Theories of

Teaching and

Learning

Teresa MerrittEDLE 5010

January 2015

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Learning theoriesBehavioral Theory

Cognitive Theory

Constructivist Theory

Behavioral perspectiveGive me a child and I’ll shape him

into anything.

B.F. SkinnerEmphasized the importance of antecedents

and consequences in changing behavior.

Behavioral perspectiveKnowledge and

LearningFixed body of knowledge to acquire

Knowledge is acquired through:ExplanationDemonstrationGuided Practice

Learning is defined as a change in behavior brought about by experience with virtually no concern for the mental or internal processes of thinking.

Behavioral perspectiveTeaching & role of

teacherTeachersSupervisors

Provide stimulus material and prompting correct response

View errors as not enough conditioning

Behavioral perspectiveStudents & classmates

Receiver of information

Active in practice until behavioral change is permanent

Behavioral perspectiveTeaching approaches

Learning Objectives

Direct Instruction

Good Behavior Game

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)

Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS)

Behavioral perspectivePractical classroom application

Contracts

Reinforcement

Consequences

Extinction

Behavior Modification

Modeling, Shaping, & Cueing

Behavioral perspective

Direct instructionSTRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

students work for things that bring them positive feelings

generally avoid behaviors they associate with unpleasantness and develop habitual behaviors from those that are repeated often (Parkay & Hass, 2000)

Help in acquiring procedural knowledge exercised in performance of task

Works best with the knowledge, comprehension, and application level of Bloom’s taxonomy

Lesson objectives include easy to observe behaviors that can be measured accurately; Easy to asses

Found to be effective with at-risk students

Students who receive D.I. tend to do

slightly better on achievement tests

Teacher directed / Teacher centered focus

Limited student choice of activity

Emphasis on Rote Learning and little on understanding and how information relates to stored knowledge

Factual questions and controlled practice in instruction

Students have limited opportunities for self-exploration / experimentation

Limited opportunities for application to real life situations / problems

Students test slightly worse on tests that require abstract thinking (creativity, problem solving)

Behavioral perspective

Cognitive perspectiveJ. R. Anderson believes that one of the things

that makes us as humans unique is our ability to pick up a brand new competence – whether it’s driving a car or solving math problems. This notion has driven Anderson to spend the past decades researching how the brain works and

creating better ways for students to learn.

Cognitive perspectiveKnowledge and

LearningFixed body of knowledge to acquire

Facts, skills, concepts and strategies occurs through the effective application of strategies

learning involves the transformation of information in the environment into knowledge that is stored in the mind. Learning occurs when new knowledge is acquired or existing knowledge is modified by experience

emphasizes the active mental processing of information

Cognitive perspectiveKnowledge and

LearningPart of the learning process involves organizing the new information as well as becoming capable of more sophisticated thought as new information is built.

In cognitivism, the mind is likened to a computer into which data, or information, is relayed and then processed, and then leads to outcomes, or new knowledge.

Cognitive perspectiveTeaching & role of

teacherTransmission – guiding toward more accurate & complete information

Guide – model effective strategies and correct misconceptions

present information in a way which calls upon students' previously acquired knowledge

help students acquire new knowledge by using techniques which enable them to bring their "attention" to the information presented by stimuli, "encode" the information by attaching it to previously acquired information within the short-term memory, and finally store learned information in and "retrieve" learned information from the long-term memory

Cognitive perspectiveTeaching & role of

teacherHelp students organize information in meaningful chunks

Present information in an organized and clear fashion

Focus on meaning, not memorization

Make sure students have needed declarative knowledge to understand new information

Help students learn to manage their resources, know their own cognitive skills, use them deliberately, and monitor comprehension – become self-regulated (Bruning, Schraw, & Ronning, 1999; Woolfolk, 2013.)

Cognitive perspectiveStudents & classmates

Processor of new information

Control their own learning

Strategy user

Organize new information they receive

Associate new information with material they have already learned (schema)

Work collaboratively & given support to engage in task –oriented dialogue with one another

Cognitive perspectiveStudents & classmates

Engage in complex, meaningful, problem – based activities

Apply knowledge in diverse & authentic contexts, to explain ideas, interpret texts, predict phenomena, & construct arguments based on evidence, rather than focus on the acquisition of predetermined “right answers”

As children grow, they become more capable of sophisticated and complex thoughts

Cognitive perspectiveTeaching approaches

Visual tools – graphs and charts

Underlining or Highlighting

Taking notes

Mnemonics

Dual Coding Theory

Concept Mapping & Advanced Organizers

Cognitive perspectiveSTRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Organized structure to learning

Learners are active participants in their learning

Suited well for problem solving

Produces consistency; everyone accomplishes tasks the same way

Helps learners learn to think and think to learn

Teacher directed / Teacher centered focus

Because learning is very structured, it may become difficult to adapt to changes in what has already been processed & learned

While schemas help make learning more meaningful, a learner may be at a disadvantage if relevant schemas / pre-requisite knowledge is not available

Discounts the effect / importance of other things that may affect student’s learning (ex. emotions, experiences, free will, etc.)

Tends to measure more quantitative than qualitative learning/ results

Constructivist perspective(Psychological / Individual Constructivism)

Are we forming children who are only capable of learning what is already known?

Or should we try to develop creative and innovative minds , capable of discovery from the from the preschool age on, throughout life?

Jean Piaget

Constructivist perspective(Social Constructivism)

What a child can do today with assistance, she will be able to do by herself tomorrow.

Lev Vygotsky

Constructivist perspective

Central ideas:1. Learners are active in constructing own knowledge

2. Social interactions are important in knowledge construction process (Bruning, Schraw, & Norby, 2011)

Constructivist perspective

(Psychological / Individual Constructivism)

(Social Constructivism)

Knowledge and Learning

Changing body of knowledge, individually constructed in the social world – but some understandings clearly superior to others

Active construction & reconstruction of prior knowledge

Occurs through multiple opportunities to connect with what is already known

Socially constructed knowledge; knowledge reflects the outside world as filtered through & influenced by culture, language, beliefs, & interactions with others

Collaborative construction of socially defined knowledge & values

Occurs through socially constructed opportunities

Both external and internal factors direct knowledge formation

Internal processes directs knowledge formation

Main goal of education should be to help children learn how to learn, and that education should “form not furnish” the

minds of students (Piaget, 1969)

Constructivist perspective

(Psychological / Individual Constructivism)

(Social Constructivism)

Teaching & role of teacher

Challenging & guiding students toward a more complete understanding

Facilitator – listen to student’s ideas & thinking and provide direction

Teacher & student co-constructing knowledge

Guide, facilitator, & partner – listen to socially constructed knowledge & help co-construct knowledge

Modeling, Coaching, and assistance with scaffolding

Constructivist perspective

Other s are part of the process of knowledge construction

Active co-constructor of knowledge; active social participant

students(Psychological / Individual

Constructivism)(Social Constructivism)

Stimulate questions & raise questions

Active constructor of knowledge; active thinker and interpreter

Constructivist perspective

(Psychological / Individual Constructivism)

(Social Constructivism)

Teaching approaches

Conceptual change teaching

Pure discovery learning

Cognitive apprenticeship

Reciprocal teaching

Cooperative Learning (Jigsaw, scripted cooperation, )

Scaffolding – teachers and students create meaningful connections between teachers’ cultural knowledge and the everyday experience & knowledge of the student.

Authentic Tasks – activities and kinds of situations that studentswill face as they apply what they are learning to real – world problems (Brown, 1990; Needels & Knapp, 1994)

Problem – Based Learning

Constructivist perspectiveSTRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Student focused /centered

Learners are active participants in their learning

Suited well for problem solving

Activities are interactive; places emphasis on sensory input

Increase relevancy

More tolerant of different cultures and encourages diversity rather than other theories

Student focused /centered

Lack of structure

Constructivism calls for the teacher to discard standardized curriculum in favor of a more personalized course of study based on what the student already knows

Removes grading in the traditional way & instead places more value on students evaluating their own progress

May lead students to be confused & frustrated because they may not have the ability to form relationships & abstracts between the knowledge they already have & the knowledge they are learning for themselves

All students must be able to think critically & creatively & solve problems

Balanced approach to teaching….

Teresa MerrittEDLE 5010

January 2015

1. Consider the subject matter / goal for instruction

2. Consider teacher’s level of expertise and comfort level in using chosen strategy

3. Consider students’ learning styles

4. Consider students’ ability / skill level

5. Consider size of class

6. Use a combination of strategies and possibly determine a dominant mode / strategy for instruction

http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/jhaberkorn/edpsy399ol/l11q4.html

http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Behaviorism

http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/beduc/chapter_5.pdf

http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_197910_peterson.pdf

http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/14255_Chapter4.pdf

http://www.education.com/reference/article/comparison-directed-constructivist/

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/76645-pros-and-cons-of-constructivist-learning-theory/

http://teachinglearningresources.pbworks.com/w/page/31012664/Cognitivism

https://techforinstructionandassessment.wikispaces.com/Cognitivism

http://ci484-learning-technologies.wikispaces.com/Behaviorism,+Cognitivism,+Constructivism+%26+Connectivism

http://www.csun.edu/~sk287035/coursework/646/assignments/literature/A%20Motivational%20View%20of%20Constructivistinformed%20Teaching%20.pdf

Theories of

Teaching and

LearningTeresa Merritt

EDLE 5010January 2015