By the end of the session, trainees will be able to:
• Identify and select different theories of foreign
language learning to suit different learning
outcomes
• Distinguish between the purpose and process of
learning and education
The 4 Common Learning Theories
• Behaviorist
• Cognitivist
• Humanist
• Social and Situational
Theories of Learning
Four Orientations to Learning
Learning theorists
Behavorits: Thorndike, Pavlov, Watson, Guthrie, Hull, Tolman, Skinner
Cognitive: Koffka, Kohler, Lewin, Piaget, Ausubel, Bruner, Gagne
Humanist: Maslow,Rogers
Social and Situational: Bandura, Lave and Wenger, Salomon
0
Educator’s Role
Behaviorist: Arranges environment to elicit desired
response
Cognitivist: Structures content of learning activity
Humanist: Facilitates development of the whole person
Social/Situational: Works to establish communities of
practice in which conversation and participation can
occur.
The Behaviorist Orientation to Learning
In essence key assumptions underpin this view:
• Observable behavior rather than internal thought
processes are the focus of study. In particular,
learning is manifested by a change in behavior.
• The environment shapes one’s behavior; what one
learns is determined by the elements in the
environment, not by the individual learner.
Four key principles are highlighted:
• Activity is important. Learning is better when the
learner is active rather than passive. (‘Learning by
doing’ is to be applauded).
• Repetition, generalization and discrimination are
important notions. Frequent practice is necessary for
learning to take place.
• Reinforcement is the cardinal motivator. Positive
reinforcers like rewards.
• Learning is helped when objectives are clear.
The Cognitive Orientation to Learning
Key principles of learning associated with
cognitive psychology:
• ‘Learning results from inferences, expectations
and making connections. Instead of acquiring
habits, learners acquire plans and strategies,
and prior knowledge is important’
James Hartley
1998
The principles are:
• Instruction should be well-organized.
• Instruction should be clearly structured.
• The way a problem is displayed is important if
learners are to understand it.
Humanistic Orientations to Learning
Self-Actualization
Learning can, thus, be seen as a form of self-
actualization; it contributes to psychological
health.
It is welcomed/embraced because it involves
experiential learning, for it/its:
• has a quality of personal involvement
• is self-initiated
• is all encompassing
Experiential Learning (cont’d)
• is evaluated by the learner. The learner knows
whether it is meeting her need, whether it leads
toward what she wants to know, and whether it
illuminates the dark area of ignorance she is
experiencing.
• essence is meaning. When such learning takes
place, the element of meaning to the learner is
built into the whole experience. (Rogers (1983:
20)
The Social/Situational Orientation to Learning
• The social/situational orientation to learning.
It is not so much that learners acquire
structures or models to understand the world,
but they participate in frameworks that that
have structure. Learning involves participation
in a community of practice.
• e.g. CBL
Learning Communities
In this model interaction of the individual
with the environment.
• Educators work so that people can become
participants in communities of practice – they need
to explore with people in communities how all may
participate to the full. There is a strong link here with
the long-standing concern among informal educators
for association.
Case Study
Instructions
• Read the case study
• Determine which theory will be more effective
for each case
• Justify your choice
Approaches to Designing a New
Undergraduate Human Physiology
Laboratory Course
Curriculum design proposal 1. Learning theory:
Before each laboratory session, students will attend a 15- to 30-mini
lecture about the goal of the laboratory and major points of the
protocol. Students will be provided with a detailed protocol and data
sheet for that laboratory session. Their task is to understand and
successfully deploy the instructions . Questions are included in each
lecture to ensure that students pay attention and can recall key
elements of the protocol. Positive reinforcement and punishment are
used to progressively shape behavior to achieve the final target behavior
of making accurate measurements, correctly reported.
Curriculum design proposal 1. Learning theory: behaviorism.
Before each laboratory session, students will attend a 15- to 30-mini
lecture about the goal of the laboratory and major points of the
protocol. Students will be provided with a detailed protocol and data
sheet for that laboratory session. Their task is to understand and
successfully deploy the instructions . Questions are included in each
lecture to ensure that students pay attention and can recall key
elements of the protocol. Positive reinforcement and punishment are
used to progressively shape behavior to achieve the final target
behavior of making accurate measurements, correctly reported.
Curriculum design proposal 2. Learning theory :
Before each laboratory session, a faculty member will demonstrate
the protocol (this design includes several elements of modelling and
imitation ), emphasizing the skills needed to obtain accurate
measurements. Before each laboratory session, there is a pretest
based on knowledge completed the previous semester. Students can
take the pretest as many times as needed to demonstrate mastery
(get all items correct) of the prior material. After each laboratory,
there is a cumulative quiz that includes questions from both current
and prior laboratory sessions. Students must demonstrate mastery
of all items to proceed to the next level.
Curriculum design proposal 2. Learning theory : cognitive
learning theory.
Before each laboratory session, a faculty member will demonstrate
the protocol (this design includes several elements of modelling and
imitation ), emphasizing the skills needed to obtain accurate
measurements. Before each laboratory session, there is a pretest
based on knowledge completed the previous semester. Students can
take the pretest as many times as needed to demonstrate mastery
(get all items correct) of the prior material. After each laboratory,
there is a cumulative quiz that includes questions from both current
and prior laboratory sessions. Students must demonstrate mastery
of all items to proceed to the next level.
Curriculum design proposal 3. Learning theory:
Students are organized in teams of five to six students. In team formation,
careful attention is paid to all aspects of diversity, including level of prior
experience, sex, age, racial and ethnic backgrounds, etc. Each student group is
challenged to reflect on the everyday experience of their own physiology and
to prioritize three questions they would like to address during the semester.
Groups are expected to meet outside of formal class time and to clarify roles.
The student group performs their experiments and is graded based on a
collaborative writing project for the report and a group oral presentation. The
products are graded on the process of experimental design, execution of the
plan, physiological interpretation of their results, and discussion about
limitations of their design.
Curriculum design proposal 3. Learning theory: Social and situational
Students are organized in teams of five to six students. In team formation,
careful attention is paid to all aspects of diversity, including level of prior
experience, sex, age, racial and ethnic backgrounds, etc. Each student group is
challenged to reflect on the everyday experience of their own physiology and
to prioritize three questions they would like to address during the semester.
Groups are expected to meet outside of formal class time and to clarify roles.
The student group performs their experiments and is graded based on a
collaborative writing project for the report and a group oral presentation. The
products are graded on the process of experimental design, execution of the
plan, physiological interpretation of their results, and discussion about
limitations of their design.
Curriculum design proposal 4. Learning theory: Humanist
Students are organized
In your groups, briefly (In no more than 3 sentences) design the New
Undergraduate Human Physiology Laboratory Course based on the Humanist
Learning theory
Task
Watch the videos and consider the following questions:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
While watching think of the following questions:
• What important things did you find out?
• What points were not clear to you?
• What would you like to ask/read/learn more about?
References
• [Link]
919565/Learning%20Theories
• [Link]
and-process/