Learning Theory

1. Behaviourism

1.1. Changes in either the form or frequency of observable performance

1.2. The learner is reactive to conditions in the environment

1.3. Transfer refers to the application of learned knowledge in new ways or situations

1.4. Does not explain the acquisition of higher level skills

1.5. Instruction uses cues and reinforcement

1.6. The goal of instruction is to elicit the desired response from the learner who is presented with a target stimulus

2. Cognitivism

2.1. Emphasis is on promoting mental processing

2.2. Learning is equated with discrete changes between states of knowledge

2.3. Address the issues of how information is received, organized, stored, and retrieved by the mind

2.4. Transfer occurs when a learner understands how to apply knowledge in different contexts

2.5. Emphasizes making knowledge meaningful and helping learners organize and relate new information to existing knowledge in memory

3. Constructivism

3.1. Knowledge “is a function of how the individual creates meaning from his or her own experiences"

3.2. Humans create meaning as opposed to acquiring it.

3.3. Transfer can be facilitated by involvement in authentic tasks anchored in meaningful contexts

3.4. Learners are encouraged to construct their own understandings and then to validate, through social negotiation