Learning Theories and their Impact to EPP Teaching

OBJECTIVES:

 Explain and be guided by the different theories needed in teaching EPP.

 According to Rick Reis Professor of Stanford University in his article, there are
many different theories regarding the way people learn. This topic will very
briefly explore some of them. However, don’t get too concerned thinking you
must teach in a certain way because a theorist says so what works with one
group or individual learner might not work with another. You might find at first
you are teaching the way you were taught at school, college or university. It
might have suited you at the time, or it might have had a detrimental effect. Don’t
be afraid to try something different and step out of your comfort zone. You will
need to find out through experience what works and what doesn’t work with your
learners.

 According to Paul Stevesn-Folbrook (2019) in his article, learning theories are a

Learning Theories
1. Behaviorism
Behaviorism assumes a learner is essentially passive and will be shaped through
positive or negative reinforcement. Learning is therefore defined as a change in behavior.
Skinner (1974) believed that behavior is a function of its consequences, i.e. learners will
repeat the desired behavior if positive reinforcement is given. The behavior should not
be repeated if negative feedback is given. Giving immediate feedback, whether positive
or negative, should enable your learners to behave in a certain way. Positive
reinforcement or rewards can include verbal feedback such as that’s great, you’ve
produced that document without any errors or you’re certainly getting on well with that
task, through to more tangible rewards such as a certificate at the end of the program.
Behaviorism is based on the idea that knowledge is independent and on the exterior of
the learner. In a behaviorists' mind, the learner is a blank slate that should be provided
with the information to be learnt.
Behaviorism
Through this interaction, new associations are made and thus learning occurs.
Learning is achieved when the provided stimulus changes behavior. A non-educational
example of this is the work done by Pavlov.
Through his famous “salivating dog” experiment, Pavlov showed that a stimulus
(in this case ringing a bell every time he fed the dog) caused the dog to eventually start
salivating when he heard a bell ring.
Examples:
The dog associated the bell ring with being provided with food so any time a bell
was rung the dog started salivating, it had learnt that the noise was a precursor to being
fed.
If the teacher stands in a specific place in the classroom with arms folded, they
know that the teacher getting frustrated with the level of noise and they start to quiet
down or if sits cross-legged on her/his desk, the teacher about to say something
important, supportive and they should listen because it affects them directly.
 Behaviorism involves repeated actions, verbal reinforcement and incentives to
take part. It is great for establishing rules, especially for behavior management.

2. Cognitivism
Cognitivism focuses on what happens in the mind such as thinking and problem-
solving. New knowledge is built upon prior knowledge and learners need active
participation in order to learn. Changes in behavior are observed, but only as an
indication of what is taking place in the learner’s mind. Cognitivism uses the metaphor of
the mind as a computer: information comes in, is processed, and learning takes place In
contrast to behaviorism, cognitivism focuses on the idea that student’s process
information they receive rather than just responding to a stimulus, as with behaviorism.
There is still a behavior change evident, but this is in response to thinking and
processing information. Cognitive theories were developed in the early 1900s in
Germany from Gestalt psychology by Wolfgang Kohler. In English, Gestalt roughly
translates to the organization of something as a whole, that is viewed as more than the
sum of its individual parts.
Cognitivism
Cognitivism has given rise to many evidence based education theories, including
cognitive load theory, schema theory and dual coding theory as well as being the basis
for retrieval practice. In cognitivism theory, learning occurs when the student
reorganizes information, either by finding new explanations or adapting old ones. This is
viewed as a change in knowledge and is stored in the memory rather than just being
viewed as a change in behavior. Cognitive learning theories are mainly attributed to Jean
Piaget. Examples of how teachers can include cognitivism in their classroom include
linking concepts together, linking concepts to real-world examples, discussions and
problem-solving.

3. Constructivism
Constructivism is about learning being an active, contextualized process of
constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. The learner brings past experiences and
cultural factors to a current situation and each person has a different interpretation and
construction of the knowledge process. Vygotsky’s (1978) theory is one of the
foundations of constructivism. It asserts three major themes.1. Social interaction plays
a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development. Vygotsky felt social learning
precedes development and stated: Every function in the child’s cultural development
appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; then, between
people (inter psychological) and then inside the child (intra psychological) (Vygotsky,
1978page 57)
Constructivism
2. The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO). The MKO refers to anyone who has a
better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular
task, process, or concept. The MKO is normally the teacher, or an older adult, but the
MKO could also be a peer, a younger person, or even information from the internet.
3. The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The ZPD is the distance between a
learner’s ability to perform a task under adult guidance and/or with peer collaboration
and their ability to solve the problem independently. According to Vygotzky, learning
occurs in this zone.
Think of these themes as:
1. what the learner can do
 2. what the learner can do with help from others
3. what the learner can’t do yet but will attempt to do

Constructivism
Constructivism is based on the premise that we construct learning new ideas
based on our own prior knowledge and experiences. Learning, therefore, is unique to the
individual learner. Students adapt their models of understanding either by reflecting on
prior theories or resolving misconceptions. Students need to have a prior base of
knowledge for constructivist approaches to be effective. Bruner’s spiral curriculum (see
below) is a great example of constructivism in action. As students are constructing their
own knowledge base, outcomes cannot always be anticipated, therefore, the teacher
should check and challenge misconceptions that may have arisen. When consistent
outcomes are required, a constructivist approach may not be the ideal theory to use
Examples of constructivism in the classroom include problem-based learning, research
and creative projects and group collaborations.

4. Experiential learning
Experiential learning is about the learner experiencing things for themselves and
learning from them. Kolb (1984) proposed a four-stage model known as the experiential
learning cycle. It isa way by which people can understand their experiences and, as a
result, modify their behavior. It is based on the idea that the more often a learner reflects
on a task, the more often they have the opportunity to modify and refine their efforts. The
process of learning can begin at any stage and is continuous, i.e. there is no limit to the
number of cycles which can be made in a learning situation. This theory suggests that
without reflection, people would continue to repeat their mistakes
* Concrete experience is about experiencing or immersing yourself in the task
and is the first stage in which a person simply carries out the task assigned. This is the
doing stage.
* Observation and reflection involve stepping back from the task and reviewing
what has been done and experienced. Your values, attitudes and beliefs can influence
your thinking at this stage. This is the stage of thinking about what you have done.

5. Experiential learning
* Abstract conceptualization involves interpreting the events that have been
carried out and making sense of them. This is the stage of planning how you will do it
differently.
* Active experimentation enables you to take the new learning and predict what is
likely to happen next or what actions should be taken to refine the way the task is done
again. This is the redoing stage based upon experience and reflection