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EDN:204 – Learning Process
------------------------------------------------------------Topics
• Understanding Learning
• Approaches to Learning
1. Behavioural Approaches
2. Cognitive Approaches
Behavioral and Social
Cognitive Approaches
What Is Learning?
What Learning Is
and Is Not
Approaches to
Learning
2
A. Introduction to learning
• 1. Why do psychologists care about learning?
• 2. What is and isn’t learning?
IS: A relatively permanent change in an organism’s
behavior due to experience.
ISN’T: reflex or effects of drug (temporary)
natural maturation (not experience)
• 3. How do we know we’ve learned?
• Understanding Learning
What is ‘Learning’?
Is it a change in behaviour or undrstanding?
Definitions of learning
Learning is usually defined as a relatively permanent change in
behaviour or behaviour potential that occurs through experience.
However, it does not refer to behavioural changes that can be explained
by temporary states of maturation.
Learning is the acquisition and development of memories and
behaviours, including skills, knowledge, understanding, values, and
wisdom. It is the goal of education, and the product of experience.
Is it a process?
C:\\Saljo's conception of learning.doc
Therefore, learning is a process whereby individual
changes his/her knowledge or behaviour as a result of
experience.
Characteristics of learning
● change of behavior – relatively permanent
● may not be directly observable
● depends on experience and practice
What is not learning?
•
•
•
•
instinctive behavior
imprinting
maturation
Fatigue, illness, use of intoxicants etc.
Why are the above not learning….???
Meaningful learning Vs. Rote learning
What is meaningful learning?
Meaningful learning is achieving deep understanding of
complex ideas that are relevant to students’ lives.
Rote learning is a learning technique which avoids understanding
of a subject and instead focuses on memorization
Meaningful learning – characteristics (Jonassen et al 1999)
● Active
● Constructive
● Intentional
● Authentic
● Cooperative
What are the factors of learning????
* laws of learning
Any Implications?
• Approaches to learning
I. Behavioral approach
Primary belief:
Focus on observable performance or behaviour. Thus behaviourism.
II. Cognitive approach
Primary belief:
Focus on mental processing such as thinking, problem-solving,
language, concept formation and information processing.
De-emphasized the concern on overt behavior and replaced it with
covert behaviour.
I. Behavoural Approaches
Figures in the history of Behaviourism
1. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936)
Russian physiologist (Nobel prize for work on digestion, 1904).
Pioneer of the theory of “classical conditioning”.
The association of automatic responses with new stimuli is
known as classical conditioning.
2. Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-90)
Best known of all behaviourists, and explorer of operant conditioning:
the process whereby the probability of behaviour being repeated is
increased if it is reinforced.
These deliberate, goal-directed actions are called operant. The
learning process involved in changing operant behavior is called
operant conditioning
Behavior
reinforcer
strengthens the
expected behavior
Primary belief
• organism operates on the environment
• focus on response
• reinforcement and punishment
3. Albert Bandura (1925 – present)
Social Cognitive learning theory –
Observational learning
Conditions
• hero
• observe the behavior of the model
• learn and value
Forms of observational learning
● Modeling
● Vicarious modeling
Process
• attention
• retention
• reproduction
• motivation
4. Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949)
US animal and later educational psychologist, developed the
theory of trial and error learning through experiments with animals
having to escape from puzzle boxes.
5. John Broadus Watson (1878-1958)
Apostle of Behaviourism, building on Pavlov's ideas to maintain that
the reflex was the basic unit of behaviour.
C:\\Watson's claim.doc
With the brief understanding of behavioural approaches to learning
what do you think are some implications that we may consider in our
teaching learning processes?