Learning Theories
There are many theories on the process of learning. It's all about the way you teach to elicit learning. Main theories include Behaviourism ( Skinner , Pavlov), Cognitivism (Vygotsky, Piaget), Social Learning (Bandura), Constructivism (John Dewey, Jerome Bruner) and Inquiry Learning. Learning theories provide insight into the complex processes in which learning takes place. To be able to teach you need to reflect your own theory on learning..
Behaviourism is learning based on external stimuli, eg. being positively or negatively reinforced will determine if expressed behaviour will be repeated. An example is when a little child express unwanted behaviour and is spanked, the likelihood of the behaviour occuring is diminished
Example of a comparative map of Learning Theories:
Cognitivism: Learning happens through constructing, analyzing and applying information. People aere intrinsically motivated. The mind is seen as a information processor. Retention and recall are emphasized through quality teaching practices. Based on the steps of understanding, retaining and recalling.
Social Learning: Learning occurs within a social context. People learn through observation and modelling other's behaviour. Self efficiency is important in this theory.
Constructivism: Learning is an active process where the learner is an active agent who internalise and reshapes information Learning is an contextualised process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring knowledge. Knowledge is based on personal experience. Learners bring past experience and cultural factors into the process so each person will have a different interpretation and construction of knowledge. This theory is an amalgamation of social, cognitive and experiential theories.
Inquiry Learning: Learning is inquiry based and is learner driven. This theory is based on Kulthau's model of learning.
I found this Powerpoint presentation on Slideshare.net. Hope it will help you understand a little better what all these theories are about
http://www.slideshare.net/santiniescolini/theoriesof-learning
Personally I think that learning do not follow just one process but is a combination of the different learning theories. When a child is small, he learns through Behaviourism and Social Learning, as their ability to process information is developed the Cognitivist Theory becomes more prevalent as also the Constructivist Theory.
I totally agree Charlene, we all are different and have different personalities. We are all so diverse; in the way we do things, think, and in just every aspect. So many factors needs to be taken into account when designing instructional sessions: what is being taught, what do you want to achieve, who are your target groups, etc. and therefore I do not think the theories are a one size fits all and they are just that theories and we, as librarians doing information literacy, should find what works for us and our users. We should tailor or programs accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI see the comparative map you posted has Connectivism as one of the theories. You should read up about it, I have posted a link in my blog to an article about Connectivism. Thanks also for your slideshare link, it was quite helpful.
Charlene I like your slide share and just want to add that B.F. Skinner is perhaps the predominant figure in American psychology. He is an experimental psychologist who has developed behaviorism as a position in learning. Skinner emphasizes observable behavior in the study of humans—hence the term “behaviorism.” He rejects any attempt at introspection or use of hypothetical internal processes or structures to account for learning. Instead, Skinner uses the consequences of a behavior to explain why the behavior continues or fades. Many of Skinner’s ideas are built upon Thorndike’s law of effect. Stated briefly, Skinner believes that behavior that is followed by reinforcement (positive or negative) has an increased probability of reoccurrence. Behavior followed by extinction or punishment has a decreased probability of re-occurrence. Since learning is implied by a change in behavior, a teacher must first determine what behavioral change is desirable, then manipulate the consequences to alter the probability of the behavior recurring. Through proper use of shaping, the teacher can promote the development of new behaviors. In concept, this is quite simple. In practice, it is a bit more difficult, but quite within grasp, as research and experience with programmed instruction and behavior modification show.
ReplyDeleteThe power point presentation make it easy to understand the theories. The theories are intertwined when preparing an information literacy instruction lesson. If the instructor take the theories into account when preparing his/her lesson than there will be provision made in the lesson for the slow or fast learner.The activities will be prepared in such a way that learners will not be bored during the instruction.
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