Title: Learning%20Theories
1Learning Theories
- Sarah Harris
- EME 2040-5499
2How Do We Learn?
- Is learning a product of our behavior and
acquisition of concepts, or is it the process
that leads us to understanding? - There are many theories on how we learn and how
we perceive and process information. It is a
matter of determining styles and methods of
instruction to best fit the learning process for
maximum retention of knowledge.
3Constructivism
- Bruners theory emphasizes instruction based on
the study of cognition and linked to child
development research as well as social and
cultural aspects of learning - Instructor must encourage learner to discover
concepts on their own - Instruction must make the student ready and
willing to learn through a connection in context
with experience - Instruction must be structured to be easily
grasped - Spiral organization of instruction for building
knowledge - Instruction designed for exploration and going
beyond the information presented - For more information visit Funderstanding
Constructivism
4Behaviorism
- Learning is a function of a change in behavior
- Behavior is a response of an individual to events
or stimuli that occur in the environment - Skinners theory of operant conditioning aims to
provide behavioral explanations for cognition - He also aims to explain motivation and response
as well as discuss the issues of free will and
social control - Reinforcement is the key element in Skinners
theory - This element includes both positive and negative
reinforcers as well as punishment and their
effects on establishing and maintaining behavior - For more information visit Behaviorism
5Behaviorism
- Pavlovs theory of classical conditioning and
reflex learning - Learning doesnt depend on us doing anything
- An unconditioned stimulus resulting in an
unconditioned response presented with a
conditioned stimulus will eventually produce a
conditioned response - Learning by association
6Cognitivism
- Our mind is composed of a sensory register,
short-term memory, and long term memory - These memory stores register, process, store, and
retrieve information - Miller proposed several theoretical ideas on
information processing that would replace the
stimulus-response idea of behaviorism - Chunk a meaningful unit of information (digits,
words, faces, etc.) capacity of short-term
memory is 5-9 chunks - Test-Operate-Test-Exit (TOTE) a goal is tested
for achievement, an operation is performed in
attempt, and test-operate is repeated until the
goal is either achieved or abandoned - For more information visit The Information
Processing Approach to Cognition
7Contrasting the Theories
Constructivism Behaviorism Cognitivism
Active and Exploratory Learning Learners construct new ideas building on current and previous knowledge and experiences Learning in response to a stimulus Learner has no control Learning shaped by repetition and reinforcement Information Processing through memory stores Use of retention strategies
Interactive Learning Group Work/Projects Visualization of concept through hands-on-activities Simulation Open-ended Questions Dialogue Instructional Design Immediate Feedback Question and Answer Reinforcement Computer Assisted Instruction Symbolic Representations Lecture Direct Instruction Video, Visual Presentations
8The information included in this presentation
provides a foundation for understanding the many
diverse learning theories that have been
developed and their importance in
education. Three learning theories have been
presented along with the basic concepts
concerning them. I have discussed the work done
by theorists in forming these views on learning
as well as how these theories can be incorporated
in the classroom with the use of technology.