Learning Theory

Learning Theories are a very interesting topic for me. I find myself testing them out and analysing people's behavior around me, especially that of my 4 year old. Behaviourism is one which has worked very well in my house, particularly when we were going through potty training. Every time he went to the potty he was praised and given a treat. Within 2 weeks he had mastered it, during which time we had slowly stopped praising him everytime.

Further to this it is very interesting to observe the students at high school and their behaviours and how they learn. A lot of which mirror those of my 4 year old! However, whenever looking at learning theories it is important not to get too caught up with just one theory and expect it will suit all students all the time. Every student is different and will learn in a different way. And a student's learning style may change over time, or be dependent on the task, the other students in the class, or even what mood that student is in at the time. No matter what framework, theories, content or delivery method is looked at, knowing your learner is the single most important aspect of teaching.

Here are a few points on the 4 theories looked at this week:

Behaviourism
- Positive reinforcement encourages desired behaviours
- Over time, reduce reinforcement
- Completely withdraw reinforcement when behaviour is internalised

Cognitivism
- Sensory Memory (Visual/ Auditory) – used to perceive incoming information
- Working Memory – used to attend to information
- Long Term Memory – Permanently stores all knowledge and skills in an hierarchical network

Connectivism
- Knowledge exists in the world and is accessed through networks
- Learning is the process of creating connections and developing a network
- Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning

Constuctivism
- Knowledge and meaning come from an interaction between experiences and ideas