SYNTHESIS MATRIX FOR ESTABLISHED THEORIES OF LEARNING/ INSTRUCTION

Theory Definition of Learning Key Concepts Instructional Roles of the teacher Key Suggestions
Emphasis and learner about Instruction
Skinner: Operant conditioning The essential For a behaviorist, The learner's role, The greatest
Operant is a learning approach premise of operant the purpose of according to method to
Conditioning
(Behaviorism)
that uses incentives or conditioning is that instruction is to behaviorists, is to be understand
rewards and a stimulus causes generate the acted upon by the behavior, according
punishments to an action, which in desired response teacher-controlled to Skinner, is to
influence behavior. An turn produces a from a learner environment. The look for
association is formed consequence. This when they are teacher's primary and understand the
between a behavior type of confronted with a roles are to change and reasons and
and a consequence conditioning uses target stimulus. As shape behavior through consequences of an
(whether negative or both positive and a result, manipulating the action.
positive) for such negative reinforcers instruction environment. The
behavior through as key concepts, as revolves around teacher delivers input
operant conditioning. well as primary, presenting the or stimuli and
secondary, and intended stimulus anticipates a
generalized and giving the predictable outcome or
conditioning. learner intended
opportunity to behavioral changes.
practice producing
the correct
response.
Gagne: Learning was a Determining Students are required to Teachers and
Categories of continual process that Verbal information, which arrange their own curriculum
Learning (Neo-
behaviorism)
relied on prior or intellectual skills, prerequisites must thoughts or thinking developers should
existing knowledge cognitive strategies, be achieved in and focus their take into account
and that humans physical skills, and order to facilitate attention on the the nature of the
evolved mentally as a attitudes are the learning at each material they will be particular skill or
result of their physical five major areas of level in Gagne’s learning. task they wish to
capabilities. learning identified five major teach, and
Relatively, he stated by Gagne. Each categories of Teachers are ensure that the
that learning is a type of learning learning. responsible for student has the
mental process that necessitates organizing the domains relevant
 occurs within an different internal of learning his thoughts prerequisites to
individual's brain. and external and the objectives of master it.
variables. the instructional lesson.
Practice and
assessment should
be tailored to the
skill being targeted.
Ausubel: Learning entails The best way for Ausubel Students, according to New materials
Meaningful introducing something students to learn emphasizes the this learning theory, are being taught should
Reception
(Information
new into our cognitive new material is for use of advance at the heart of the be embedded into
Processing) framework and it to be linked into organizers. teaching-learning the learner's
integrating it with our their previous According to him, process, with teachers existing cognitive
prior knowledge. The cognitive they differ from serving as facilitators. knowledge.
types of superordinate, information. overviews and
representational, and Simply put, summaries, which
combinatorial learning new simply highlight
processes that occur concepts can be significant
during the reception of integrated into concepts and are
information provide broader concepts or provided at the
the basis of learning. ideas. These same degree of
referred more abstraction and
inclusive concepts generality as the
or ideas are the rest of the content.
advance organizers.
Advance organizers
can be verbal
phrases or graphic.
Piaget: Learning is a result of Cognitive Genetic The role of the teacher Use active learning
(Genetic the combination of development is the epistemology is to provide suitable strategies that
epistemology/
Development
two processes called process through emphasizes and learning experiences actively engage
theory of assimilation and which a person explains the four and materials that learners and give
cognition) accommodation. perceives, thinks phases of encourage students to challenges.
about, and cognitive think critically.
 Learning occurs when comprehends his or development
a person recognizes her environment as which includes The students actively
that there is something a result of the Sensorimotor, pre- creates meaning of the
he or she wants to interaction of operational, world or situation by
know or accomplish genetic and learned concrete reflecting on the
but not yet learned variables. operational, and physical and social
and unable to be done Information formal implications of his own
yet. processing, operational. thinking and actions.
intelligence,
reasoning, language
development, and
memory are all
components of
cognitive
development.
Bruner: Learning is an active When a teacher sets The Discovery Teachers should use a Bruner believed
Discovery process wherein the up an experiment, Learning method variety of instructional that discovering a
Learning:
Modes of
students use their works as a coach, is a hands-on strategies to give coding system
Representation existing knowledge to and provides hints approach to guided tasks. rather than being
develop new ideas or along the way to learning that puts informed by a
concepts. The learner enable students emphasis on the Teachers should teacher was the
uses a cognitive come up with process, and the demonstrate how to most effective
framework to select solutions, this is importance of perform the tasks with method of
and change known as discovery problem-solving. examples. developing one. To
information, build learning. accomplish this, a
hypotheses, and make Students should express teacher must
judgments. It encourages their own thoughts, and provide students
students to build on teachers should with the necessary
their prior evaluate and provide information without
knowledge and feedback on the organizing it for
experiences, to correctness of the idea. them. Spiral
apply their curriculum can help
intuition, Through examples, with the discovery
 imagination, and practice, and feedback, learning process.
creativity, and to students must develop
seek out new foundational
information in knowledge.
order to find facts,
correlations, and
new truths.
Vygotsky: Learning is primarily a The Sociocultural Vygotsky stressed The teacher's role is Because learning
Socio-cultural social process wherein Learning Theory is the need of that of a mediator in the produces the
Theory of
Learning
the support from founded on the instructional cognitive development conditions for
parents, caregivers, notion that a scaffolding, that of the child. growth, instruction
classmates, and the learner's enables students to should be geared
larger society and environment has a make connections Students are toward the next
culture is essential significant impact associated with responsible for learning stage of a child's
in the development of on his or her social interactions. from their tasks by development.
higher psychological learning. The observing, listening,
functions. learning process, and talking about them.
according to
Vygotsky, contains In order to
three major promote learning,
elements: culture, students and teachers
language, and the build relationships in
"zone of proximal the classroom.
development."

Learning,
instruction, and
development are
the only positive
types of instruction.

Gardner: Learning is fluid, People are not born Multisensory The role of the teacher Teaching should be
Multiple multi-faceted and with all of the learning  is critical in ensuring centered on each
Intelligences
 complex. Therefore, intelligence they that students get the person's unique
it's critical to avoid will ever have, most out of the multiple intelligences.
categorizing students according to Children learn intelligences theory in
into only one type of Howard Gardner's better when they the classroom. Teachers
learners. theory of multiple engage in should develop the best
intelligences. This activities that activities, projects, and
theory contradicted utilize more than layouts with their
the conventional one sense. students rather than for
thinking that there them.
is just one kind of
intelligence,
frequently referred
to as "g" for general
intelligence, which
is solely concerned
with cognitive
ability.
Landa: Algo- Learning is a cognitive Landa's theory This theory Teaching entails Students should be
Heuristics process of solving focuses on finding emphasizes resolving instructional taught algorithm
problems. conscious and that students issues; the teacher, as and heuristics, not
particularly should be taught facilitator, must just concepts or
unconscious mental not only identify and carry out knowledge.
processes that information but actions in order to
underpin expert also algorithms achieve objectives.
learning, reasoning, and heuristics of
and performance in experts. Special
any field.  emphasis is given
to teaching
In a step-by-step them cognitive
approach, the operations,
student is algorithms, and
encouraged to learn heuristics, which
either algorithmic are all part of
or heuristic broad patterns of
problem solving. thinking.