Download LEARNING THEORIES BedA101962 CREDI B.Ed. Course – CEDTL

BedA101962
CREDI B.Ed.
Course – CEDTL 280
UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS LEARNING STYLES
ASSINGMENT: Select two models of learning theories, contrast strength and weakness and
discuss how they affect planning and knowledge of them will improve teaching.
Final Paper
Year 3
8th August, 2012
(Submitted in partial fulfillment of CREDI B.Ed .program)
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LEARNING THEORIES
We cannot dispute the fact that theories of any discipline are generally perceived with a sense
of anxiety and disinterest. The main reason for this perception is that, more often than not,
theories are expressed in difficult language. Thus their meaning is obscured by complicated
jargon. Learning theories form a distinct part of theoretical psychology. In recent years, many
psychologists have been dedicated to a study of learning theories. The interest shown by
psychologists in this area is partially as a result of the interesting but complex nature of the
concept of learning. In simple terms, psychologists are intrigued by how the mind acquires
knowledge. It is only if we know how knowledge is acquired that we will be able to use
appropriate teaching and learning methods in the classroom.
Many researchers have attempted to define the concept of learning and no single definition
can be said to be conclusive or correct. However, all attempts at a definition shed new light on
the subject of learning. For example, according to Wakefield (1996: 364) learning can be
described as a relatively permanent change in the behaviour of an individual based on his/her
experiences or discoveries. Thus the processes of experience and discovery lead to a new
understanding of the world and ourselves, and enable us to apply the acquired knowledge in new
situations. Knowledge acquisition, then, involves processes that transform data from experience
into organised information.
Two prominent researchers, B.F. Skinner and Bruner, have developed theories which provide
differing perspectives and explanations regarding the learning behaviour of individuals. The
purpose of this writing is to explore the theoretical perspectives of Operant Conditioning Theory
developed by B.F. Skinner and Constructivist Learning Theory developed by Bruner. An
overview of both theories is presented, followed by a discussion of their similarities and
differences.
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Skinner's [1960] work on "operant conditioning" emphasizes the stimulus-response approach
to learning or conditioning. He defines education/learning as change in behaviour. "That's all it is
and all it ever has been." The individual is seen as someone who is trainable, controllable. It was
a hugely popular theory during the late 60s through to the 80s and was given a lot of prominence.
Today it is much less so. Skinner states that:
1. His ideas that positive re-inforcement is powerful in motivating the learner. Getting it
right encourages the learner to go on. Surely we’ve all experienced this ourselves.
2. Acknowledging that human teachers (limited species that we are!) couldn't possibly cope
with providing all the right positive reinforcements for all the minute increments of
progress for every child in the classroom all the time, Skinner became an advocate of
CBT. The computer could do it all, if only we could program it properly. All that aside,
his notions of affirming the e-learner is sound. Immediate feedback, graduated levels of
difficulty, and structured progression are all design considerations to be borne in mind in
putting together an educational e-learning package.
3. Punishments or negative consequences might serve to prevent a behavior but didn't do
anything to move you closer to getting the desired behavior.
Coming from a cognitive perspective, Bruner’s view was that the individual is neither a
passive recipient of information, nor a bundle of stimulus-response connections. He sees the
learner as being an active participant in the learning process. The individual selects and
transforms information, constructs hypotheses, tests them out, and modifies them if the evidence
warrants it. His work is influenced by Piaget [1977] (developmental stages) and Vygotsky
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[1978]. He came to the view that culture plays a central role in influencing the course of
cognitive growth.
Here are some of Bruner [1953] practical guidelines:

Keep a balance between expository mode and hypothetical mode.

Tailor the material to where the student is at—both intellectually and culturally.

Sequence the learning.

Employ the idea of the spiral curriculum—frequency of exposure to concepts/ideas is
much more effective than infrequent in-depth treatment (little and often).
In spite of coming from different ends of the spectrum, Bruner and Skinner do have some things
in common:

Both thought a child can learn anything under the appropriate circumstances (one
presumes they wouldn't agree on what those circumstances would be).

Neither believed in traditional educational assessment as we know it in terms of grades,
marks, etc.

Both recognized that schools were instruments of society that could be used to transmit
its culture/values/controls.
In the 1930s, BF Skinner did a lot of research on laboratory rats and pigeons. He found that
he could change the behaviour of his laboratory animals in startling ways just by the judicious
use of rewards. In one of his famous experiments he taught a pigeon to dance by using rewards.
What he found in the laboratory, he applied to human learning. He was confident that the
mechanism of reinforcement (reward) of responses (Operant behaviour) was at work everywhere
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in all types of learning. Skinner (1996:6) wrote: “While we are awake, we act upon the
environment constantly, and many of the consequences of our actions are reinforcing.”
Bruner (1960) argued that schools waste time trying to match the complexity of subject
material to a child's cognitive stage of development. This means students are held back by
teachers as certain topics are deemed too difficult to understand and must be taught when the
teacher believes the child has reached the appropriate state of cognitive maturity. Bruner (1960)
adopts a different view and believes a child (of any age) is capable of understanding complex
information. Bruner believes that learning situations should be structured to enable the learner to
learn. He recognizes the futility of trying to know everything, but insists that we should all
acquire a rich conceptual framework (the ‘bigger picture’). As far as teaching is concerned, the
educator should try and encourage learners to discover principles by themselves and to develop
the ‘big picture’.
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REFERENCES
Bruner, J. S. 1960. The process of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.
Gagne, R. 1985. The conditions of learning and theory of instruction. New York: Holt,
Rinehart, and Winston.
Gardner, H. 1993. Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York:
Basic Books.
Piaget, J. 1977. The psychology of the child. New York: Basic Books.
Skinner, B. F. 1953. Science and human behavior. New York: MacMillan.
Vygotsky, L. S. 1978. Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.