Learning Theories in Brief

When you talk of the main learning theories popular in the nineteenth century, we list four:  Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Social Constructivism and Social Cognitivism.  The first name that comes to anyone talking about Behaviourism is B.F. Skinner (1904 to 1990)--known as the father of Behaviourism.  John Piaget (1896 to 1980) is the foremost theorist

in Cognitivism. Third, Lev Vygotsky (1896 to 1934) expanded the theory of cognition, adding s new dimension to it--sociocultural cognition. And lastly, not least, Albert Bandura (1925-Present) is also a cognitive theorist offering a link between Behaviourist and cognitive theories. 

Before going further, a question to be asked is--what is learning?  "In psychology and education, learning is commonly defined as a process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or making changes in one’s knowledge, skills, values, and world views (Illeris, 2000; Ormorod, 1995)."  This is a complex process.  If simple, learning and teaching would have been effortless.  Teachers and learners could have got a very peaceful co-existence.  If teaching and learning could have been like a sort of input-output process, parents need not worry about which institution they should choose for their children. 

Teachers will know their struggle to choose what teaching method needs to be applied to ramp up the learning outcome of certain learners while wonders at how some others become straight toppers.  To figure out how their brain, memory and emotion work or can be activated to get the best result in learning is an uphill battle for them.  Then, the divide in the experience and environmental factors.  A general rule in learning achievement is learners coming from affluent homes with resources and learning gadgets excel in achieving outcomes. Still, you see, one coming from an impoverished area and a poor family is a class topper.  

All these points to the fact that none of the above-mentioned theory offers you a cut and dried answer to how one learns. But they do direct our attention to some important variables crucial in finding answers to our questions.  Also, it's crucial to every society and nation to have learned citizen with the right knowledge, skill, values and worldview. 

That being the case, what is the theoretical framework these theories are offering to classroom learning?

In Behaviourism, learning is the acquisition of new behaviours through conditioning.  And there are two kinds of conditioning--classical and operant conditioning. 

Classical conditioning is illustrated through the reflex responses of Pavlov's dog.  The dog learns to salivate hearing a bell and seeing the coat of the person who gives it the food. 

Operant conditioning is reinforcing behaviours by a reward or a punishment.  A behaviour may either result in reinforcement, in which case the behaviour recurs, or in punishment, in which case, the behaviour does not recur.  Here, the punishment given is applicable only if it brings a change in the behaviour.   

Piaget's cognitive theory is a stage theory: learning progresses happens strictly in the order of age development.  He structured four stages of developments.   The acquisition of mental development happens at every stage, but the acquisition of knowledge doesn't change.  Another important aspect of his theory is: knowledge is constructed based on one's experience via biological, physical and mental age development. This has led to the Constructivist theory of knowledge construction.  "Constructivist learning is a personal endeavour, whereby internalised concepts, rules, and principles may be applied to a practical, real-world situation."

Vygotsky's social constructivism accommodates the behaviourist proponents of learning and of the cognitivist.  It revolutionised the theory of learning, adding to it the sociohistorical, cultural and language dimensions.  He has resolved a fundamental crisis in the psychology of learning that arose from the limitations of the elementary and sensory process of the behaviourist theorists and the unclarity on how higher psychological functions get processed. 

Mind in Society:  The Development of Higher Psychological Process is an important publication in this regard. 

Just as Piaget and Vygotsky,  Bandura is a cognitive psychologist: his theory focuses on motivation and self-regulatory mechanisms rather than environmental factors.

Post No. 3 Part of the BlogChatter Half Marathon