Learning%20Theories

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Learning Theories

• Sarah Harris
• EME 2040-5499

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How 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.

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Constructivism

• 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

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Behaviorism

• 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

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Behaviorism

• 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

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Cognitivism

• 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

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Contrasting 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
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The 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.