LEARNING POINT:

THEORIES OF LEARNING
 BEHAVIORISM
 Behaviorism instruction however, does not prepare
the learners nor problem solving which currently is
the skill being developed among learners.
 Behaviorism looks at the learner as a passive learner.
 Learning is promoted by environmental factors like
reinforcement feedback, practice or repetition.
 BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF BEHAVIORISM

1. Principles of learning should apply equally

to different behaviors and to a variety of
animal species. This is on the assumption that
humans and other animals learn in similar
ways. Thus, behaviorists researchers apply to
humans what they have derived from the
studies of animals.
2. Learning processes can be studies
most objectively when the focus of
study is on the stimuli and responses. It
is argued that stimuli and responses are
observable and measurable which
contribute to objectivity of studying
learning.
3. Internal processes tend to be excluded or
minimize in theoretical explanation. This
thinking stemmed from the argument that
these internal behaviors cannot be directly
observed. However, there has emerged a
thinking propounded by neo-behaviorists
that learning is better understood if
cognitive processes be included as a factor
that explains learning.
4. Learning involves a behavior change.
5. Organisms are born as blank slates.
6.Learning is largely the result of
environmental events.
7. The most useful theories tend to be
parsimonious (or concise).
 AREAS OF APPLICATON
1. Drill/Rote work
2. Repetitive Practice
3. Giving Bonus Points
4. Giving Participation Points
5. Verbal Reinforcement
6. Establishing Rules
7. Giving Rewards
8. Applying Punishment
9. Giving Feedback
10. Positive Reinforcement
11. Token Reinforcement
12. Negative Reinforcement
 COGNITIVISM OR
COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM
 The cognitive revolution in the late 1950’s
to 1960’s replaced behaviorism as the
dominant paradigm for learning.
 The human mind is seen as a “black box”
and it is necessary to open it for a better
understanding of how people learn.
COGNITIVISM OR COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM

Mental processes such as memory,

knowing, problem-solving, reasoning and
other such processes need to be
explored.
Cognitivism requires active participation
in order to learn and actions are seen as a
result of thinking.
COGNITIVISM OR COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM

Knowledge can be seen as schema or

symbolic mental constructions thus
learning is define as change in a
learner’s schemata.
The learner’s mind is compared to a
computer which does a lot of
processing of data fed into it.
 COGNITIVISM OR COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM
Individual are thought of as active
learners. Actively engaged in the
learning and actively seeking ways to
understand and process information
that they receive and relate this to what
is already known and stored within
memory.
COGNTIVISM OR COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM

Learning involves reorganization

of experiences, either by
attaining new insights or
changing old ones.
EXAMPLES AND APPLICATIONOF COGNITIVE
LEARNING THEORY

1. Classifying or chunking information

2. Linking concepts (associate new
content with something known).
3. Providing structure (organizing
lectures in efficient and meaningful
ways).
4. Real world examples
5. Discussions
6. Problem-solving
7. Analogies
8. Imagery/providing pictures
9. Mnemonics
SOCIAL CONTRUCTIVISM
 Emerged in the 1970’s and 1980’s, it posits
that learning is an active constructive
process.
 The learner himself constructs knowledge.
 New information is linked to prior
knowledge, thus, mental representations
are subjective.
 Learning is seen as an active
contextualized process of constructing
knowledge instead of simply acquiring it.
 Knowledge is based on the learners
personal experiences and expectations of
the environment and where they
continuously test these expectation
through social negotiations.
 The person is not a blank slate but
brings social and cultural factors to a
situation.
 A simple task of listening to a lecture
involves active attempts to construct
new knowledge and not just absorbing
what is being said in the lecture.
 Learning is adjusting to one’s mental
models to accommodate new
experiences.
 The theory is about preparing an
individual to solve problems.
 Constructivism does not work when
results are expectedly fixed or
consistent.
 APPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

1. Case Studies
2. Research Projects
3. Problem solving
4. Brainstorming
5. Collaborative Learning/Group Work
6. Discovery Learning
7. Simulations