Download 202.Learning Theories Summary

Learning Theory Summary CI 512.202
Behaviorist Theory
1)
What is learning?
Behaviorist are not concerned with how new knowledge
is acquired. Instead they are interested in how new
behavior is acquired. Therefore, learning is a process of
expanding the behavioral repertoire, not a matter of
expanding the ideas in the learner’s mind. (Phillips and
Sotis, 23)
2)
How do we learn?
-classical conditioning: replacing a natural stimulus
for a preexisting reflex with a conditioned stimulus over
time.
-operant conditioning: eliciting any response through
any stimulus (natural or not) provided that the response is
rewarded and reinforced frequently.
3) What is the role of the learner?
In the learning theory of behaviorism, the learner is
essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli.
Behaviors that are reinforced are sustained and behaviors
that are punished become less frequent until they become
extinct.
4)
What is the role of the teacher?
The role of the teacher is to reinforce behaviors
that demonstrate the student is learning and extinguish
disruptive or counter-productive behavior. Reinforcement
in the classroom would usually take the form of praise.
Learning can be encouraged without having to reward each
instance of desirable behavior. The teacher needs to break
large tasks down into small manageable pieces and give
clear instructions.
5) What type of learning activities would we see in the
classroom?
In a behaviorist school setting the students would be given
tasks with a desired set of preordained outcomes. When the
teacher gets the desired response the students should have
this response reinforced through reward. Given time and
consistent reinforcement, the desired responses from the
students should become conditioned within them.
6) What are the criticism of this theory?
Behaviorism doesn’t take into account the things that
cannot be observed directly, it does not explain how moods,
feelings and internal events have effects on learning.
Behaviorism does not account for other types of learning;
especially learning that occurs without the use of
reinforcements or punishments.
Another major criticism is that People and animals are able
to adapt their behavior when new information is introduced,
even if a previous behavior pattern has been established
through reinforcement.
Key Vocab
-Unconditioned stimulus
-Conditioned stimulus
-Unconditioned response
-Conditioned response
-Positive reinforcement
-Negative reinforcement (not a form of punishment)
-Positive punishment
-Negative punishment
-Extinction
Gestalt Theory -Wolfgang Köhler, Kurt Koffka and Max
Wertheimer
Gestalt Theory -Wolfgang Köhler, Kurt Koffka and Max Wertheimer
*What does it mean to Learn?*
To learn is to have that moment of insight which connects distinct parts
into a functional whole.
*How do we learn? *
According to the Gestalt theory, we learn and experience the world
through meaningful patterns or organized wholes. Learning takes place as we
respond to meanings, make intellectual connections and achieving insight,
and by coming to "see" the various links between ideas and perceptions.
*What is the role of the learner?* Active - Passive
Learner may be 'passive' in the moment of insight. Or learner may be active in pursuing the connections
and understanding the 'whole'.
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*What is the role of the teacher?* Authority/Director Facilitator/Guide - Consultant
The teacher is aware that the learner comes to the learning experience with prior knowledge. It is the
responsibility of the teacher to teach material in way that is applicable as means to connect to the learner's
prior and future experience. Create 'spaces' for the learner to think and rteflect.
*What characterizes the learning activities that would be seen in the
classroom?*
The learning activities that would be seen are: problem solving and group activities, that involve critical
thinking and collaboration. Learning activities should be based on the importance of experience, meaning,
problem-solving and the development of insight.
*What are the ‘buzz words’ – key terminology – associated with the
theory?*
The buzz words, or key terminology, associated with Gestalt theory
include insight, connection, "ah-ha! moment," seeing, organization,
wholeness, problem solving, activity, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts(re: Dewey -- cf. Phillips
and Soltis,
Ch. 4).
*What do the critics say?*
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The main criticisms of Gestalt theory are that it fails to explore the
precise activity going on in the mind, and that it talks about learning in
terms of subjective feelings rather than objective, observable behavior.
Cognitivism
Jerome Bruner, Joseph Schwab
2.
What does it mean to Learn? (Ian)
For cognitivists, learning is the act of making meaningful connections
to material, first by understanding the structure of the discipline from which
the material comes and then storing it in a way that relates it to previous
knowledge. Analogies to a computer can be made, with information stored in
the brain with an indexed location and many cross-references to create a
complex network.
Phillips and Soltis quote a cognitive science text to illuminate this
computer analogy:
“Computers take symbolic input, make decisions about the recorded
input, make new expressions from it, store some or all of the input,
and give back symbolic input. By analogy, that is moist of what
cognitive psychology is about.” (66).
3.
How do we learn? (Lauren)
According to cognitivists, we learn by using logic to build upon
previous knowledge. We have central concepts, take in new information, use
logic to change or add to our concepts, and test our newly formed concepts
against experience.
4.
What is the role of the learner? Active - Passive (Dawn)
Cognitivists see the brain as an information processor: information
comes in, the learner thinks about it, processes it according to his or her own
schemata, and then behave accordingly. All learning is done by the learner
applying his or her schemata to help define and understand the various
information he or she processes.
5.
What is the role of the teacher? Authority/Director - Facilitator/Guide Consultant (Amanda)
The teacher’s role would be a facilitator/guide in so far as the teacher
facilitates the mechanics of allowing the student to absorb and process
information. It is the teacher’s job to present the student with “advanced
organizers,” or basic ideas about the subject, and help the student make
mental connections about new ideas as well as connect these new ideas to
what the student already knows.
6.
What characterizes the learning activities that would be seen in the
classroom? (Lyndsay)
They recognize the significance of prior knowledge and ways of
categorizing new information based on this prior knowledge. For example, in
a Biology class, students could be broken up into groups and each group
given a box of everyday items and asked to categorize them. Each group
would come up with different groups of objects and then explain why they
had categorized objects as they did.
7.
What are the buzzwords? (All)
problem solving, insight, activity, schemata, schema, information
processing, symbol manipulation, concept, logic,
8.
What do the critics say? (Ian)
Criticism of this approach has been focused on both the “‘affective
factors,’ such things as interest, motivation, and emotion” and on selfconcept, both elements of the learning equation that computers lack (71-72).
The limitation of a cognitive science approach may be that it has too much
interest in the mechanical elements of learning and fails to take into account
the intangible qualities of human thought.
Critics argue that in this model, learners are still seen as passive computerlike information processors and not active participators in their environment.
Psychological Constructivism
1. Name of Theory and Key Theorists:
Psychological constructivism is a learning theory developed in the early 20th century
by Jean Piaget. It claims that learners “build” their own knowledge in stages through
the processes of assimilation, accommodation and equilibrium.
2. What does it mean to Learn?:
Psychological Constructivism defines learning as a process that improves individual knowledge and
cognitive ability. This theoretical approach says that each individual is born with certain mental
mechanisms that facilitate the construction of knowledge throughout a lifetime. Piaget associated the act of
learning with the creation of cognitive structures that enable an individual to create a “schema” for various
activities or behaviors. Through interaction with various stimuli we encounter different experiences that
allow for acquisition of knowledge, if an experience is familiar then it will be assimilated into previously
developed cognitive structures. However, if the experience is new the learner then enters a state of
disequilibrium in which a change or addition will be made to a cognitive structure in order to accommodate
the knowledge gained. The meaning of learning is thus a psychological process in which the brain goes
through phases of assimilation, accommodation and equilibrium, which allow for the creation and
application of new knowledge.
3. How do we learn?
- we learn through developing structures
- structures or schema are ways in which we categorize knowledge to help us interpret and understand the
world
- when we receive information, it will either be assimilated into our schema -or- it will not fit into one of our existing schemas and will then throw off our equilibrium; we then have to
struggle and rework our schema to fit this new knowledge; this occurs until we find equilibrium once again
and our schema has developed
- through these cycles, little by little our cognitive structures or schemas will grow and develop
4. What is the role of the learner? Active - Passive:
In Psychological constructivism the role of the active learner involves exploring their environment and,
through the manipulation of their surroundings, develop sets of "operations" these are essentially like
programs the learner develops based on what is successful or not in these explorations. Since we are
discussing high school aged learners, in Piaget's model this is the formal operational stage, this means that
in terms of the role of the learner they are also using abstract thought that is they are able to develop these
operations solely in their minds because of this they are able to consider multiple outcomes and
consequences. As a result the high school learner is able to plan organized approaches to problems rather
than just going about them by trial and error.
5. What is the role of the teacher? Facilitator/Guide
The teacher:
-Guides students to make their own discoveries about the world and build their own structures.
-Exposes the learner to new and varied experiences to contribute to the development of structures.
-Presents students with interesting or relevant problems in which they can actively engage.
-Encourages active inquiry rather than passive learning.
-Provides students with ample time to reflect.
6. What characterizes the learning activities that would be seen in the classroom?
-Exposure of the learner to new experiences, problems, vocabulary, etc. with time to reflect.
-Students permitted to explore the classroom/objects/teaching materials and accommodate/assimilate their
schema as needed.
7. What are the ‘buzz words’ – key terminology – associated with the theory?
- structure or schema: ways in which we categorize knowledge to help us interpret and understand the
world
- assimilation: receiving the external information and putting it into our schema without having to change
the existing schema
- accommodation: receiving external information and putting it into our schema, but having to change and
rearrange our schema in order to do so
- equilibrium / equilibration: the process whereby an individual assimilates and accommodates external
information so as to relieve the tension between the cognitive structures and the environment
- disequilibrium / disequilibration: the state in which the external data in the environment does not "fit
into" the internal structures and schemas that one already has formed
8. What do the critics say?:
Critics of psychological constructivism point out that although Piaget credibly names the (unobservable)
psychological constructs that produce learning, he still does not explain them. If new information needs to
recognized as conflicting with our current understanding of reality in order for it to undergo
accommodation, then what mechanism is doing the recognizing of the problem? Also, critics claim that
psychological constructivism focuses too exclusively on the individual learner and not on the social aspects
of learning.
Social Constructivism: Dewey, Vygotsky
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Name of Theory and Key Theorists
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Social Constructivism: Dewey, Vygotsky
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What does it mean to Learn?
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The acquisition of socially generated knowledge, meaning and “psychological
tools” (e.g. language, numbers, ideas, schema, logic) from others, primarily through
social activities such as communication, imitation (modeling), and participation.
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“His responses grow intelligent, or gain meaning, simply because he lives and
acts in a medium of accepted meanings and values. Through social intercourse, through
sharing in the activities embodying beliefs, he gradually acquires a mind of his own.”
- John (I said it first and I said it best) Dewey
3.
How do we learn?
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According to the social constructivist theory we learn through interaction with
others.
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We learn when we are given, or seek out social resources to help answer a
question.
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Key factor in social learning is the ability to learn by imitation.
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We learn through social intercourse and sharing in activities that embody the
beliefs of our culture, meaning is often socially constructed.
4.
What is the role of the learner? Active - Passive
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Learner is an active member of a social community, learning through natural
“situations,” examining questions that relate to real world problems in their community.
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Learning through the help of others, the learner can also take a somewhat passive
role: “The self is not a separate mind building up knowledge anew on its own account.” Dewey
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The ability to learn by imitation will be a key factor in their ability to learn. Each
learner also has a different “zone of potential development” which affects learning
outside of IQ.
5.
Consultant
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What is the role of the teacher? Authority/Director - Facilitator/Guide Provide conditions that stimulate thinking while taking a sympathetic attitude.
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Participate in common or joint experiences with the learner. Just telling them is
not very effective.
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Facilitate group work.
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Model good learning habits to inform students how to do it.
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Model good communication skills again so students can replicate/imitate.
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Create a culture of learning. Allows students to feel like learning is cool.
6.
What characterizes the learning activities that would be seen in the classroom?
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Activities involve interaction between teacher and student or between students.
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Teacher demonstrates, or “models,” an action or application of a principle;
students practice the new behavior through imitation.
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Students work in groups, sharing the learning experience with each other.
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Questions/answers and other forms of discussion are shared between teacher
and/or students.
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What are the ‘buzz words’ – key terminology – associated with the theory?
Zone of potential (proximal) development
Modeling
Situated cognition
Situated learning
Legitimate peripheral participation
Psychological tools
8.
What do the critics say?
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Learning is situated in the individual (Piaget)
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Learning is as much an individual as it is an socvial process; the worlds are
“intertwined.”
Critical Pedagogy
This theory is called Critical Pedagogy. Paulo Freire is the key figure of this theory.
Other founders of critical pedagogy are Samuel Bowles, Herbert Gintis and Miles
Horton.
What does it mean to learn?
Learning is inseparable from teaching and inherently political. It is a dialectical
process. To learn is to know. Knowing is not a question of memorization, but a
reinvention of the object being known.
How do we learn?
We learn and bridge new knowledge from knowledge we already know. Learning is
a constant reworking of concepts and meaning. Concurrently, comprehension is not
sudden and not the result of absorbing immobile subject matter. Learning requires
study and constant patience. According to Freier, ?...studying is a preparation for
knowing; it is a patient and impatient exercise on the part of someone whose intent
is not to know it all at once but to struggle to meet the timing of knowledge?
(Pedagogy of the Oppressed, page 23). Successful learning is mindful of our world,
our understanding and our reflection.
What is the role of the learner? Active - Passive
According to Friere, "kids already read the world," Critical Pedagogy 87. It is their
duty to, "react against the bureaucratization of the mind so that you can continue to
be human." Critical Pedagogy 88.
According to Mark K. Smith, his approach to curriculum is based and entails
transforming the settings into a particular type of pedagogical space. Educators
need to look for teachable moments, "but when we concentrate on this we can easily
overlook simple power of being in conversation with others. Freirian education
borrows methods from various other therorists. Smith, M. K. (1997, 2002) 'Paulo
Freire and informal education', the encyclopaedia of informal education.
[www.infed.org/thinkers/et-freir.htm. Last update: November 04, 2009]
What is the role of the teacher? Authority/Director - Facilitator/Guide - Consultant
The role of the teacher is that of both co-learner and co-teacher. Rallying against the
?banking? concept of education, in which ?knowledge is a gift bestowed by those
who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know
nothing,? Freire instead asserts that ?education must begin with the solution of the
teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that
both are simultaneously teachers and students? (Pedagogy of the Oppressed, p. 72).
What characterizes the learning activities that would be seen in the classroom?
A classroom that uses the theories of Freire?s Critical Pedagogy would be active and
engaging. Some of the general characteristics of these activities or projects would
involve rich dialogue and group sharing activities. Cross discipline teaching would
be utilized to broaden understanding. For example, in a class in economics while
talking about global trade, stories from any students who have traveled or are from
abroad could open up opportunities to learn new language, culture, idea or history.
Then the teacher could tie some of the sharing back to the bigger picture of global
economic, the costs, benefits, etc. Student centered structure with units and content
relevant to greater goals that are personal to students.
What are the ?buzz words? ? key terminology ? associated with the theory?
rejection of ?banking? concept of education
?Culture of Silence?
?Codification,? ?Humanization,? ?Conscientization?
oppressor vs. oppressed
reciprocity
the student-teacher and the teacher-student
naming
emancipatory
dialogics vs antidialogics
reflection + action = praxis (too much reflection = verbalism; too much action =
activism)
What do the critics say?
Critics of Freire?s theories feel that his applications are from an extreme form of
poverty and oppression that is unique to his time and place. Oppression and
impoverishment are more subtle in developed nations. Another criticism is that
Freire creates an illusion of equity amongst the oppressed, meaning that not all
oppressed people have the same idea of liberation and that some of the oppressed
move on to oppress.