A brief overview of learning theories provided as part of CORE Achieve IQ115

2. New
Thinking
“What
are
the
ideas
about
knowledge,
mind,
and
learning
that
inform
your
current
thinking
about
how
you
teach
and
how
schools
should
be
organised?”
Ref:
Jane
Gilbert
(2005)
Catching
the
Knowledge
Wave
-­‐
NZCER

3. How
we
understand
knowledge
• Knowledge
is
“stuff”
• It
can
be
stored
-­‐
in
minds,
books
or
other
kinds
of
databases
• Knowledge
is
true,
correct,
“the
facts”
• It
is
something
stable
that
accumulates
slowly
over
Ome;
new
knowledge
builds
on
older
knowledge
• It
is
built
up
by
people,
and
people
can
“have”
it,
however,
it
exists
objecOvely,
independently
of
people
• There
are
different
branches
of
knowledge
called
disciplines
or
subjects
Ref: Jane Gilbert (2005)
Catching the Knowledge • Each
discipline
has
its
own
way
of
doing
things
Wave - NZCER

4. How
we
understand
minds
• Minds
are
like
containers
(filing
cabinets
or
databases),
they
store
knowledge
• Minds
also
process
knowledge;
they
take
it
in,
organise
it
and
represent
it
• Minds
are
the
places
where
thinking
and
learning
happen
• Some
minds
have
more
capacity
than
other
minds
for
storing
and
processing
knowledge
• The
mind
is
located
in
the
brain,
but
Ref: Jane Gilbert (2005)
its
acOviOes
are
disOnct
from
the
Catching the Knowledge
Wave - NZCER
brain’s
other
funcOons

5. How
we
understand
learning
• Learning
is
the
process
by
which
knowledge
gets
stored
in
minds
• Learning
is
an
individual
acOvity:
it
takes
place
in
individual
minds
• Learning
is
an
acOvity
that
happens
in
more
or
less
the
same
way
in
all
individuals
• Learners
of
the
same
age
(or
stage
of
development)
will
be
ready
for
the
same
kinds
of
knowledge
at
the
same
Ome
• Learning
is
easier
if
the
knowledge
to
Ref: Jane Gilbert (2005)
Catching the Knowledge
be
learned
is
broken
down
into
parts
Wave - NZCER and
introduced
as
a
series
of
steps.

6. What
about
you?
• How
would
you
summarise
your
thinking
about…
– Knowledge
– Minds
– Learning
• How
would
you
describe
this
to
a
colleague?
• How
is
what
you
believe
evidenced
in
your
teaching
context?

7. Learning
theories
How
do
any
of
the
following
theories
of
learning
inform
the
decisions
you
make
about
your
teaching?

8. Behaviourism
Concept:
Learning
is
a
change
in
behaviour…mind
is
a
black
box
Key
Figures:
Pavlov,
Thorndike,
Watson,
Skinner
Epistomology/Pedagogy
-­‐
Knowledge
is
objecOve,
but
secondary
to
behavioural
consideraOons
-­‐
Teaching
is
sOmulus/response-­‐based
(condiOoning)

9. CogniOvism
Concept:
InformaOon
processing,
metacogniOon,
thought
process,
knowledge
is
organized/organizable
Key
Figures:
Ausubel,
Gagne,
Bandura,
Bruner
(both
socially-­‐focused)
Epistomology/Pedagogy
-­‐ Knowledge
is
objecOve,
acquired
through
cogniOon
(objecOvisOc)
-­‐ Knowledge
can
be
seen
as
schema
or
symbolic
mental
construcOons.
Learning
is
defined
as
change
in
a
learner’s
schemata.

10. ConstrucOvism
Concept:
“Knowledge
constructed
by
learners
as
they
aaempt
to
make
sense
of
their
experiences”
Key
Figures:
Piaget,
Dewey,
Vico,
Rorty,
Bruner
Epistomology/Pedagogy
Learning
as
experience,
acOvity
and
dialogical
process;
Problem
Based
Learning
(PBL);
Anchored
instrucOon;
cogniOve
apprenOceship
(scaffolding);
inquiry
and
discovery
learning.

11. Social
construcOvism
Concept:
Applies
the
general
philosophical
construcOonism
into
social
sedngs,
wherein
groups
construct
knowledge
for
one
another,
collaboraOvely
creaOng
a
small
culture
of
shared
arOfacts
with
shared
meanings.
Key
Figures:
Lev
Vygotsky
Epistomology/Pedagogy
1. Learning
and
development
is
a
social,
collaboraOve
acOvity.
2. The
Zone
of
Proximal
Development
can
serve
as
a
guide
for
curricular
and
lesson
planning.
3. School
learning
should
occur
in
a
meaningful
context
and
not
be
separated
from
learning
and
knowledge
children
develop
in
the
"real
world.".
4. Out-­‐of-­‐school
experiences
should
be
related
to
the
child's
school
experience.

12. ConstrucOonism
Concept:
People
learn
through
making
things
–
“creaOve
experimentaOon”
Learning
vs.
Teaching
“find
ways
in
which
the
technology
enables
children
to
use
knowledge”
Key
Figures:
Seymour
Papert
Epistomology/Pedagogy
“From
construc-vist
theories
of
psychology
we
take
a
view
of
learning
as
a
reconstruc-on
rather
than
as
a
transmission
of
knowledge.
Then
we
extend
the
idea
of
manipula-ve
materials
to
the
idea
that
learning
is
most
effec-ve
when
part
of
an
ac-vity
the
learner
experiences
as
construc-ng
a
meaningful
product.”

13. AcOvity
Theory
Concept:
AcOvity
Theory
is
a
framework
or
descripOve
tool
for
a
system.
People
are
socio-­‐culturally
embedded
actors
(not
processors
or
system
components).
Key
Figures:
Leont’ev
(based
on
Vygotsky)
Engeström
(in
current
itera-on
–
expansive
learning)
Epistomology/Pedagogy
-­‐
Knowledge
is
personally
constructed,
socially
generated,
contextually
held;
-­‐
Teaching
is
indirect,
supporOve,
learner-­‐driven,
experienOal

14. References
• hap://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/catching-­‐knowledge-­‐
wave-­‐knowledge-­‐society-­‐and-­‐future-­‐educaOon
• hap://www.learning-­‐theories.com
• hap://www.lifecircles-­‐inc.com/Learningtheories/
learningmap.html
• hap://www.emtech.net/learning_theories.htm