Module Number and Name:

Module 1

Learning Theories and Teaching strategies

Learning Theories and Teaching strategies:

 AC: Evaluate a range of learning theories

 LO: Be able to implement learning theories
 AC: Analyse potential impact of different theories on teaching practice.
 LO: Be able to implement learning theories

I take computer science (Python programming) for Year 8 and 9 students and one of the
main learning outcomes is mastery of programming (coding in python). In most classes,
students need to generate codes using python for given tasks.
 To enhance my effective teaching, i am presenting learning theory notes, which describe,
validate, understand and conclude their potential impact on our teaching environment.

Cognitivism

Constructivism

Behaviourism

Humanism

1. COGNITIVISM:
(a)Description of cognitive learning theory:
Cognitivism focuses on the processes involved in learning rather than on the
observed behaviour. It focuses more on the internal processes of learners that reflects
during learning.

 It refers to the study of the mind.

 It responses to behaviourism.
 It is the study of psychology that focuses mental processes
(think,remember,learn, solve problems)
 It is teacher-centered.
 Learners are active participants.
 Learning is shaped by schemas (learning strategies and prior knowledge and
attitudes).

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 Mind processes
Information(Input) (like computer Efficient learning(Output)
processor)

Many cognitive psychologists, curriculum theorists, researchers and assessment

specialists published many things about it.

Bloom’s Taxonomy says about the step by step process of how to implement
cognitivism inlearning.

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(b)Strengths:
* Information comes in and is processed into short term memory before being stored
away in long term memory.
* When problems are broken down into smaller parts, learners have time to
process smaller bits.
* Everyone can complete their expectations in learning.
* Allow learners to generate and check hypotheses in the context of problem solving.

Application:

It is suited well for problem solving.

(c)Weaknesses:

* Because learning is very structured, it may become difficult to adapt to changes in

what has already learned.

* It gives more quantities than qualities in most of the times.

* It sometimes affects learner’s emotions

(d)Argument for and against this learning theory:

 It attentions away from the somewhat static notion of “educational objectives”) and
points to a more dynamic conception of classification.

 Cognitive processes by which thinkers encounter and work with knowledge:

(e) Impact of this learning theory on the classroom:

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To improve students’ learning, I started using cognitive learning theories by doing the
following steps

 Highlighting critical information to focus learners' attention.

 Linking to both easy and complex materials. So students accommodated at
different knowledge levels.
 Making Topic maps/ Graphs after each lesson to show overall summary of the
lesson.
 Taking classes using visual aids
 Recall students’ existing knowledge of long term memory to help make sense and
interest of the new topic
 Asking students to repeat important syntax and formulas loudly , which makes
them to remember those easily.

(f) Judgement:

Cognitive learning theory is effective for the following outcomes.

* Students understand why they should take the lesson

* Students to understand and execute higher-level learning, which makes the

transfer to long-term memory more effectively.

* Students learn how to divide vast topic into smaller subtopics and merge
them together

*Students understand the links between new topics and existing knowledge.

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 2. Behaviourism:
(a)Description of Behaviourism learning theory:

Behaviourism learning is a mechanical process of associating the stimulus with the

response, which produces a new behaviour.

Main proponents: J.B.Watson and I.Pavlov.

The learner as a passive person who responds to the stimuli. According to them the learner
starts as Tabula rasa (which means clean slate) and the behaviour is shaped by
reinforcement.

 It is by reinforcement. (Reward)
 Occurs through rewards and punishments

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  Positive & Negative reinforcements.
 Pleasant and unpleasant consequences.
 The behaviourist school sees the mind as a “black box”.

(b)Strengths:

* Formulate behaviour in school as well as at home

* Behaviour modification by reinforcement (reward), punishments, and extinction.

* Successful outcomes are easily measurable.

* Guarantees specific learning.

Application:

It is employed by the teachers in the classrooms

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(c)Weakness:

* Some critics say-> it is like about animal behaviour to humans.

* It fails to development of human languages.

* Environment is shaping human behaviour -> It is not taken into account by the

behaviourists. (So Environment is not shaping human behaviour)

* It may harmful to vulnerable students, including those with developmental

delays,ADHD, Autism, mental health issue.

(d)Argument for and against this learning theory:

* Behaviourism is a one-dimensional approach to understanding learners’ behaviour

* It does not responsible for free willingness and internal feelings such as moods,
thoughts and etc.

(e)Impact of this learning theory on the classroom:

To improve students’ learning, I started using behaviourism learning theories by doing

the following steps:

 Encouraging students ‘work

 Asking students to complete the task by their own experience
 Asking students to find new different solutions for already completed
/solved tasks.

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  Helping students to find and explore how topics are linked with their own
ideas.
 Helping students to judge their self knowledge and to explain their thinking
to others.
 Providing appropriate feedback to students.
 Encouraging students to take corrective action as per feedbacks, if required.
 Arranging learning materials from simple to complex, known to unknown,
and knowledge to application.

Judgement:

*Behaviourism states that behaviours are learned from the environment, and says that
innate or inherited factors have very little influence on behaviour.

*Both positive and negative reinforcement increase the behaviour that will happen
again

*At the same time, both positive and negative punishments decrease the chances that
the past behaviour will happen again.

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3. CONSTRUCTIVISM:
(a)Description of constructivism learning theory:

 It is the study of a learner's own construction of knowledge (personal experiences

and interactions with the outside world)
 The learner takes in new information and gives meaning to it using his or her own
prior attitudes, beliefs, and experiences as references .
 Learners are active participants, while the instructor serves as a facilitator.
 Two types of constructivism emerged beginning in the late 1970s. Lev Vygotsky
introduced social constructivism, in which social interaction with others helps the
learner put meaning to information. In 1985, Jean Piaget introduced cognitive
constructivism, in which knowledge is constructed by either assimilation or
accommodation.

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  In assimilation, incoming information is associated with a schema, and in
accommodation, incoming information does not match a schema.
 Knowledge is not received from the outside or from someone else; rather, it is the
individual learner's interpretation and processing of what is received through the
senses that creates knowledge.

(b)Strengths:

* Relevant to the learner and real-world based.

* Relate the information to their own experiences, beliefs, and attitudes.
* Encourage students to take of their own learning.

Application:

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 Constructivism is best utilized when learners take control of the learning situation,
such as in Problem-Based Learning.

(c)Weakness:

* Individual experiences and attitudes can vary.

* A specific, desired outcome may not always be achieved when different people
approach the problem or task.
* It approaches transform students from being passive recipients of information to
active learners in educational environments.
* It helps students to be guided by their curiosity when learning instead of being led by
a large amount of teachers’ instruction.

(d)Argument for and against this learning theory:

 It focuses that teachers help students to construct knowledge and do not place the
responsibility for learning solely on students.
 Some constructivist teaching approaches, such as problem-based learning and inquiry
learning, do not represent minimally-guided instruction.

(e)Impact of this learning theory on the classroom:

To improve students’ learning, I started using behaviourism learning theories by doing the
following steps:

 Giving curriculum practice like interdisciplinary integration, field related experience,

school community programmes.
 Giving instructional practices like experiments, students directed learning.
 Giving assessment practice like research work, scoring rubrics.

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  Making learning should be an active process.

* students should construct their own knowledge rather than accepting that given by
the instructor.

* Encouraging collaborative learning. Working with other learners gives learners

real-life experience of working in a group, and allows them to use their metacognitive
skills.

* Allowing students to make decision on learning goals with some guidance.

*Providing Materials with proper examples that relate to students, so that they can
make sense of the information.

* Providing Assignments and projects that allow students to choose meaningful

activities to.

* Using 5E’s (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate)

(f) Judgement:

 Constructivism is an important learning theory that educators use to help their

students learn. Constructivism is based on the idea that people actively construct or
make their own knowledge, and that reality is determined by your experiences as a
learner.
 It gives importance in students’ interests and build on what students already know by
providing them with scaffolding instructions.
 Students are interactive to promote higher-level learning and social presence.
 It trained students to how to learn in the classroom
 It is more of an epistemology than a theory. That is, it focuses on the psychological
explanation of the nature of learning.
 The idea of knowledge construction is central in constructivism.

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4. HUMANISM:
(a)Description of humanism learning theory:

It is based on each individual's potential and stresses the importance of growth

and self-actualization. It believes that people are innately good and that mental and
social problems result from deviations from this natural tendency.
* It focuses on human beings being free to act and control their own future.
* It focuses on human interests, abilities, willing, capacity, and future.
* Individual learner can determine for himself truth and falsehood through rational
and empirical thought.

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 * Learning is gaining of new knowledge, behaviours, and talents, through studies,
practices, and experiences.
* It is a “process by which behaviour is changed, shaped, or controlled”.
Abraham H. Maslow is the father of humanistic psychology. He had a significant impact
on the learning theory development.

(b)Strengths:

* It focuses individual choice and responsibility.

* It satisfies most people's idea of what being human means.
* It values personal ideals and self-fulfilment.
* It supports school based guidance.
* Here Teacher is a facilitator.
* It focuses schools pleasant.
* It focuses on self-esteem.
* It supports individual instructions and opinions.

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 * The students are respected as an individual .
* Students are responsible for making decisions about their learning.

(c)Weakness:

* Sometimes, it may give poor performance in basic skills.

*It is positive when regarding human behaviour, which means that it assumes
individuals are instrinsically good and will choose positive paths for their lives.

* Freedom and choices are limited for some individuals.

* It gives too much importance for subjective experience. But It’s hard to study.

* It is not effective in severe mental health issues and the generalizations made about
nature of learners.

(d)Argument for and against this learning theory:

* Humans have a series of needs, some of which must be met before they can turn their
attention toward others. Certain universal needs are the most pressing, while more
“acquired” emotions are of secondary importance.

* Learners thought is failed in concrete treatment in specific issues. It is difficult to

develop treatment technique and study the effectiveness techniques at the same times.

* Human natures are widely accepted as complete. All people are not basically good to
adopt with this. Some people can choose negative choices even when positive solution
are there.

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 * Concepts are too vague meaning indefinite and inexplicit. It argues that subjective
ideas such as authentic and real experiences are difficult to objectify.

* We cannot say an experience that is real for all. It may real for one individual may not
be real for another person.

(e)Impact of this learning theory on the classroom:

To improve students’ learning, I started using humanism learning theories by doing the
following steps:

 Help students to set learning goals at the beginning of the year, and then help design
pathways to achieve their goals.
 Help steer them in the right direction in each lesson.
 Provide a holistic approach to learning.
 Lessons are not prescribed in difficulty, but flow according to the students’ needs
 Used inquiry based learning.

(f) Judgement:

 The humanistic theory approach is engaging social skills, feelings, intellect, artistic
skills, practical skills, and more as part of their education. Self-esteem, goals, and full
autonomy are key learning elements in the humanistic learning theory.

 It says human nobility and the love of nature. It supports individual liberty, as well as
learner’s rights and responsibility for humankind.

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 Comparison between the theories:

Cognitivism Behaviourism Constructivism Humanism

Process of associating the

study of a Based on each
Study of the stimulus with the
mind and learner's own individual's
response
mental construction of potential and
process knowledge stresses the
importance of
growth and self-
actualization.
Safe learning
environment
Key Jean Piaget B.F Skinner, Watson, Ivan Vygotsky A. H. Maslow
players Pavlav
Students They are They are considered as They are active They are highly
active blank slate. Theough participant encouraged to
participant continues reinforcement take control
and motivation, they will over their
give expected result. education. They
make their
choices. They

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 are respected.

Teachers They are the They decide learners’ They are They are
important settings. facilitators. facilitators and
role, merging motivators
students and
learning skill.
Learning is Getting By reinforcement or Using Watching the
occurred information punishment. knowledge in behaviour of
by and apply it in real life others.
new situation. situation.

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Similarities between the theories:

 Learning theories (Cognitivism, Behaviourism, Constructivism and Humanism) are to

ensure students learning by a set of procedures.
 They are the collection of rules, ideas and procedures in which how to establish proper
link between teachers and students to achieve effective learning.
 They focus the educational goals, student’s behaviour and teaching strategies.
 They reduce teachers’ full interference in the classroom. They support learning
natures.
 They support behaviour and learning through experience, interaction and physical/
social environments.
 They help students to understand basic skills and facts through learning.
 They concentrate more on students conversation and self assessments.
 Generally, all learning theories are connected with a set of rules, ideas, policies and
theories to analyze students and increase their behaviour and knowledge.

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 They focus on students’ behaviours in both inside and outside of classroom
environment.
 The main outcomes of all learning theories are the principles of learning that come up
with different teaching strategies.
 Constructivism concentrates the interaction with the knowledge to increase meaning
for it, where cognitivism concentrates students to have a better meaning of it.
 Cognitivism and Behaviourism use the same mechanism in specific fundamental ways.
Most of the times, Cognitivism gives mechanical management to the mind than
behaviourism.
 Make students to understand the link between beliefs and practices in real time.
 They focus on how students learn in each of their stages.
 They engage students to develop their knowledge actively.
 They process new things or models to increase learning in different ways .
 Far better than traditional teaching / learning. Also best solution to rectify the
problems faced during traditional methods.

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 References:

https://www.arjonline.org/papers/arjhss/v2-i1/18.pdf

https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/an-introduction-to-humanistic-learning-theory-
1489cdde6359

1. Huitt, W. (2001). Humanism and open education. Educational Psychology Interactive.

Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved September 11, 2007, from the URL:
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/affsys/humed.html.
2. Rogers, C., & Freiberg, H. J. (1994). Freedom to learn (3rd Ed.). New York: Macmillan.
3. DeCarvalho, R. (1991). The humanistic paradigm in education. The Humanistic Psychologist,
19(1), 88-104.
4. Lowry, R. J. (1973). A. H. Maslow: An intellectual portrait. Monterey: Brooks/Cole
Publishing.Google Scholar
5. Maslow, A. H. (1959). New knowledge in human values. New York: Harper & Row
Publishers.Google Scholar
6. Maslow, A. H. (1970). Religions, values, and peak-experiences. New York: Viking.Google Scholar
7. Merriam, S. B., & Caffarella, R. S. (1999). Learning in adulthood. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Publishers.Google Scholar

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