Major 5theories and models of learning in higher education

1. 21st century learning or skills

1.1. as new media literacies, critical and systems thinking, interpersonal and self-directional skills

1.2. learning and innovation skills

1.3. information, media and technology skills

1.4. life and career skills

2. Social learning theory

2.1. people learn within a social context, and that learning is facilitated through concepts such as modeling, observational learning and imitation (Bandura-reciprocal determenism)

2.2. Bandura argues that children learn from observing others as well as from “model” behaviour, which are processes involving attention, retention, reproduction and motivation. The importance of positive role modeling on learning is well documented.

3. Cognitive psychology

3.1. as the acquisition of knowledge: the learner is an information-processor who absorbs information, undertakes cognitive operations on it, and stocks it in memory

3.2. its preferred methods of instruction are lecturing and reading textbooks; and, at its most extreme, the learner is a passive recipient of knowledge by the teacher

4. Behaviorism

4.1. by a positive rewarding effect

4.2. by exercise and repetition

5. Experiental learning

5.1. motivate learners and promote their learning

5.2. Rogers put forward the following insight: (1) “learning can only be facilitated: we cannot teach another person directly”, (2) “learners become more rigid under threat”, (3) “significant learning occurs in an environment where threat to the learner is reduced to a minimum”, (4) “learning is most likely to occur and to last when it is self-initiated”