Piaget, Miller and Bruner
• Focus on
• Thought process behind behavior
• Overt behaviors seen as indicators of thought
  processes

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Cognitivism (2)

• Beliefs about the learning process
• Build mental maps (schemas) modeled after expert
• Schemas used to inform decisions
• Three-Stage Info Processing Model
• Info is presented -gt processed in short-term
  memory -gtstored in long-term memory
• Might use scaffolding materials such as mnemonic
  devices, graphic or advanced organizers to
  support learning

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Cognitivism (3) Strengths vs. Weaknesses

• Skill transfer
• Effective to teach
• Complex behaviors
• The best way to perform a task
• Single way to perform within a specific
  population (company, military)
• Rules or ways to think

• Creates uniform behaviors
• Assumes behavior is the only or best way

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When might you use Cognitivist approaches?
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Constructivism

• Well-known names
• Piaget, Dewey, Vygotsky
• Common terms
• Inquiry-based, learning by doing, hands-on,
  collaborative
• Assumptions (based on Merrill)
• Knowledge is constructed from experience
• Learning is personal interpretation and an active
  process
• Learning should be situated in realistic settings
• Testing should be integrated in task, not
  separate event
• Process is paramount
• There is not one individual, unique reality but
  shared reality without which intellectual anarchy
  would prevail

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Constructivism Strengths vs. Weaknesses

• Inefficient to teach
• Recall of facts
• Memorization
• Situations where there is a single way to perform
  
• Difficult to evaluate learning objectively

• Effective to teach
• real life situations
• solve novel problems
• problem solving skills with multiple solutions
• Supports development of metacognitive skills

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Share examples of Constructivist activities
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Apply to Your Project

• As you develop your project, consider where will
  you use strategies from
• Behaviorism,
• Cognitivism, and
• Constructivism
• A final thought
• Design of instruction takes thought and careful
  development of processes to engage learners and
  meet learning outcomes

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In Moodle Forum Learning Theories and Current
Tech Uses

• In the discussion forum of Moodle, respond, in a
  few paragraphs, to these prompts
• What are the top three tech tools you currently
  use with your students?
• When using technology with students, do you
  notice any difference in their learning process
  or performance compared to when tech is not used?
  
• Which learning theories (if any) are addressed
  with your current instructional use of technology?