Learning Theory Comparison

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Learning Theory Comparison
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What is Learning?

• Learning is a Relatively Permanent Change in
  Behavior
• Learning is Information Processing
• Learning is Remembering and Recalling
• Learning is Social Negotiation
• Learning is Thinking Skills
• Learning is Knowledge Construction
• Learning is Conceptual Change
• Learning is Activity
• Learning is Distributed Among the Community

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Goal

• Behaviorism to condition a response through an
  elicited stimulus
• Cognitivism - to communicate or transmit
  knowledge to students in an efficient and
  effective manner.
• Constructivism - To help learners to construct
  their own meaning of the world around them

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Knowledge/Learning

• Behaviorism Learning is a change in behavior
  that results from environmental stimuli
• Cognitivism - Learning has occurred when new
  knowledge has been placed (effectively) in longer
  term memory
• Constructivism
• Learning is equated with creating meaning from
  experience
• What we know is determined by our interpretations
  of our experiences with the world (prior
  knowledge, as well)
• Knowledge cannot be transferred from one person
  to the other

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Memory

• Behaviorism - Memory is not an observed response,
  and therefore is not a significant aspect of
  behaviorism
• Cognitivism - Memory plays a prominent role.
  Learning results when information is stored in
  long-term memory in an organized, meaningful way.
• Constructivism - memory is continually
  constructed and reconstructed
• students continually elaborate on and interpret
  information
• concepts evolve as the learner encounters new
  situation and negotiates meaning

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Transfer

• Behaviorism transfer occurs when similar
  situations and stimuli are presented and the
  student provides desired response
• Cognitivism transfer occurs when a learner can
  apply knowledge in different contexts
• Constructivism real transfer occurs when a
  learner can apply knowledge in different contexts
• Transfer is facilitated by involving learners in
  authentic tasks that are anchored in meaningful
  contexts
• If learning is decontextualized, transfer will be
  unlikely

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Learning best explained

• Behaviorism - recalling facts, defining and
  illustrating concepts, making associations
  (applying explanations) and automatically
  performing responses
• Cognitivism - complex forms such as reasoning,
  well structured problem solving and information
  processing
• Constructivism - Advanced knowledge acquisition,
  complex and ill-structured problems, higher order
  thinking

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Doesnt address well

• Behaviorism - applying information in new
  environments, critical thinking, creative
  thinking, higher level skills, problem solving,
  inferencing
• Cognitivism - skills that require greater depth
  of processing. Ex language development, ill
  structured problem solving, inferencing
• Constructivism - For introductory knowledge
  (facts, concepts) of a discipline When learners
  are novices When they have no prior knowledge

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Role of instructor

• Behaviorism Totally in charge,
  teacher-centered, lectures, directs
  drill/practice activities
• Cognitivism activates prior knowledge assists
  learner in organizing information so that it can
  be readily assimilated into long term memory AND
  easily retrieved from long term memory
• Constructivism - Facilitator or mentor for the
  learning Provides coaching, encouragement, etc.

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Role of learner

• Behaviorism - The student is passive.
• Cognitivism - The learner is active. Constructs
  information maps, mental models. Determines
  which new information to attend to. Activates
  prior knowledge in order to make connections and
  add new information to long term memory
• Constructivism - Actively engaged in constructing
  own knowledge about the topics, in solving
  problems, and in higher order thinking.

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Instruction that facilitates learning

• Behaviorism
• provide the stimuli and reinforcement
• provide opportunities for practice
• use cues use reinforcement
• provide learning objectives prior to instruction,
  drill and practice, and fading
• Cognitivism
• help learners organize
• relate information to existing knowledge in
  memory
• Constructivism
• Learner actively involved in elaborating on and
  interpreting information
• meaning must be created by learner
• objectives are rarely pre-specified
• should promote collaboration and multiple
  perspectives
• embed learning in realistic and relevant
  environments
• encourage ownership in learning

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Major contributors

• Behaviorism
• Classical conditioning (Pavlov) S-R
• Operant conditioning (Skinner) reinforcement
  shaping behavior (fading chaining or sequencing
  complex behaviors)
• Connectionism (Thorndike) law of exercise
  (practice makes perfect) law of effect (learning
  occurs with reinforcement)
• Cognitivism
• Cognitive information processing (Atkinson)
• Meaningful Learning (Ausubel)
• Schema Theory (Anderson)
• Situated Cognition (Brown, Collins)
• Dual Coding (Paivio)
• Constructivism
• Developmental Theory (Piaget)
• Discovery Learning (Bruner)
• Sociohistorical Theory (Vygotsky)