Learning Theories

What are some of the leading learning theories and who are some of the theorists that contributed to them?

Behaviourism
Behaviourism attempts to explain that learning is achieved through conditioning; Specifically by rewarding correct behaviour and punishing incorrect behaviour.

Below, we see two examples of Behaviourism. On the left is a clip from the movie 'A Clockwork Orange' which demonstrates behaviourism in a particularly disturbing form. On the right is a clip from a film which shows BF Skinner's 'Teaching Machine' in action.

The main character, Alex, has a penchant for violence. In order to correct his behaviour, a doctor clamps his eyes open and forces him to watch violent scenes set to classical music. Upon completion of the treatment he cannot witness violence nor hear classical music without feeling nauseous.	B F Skinner’s teaching machine demonstrates the student being provided stimulus and consequently being rewarded immediately if the the answer is correct.

Cognitivism
To explain Cognitivism, we can use a computer as a metaphor for the brain. Just as computers have filing systems and structures, Cognitivism tells us that so too does the brain. Our brain files the information or ‘schema’ we learn based on existing information for easy retrieval.
Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development suggests that children develop in four sequential stages. Using information from Piaget's Theory (Piaget, J. 1964), below I have created a diagram to demonstrate these stages:

This is an example of Cognitivism as learning is done sequentially and schema is continually built on from one stage to the next.

Humanism
Humanism encourages intellectual growth through self-actualisation rather than content.
This scene from Dead Poets Society shows students learning through a humanist approach:



What makes it a humanist approach is that the teacher is encouraging students to think about why they are there.
Humanities subjects are also based in Humanism because although they may not necessarily be useful to student in a practical sense, they encourage the student to think about things such as where they came from and what their place in the world is.

Below I will speak about Maslow who is a famous Humanist theorist.

Constructivism and Social Constructivism
Constructivism tells us that individuals interpret learning based on cultural background, life experience and other factors that are unique to themselves. Social constructivism grew from Constructivism and explains that social groups learn based on life experience of other group members, that individuals can affect group learning and vice versa.

‘Scaffolding’ is social constructivist technique developed by Jerome Bruner from the work of Lev Vygotsky whereby students are assisted to complete tasks beyond their ‘zone of proximal development’ with the assistance of other students and teachers. Once the student has an understanding of the task, the support (or scaffolding) is taken away and cognitive development occurs. To the right, I have created a diagram which demonstrates how this occurs.

How do different learning theories influence teaching practice?

Behaviourism
Behaviourism is part of most tutorial style lessons. When a teacher poses a question and a student answers correctly, they are usually rewarded with a response such as "Good!". By rewarding students with a positive response, teachers are effectively conditioning students to continue trying to answer questions correctly.

Cognitivism
Cognitivism also plays a major role in the education of most students. When a teacher instructs students to read a chapter of a text book and answer some review questions, they are using Cognitivism. Text books are usually divided into chapters which are structured sequentially and introduce new information (schema) based on topics covered in previous chapters. They also provide opportunity for reinforcement throughout by using tools such as quizzes and summaries.

Humanism
Humanism can influence teaching practice by making teachers aware of students needs. Maslow's 'hierarchy of needs' states that in order for students to be in a state where they can learn effectively, they first need to have lower level needs addressed.
Click on the thumbnail below to view the hierarchy of needs:

Social Constructivism
Literature Circles are an example of Social Constructivism. Instead of the cognitive method of having students read individually, students are asked to form groups and assume different roles. By having students report what they learned from their own perspective, they are providing other group members with a unique insight that they may have not otherwise received. See this video for an example of literature circles in action: