Notes to my report: Advance Psychology

Intro
 Not all humans absorb information in the same way and at the same rate. Different methods work
for different people. These varying methods and how they work are exactly what learning theories
are. With a great deal of research, educationists have proven how each learning theory is unique
and effective.
 A theory is a framework for understanding relationships between observable facts. In other words,
they explain observations. Hypotheses become theories when enough data is gathered to support
the hypothesis. Theories are mutable, and can be strengthened or weakened based on new
information that is observed.
 An approach, on the other hand, is the framework and context with which somebody conducts
research. It can refer to both the method of interpretation used as well as the actual type of
research conducted.

What is Learning Theory

 Learning theory describes how students receive, process, and retain knowledge during learning.
Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in
how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed and knowledge and skills retained.
 Behaviorists look at learning as an aspect of conditioning and advocate a system of rewards and
targets in education.
 Educators who embrace cognitive theory believe that the definition of learning as a change in
behavior is too narrow, and study the learner rather than their environment—and in particular the
complexities of human memory.
 Those who advocate constructivism believe that a learner's ability to learn relies largely on what
they already know and understand, and the acquisition of knowledge should be an individually
tailored process of construction.
 Transformative learning theory focuses on the often-necessary change required in a learner's
preconceptions and world view. Geographical learning theory focuses on the ways that contexts
and environments shape the learning process.

Uses of Learning Theories

 Theories provide a basis to understand how people learn and a way to explain, describe, analyze
and predict learning. In that sense, a theory helps us make more informed decisions around the
design, development and delivery of learning.
 There are different learning theories (behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, connectivism, etc.).
These theorists have thought deeply about learning and contemplated and researched it
extensively. Learning designers can leverage this knowledge to think critically about learning and
education.
 Learning theories offer frameworks that help understand how information is used, how knowledge
is created and how learning takes place. Learning designers can apply these frameworks according
to different learning and learner needs and make more informed decisions about choosing the right
instructional practices.

Approaches to Learning
 The learning approach is anchored in the philosophical concept and the didactic method of
teaching and learning strategies. This manifests the learning objectives and their orientation that
include furthering knowledge, repetition and reconstruction, application, understanding,
 observation from a different perspective and shaping thought (Dart, Burnett, Purdie, Boulton-
Lewis, & et al., 2000).
 Over the years many theories have been developed to examine the processes involved in learning.
Most learning theories concentrate on the significance for the way that learning is delivered.
 There are many different ways of learning both formally and informally: as part of a group, such as
in a classroom setting, one-to-one, such as in a mentoring or coaching arrangement, and self-
learning.
 The Approaches to Learning domain incorporates emotional, behavioral, and cognitive self-
regulation under a single umbrella to guide teaching practices that support the development of
these skills. This domain also includes initiative, curiosity, and creativity. Supporting children's skills
in this domain helps children acquire knowledge, learn new skills, and set and achieve goals. They
learn to successfully navigate learning experiences that are challenging, frustrating, or simply take
time to accomplish. How children engage in learning influences development in all domains and
directly contributes to success in school.

Behaviorist Approach to Learning

 The learning approach is anchored in the philosophical concept and the didactic method of
teaching and learning strategies. (Dart, Burnett, Purdie, Boulton-Lewis, & et al., 2000). The learning
orientation refers to motivation – learning aimed towards achieving results or learning for its own
sake. The starting point of product-directed learning is that the ability leads to success while
emphasizing competitiveness and outside assessment encouraging the student to prove his ability.
 The Approaches to Learning domain incorporates emotional, behavioral, and cognitive self-
regulation under a single umbrella to guide teaching practices that support the development of
these skills.
 Most learning theories fall into one or more of these approaches. These learning approaches are:
o The Behaviorist Approach. Which is concerned with learners responding to some form of
stimulus.
o The Cognitive Approach. Based on knowledge and knowledge retention.
o The Humanistic Approach. Based on explanations of individual experience.
 Behaviorist Approach. This approach to learning is based on the idea that learners respond to
stimuli in their environment. The role of the learning facilitator, therefore, is to provide relevant
and useful stimuli so that the learner responds to and gains the required knowledge or experience.
 The behaviorist approach to learning centers around the belief that appropriate behavior can be
taught through constant repetition of a task combined with feedback from the facilitator. Positive
feedback encourages and reinforces success while negative feedback and immediate correction
discourages the repetition of a mistake or undesirable behavior.
 Remember. One of the main ways to use the behavioral approach to learning in training and
teaching is to specify clear behavioral objectives at the start and then supply learning opportunities
that ensure that the objectives are met.
 Cognitivist Approach. Dewey (1938) believes learning involves 'learning to think'. He says that the
process of learning is more than doing a task or activity; it also requires reflection and learning
from this. To Dewey, the purpose of thought is attaining a state of equilibrium, enabling an
individual to solve problems and to prepare them for further inquiry.
 Bloom (1965) considered learning occurred in both the ‘cognitive domain’, that associated with
memory and understanding, and the ‘affective domain’, how feelings or emotions change as a
result of learning. Bloom suggests that parallel learning between the cognitive and the affective
domains takes place in a cumulative way depending of the degree of difficulty.
 An emphasis on active learning is at the core of these humanistic approaches to learning. The
terms 'andragogy' and 'pedagogy' highlight the difference between earlier models of training and
the more usual approach nowadays.
 Pedagogy and andragogy are terms derived from the Greek words meaning 'child' and 'man'
respectively.
 Pedagogy, most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of
learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and
psychological development of learners.
 Andragogy, however, provides us with a process model in which the learner discovers knowledge
at a pace to suit him/herself, supported by a facilitator, perhaps a coach or mentor.