Theories of

Learning
Objectives:

• Identify the different theories of

learning.
• Explain the concept of the different
learning theories.
• Discuss how the different learning
theories help a teachers in teaching.
What do you consider in
selecting instructional
tools, techniques and
strategies that promote
learning.
Learning design should be
based on learning theories
because:

• Theories provide a basis to

understand how people learn and a
way to explain, describe, analyze and
predict learning. In that sense, a
theory help us make more informed
decisions around the design,
development and delivery of learning.
COGNITIVE
LEARNING
THEORY
 Basis and Focus
• Basis: Principles of cognitive psychology

• Focus: Role of cognitive processes

in learning
 Focus
• The mental processes involved in
learning:

– Observing, categorizing, forming

generalizations to make sense of the
information provided
 Main Assumptions

• Learning results from internal mental

activity and not from externally imposed
stimuli
 Role of the Learner

• Active participant in the learning process,

using various strategies to process and
construct their personal understanding of
the content to which they are exposed
 Piaget, Bloom, Bruner, Ausubel

• Each of these psychologists focused on

different cognitive conditions that
impact on learning
 Jean Piaget
• Constructed models of child development
and the learning process

• Identified 4 developmental stages and the

cognitive processes associated with
each of them
 Developmental Stages
• Sensory-motor - understands his
environment through the basic senses

• Intuitive /Pre-operational - Thoughts

more flexible, memory and imagination
begin to play a part in learning, capable of
more creativity
• Concrete Operational – Can go beyond
the basic information given, but still
dependent on concrete material and
examples to support reasoning

• Formal Operational – Abstract reasoning

becomes increasingly possible
 Accommodation

• Accommodation – The process by which

we modify what we already know to take
into account the new information
 Assimilation

• The process by which new knowledge is

changed / modified / merged in our minds
to fit into what we already know
 Equilibration

• The balance between what is known and

what is currently being processed,
mastery of the new material
 Implications for the Classroom

• Learning is the process of relating new

information with what was previously
learnt

• Learning is cumulative
 Implications

• Learners should be assigned tasks that

are age and stage appropriate
 Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Identifies and describes, in hierarchical

order, the cognitive processes involved in
learning
 Implication for Teaching

• Use verbs aligned to the taxonomy to plan

lessons that would ensure that learners’
cognitive skills develop from LOTS to
HOTS
 Revised Taxonomy

• The original taxonomy has now been

revised to make provision for the new
knowledge and skills that now exist as a
result of the integration of web 2.0 tools in
teaching
Original and Revised
Taxonomies
Bloom (Rev.) and Web
2.0
 Jerome Bruner - Focus

Development of conceptual
understanding, cognitive skills and
learning strategies rather than the
acquisition of knowledge
 Bruner’s
Focus

• Teaching Approach - Learners should be

encouraged to discover solutions via
appropriate tasks which require the
application of relevant critical thinking
skills
 Bruner – Modes of
Thinking

• Extended aspects of Piaget’s theory. He

identified three ways in which learners
process information
• Enactive Level – learning takes place via
direct manipulation of objects and
materials
• Iconic Level – Objects are represented by
visual images and are recognized for
what they represent
• Symbolic Level – Learning can take
place using symbols, objects and mental
images. Language is used to represent
thoughts and experiences
 Implications for Teaching

• Providing opportunities for learners to be

actively engaged in making sense of the
language input, through meaningful tasks
• Providing opportunities for learners to
develop the ability to analyze the
language, make generalizations about
rules, take risks in trying out the language,
and to learn from errors
 David Ausubel - Focus

• Stressed the importance of active mental

participation in meaningful learning
tasks

• Learning must be meaningful to be

effective and permanent
• Made a distinction between meaningful
learning and rote learning

• Meaningful Learning – relatable to what

one already knows so it can be easily
integrated in one’s existing cognitive
structure
• Rote Learning – the material to be learnt
is not integrated / subsumed into an
existing cognitive structure but learnt as
isolated pieces of information
 Implications for
Classroom
• Teacher has to enhance the
meaningfulness of new material to
increase the chances of its being
anchored to what is already known
• New material must be organized to be
easily relatable to what is already known

• New material must be appropriately

sequenced to facilitate integration
• Use of advance organizers. These
facilitate the learning process by providing
ideas to which the new knowledge can
be attached
 Advance
Organizers
• Introductory material presented in
advance of the new material

• Information that activates relevant

background knowledge
 Advance
Organizers
• Material that orients learners to the subject
matter and relates new learning to what is
already known

• Can take the form of textual material,

pictures, titles, topic summaries, questions
Attention should be given to:
• The need to organize and structure
meaningful learning activities.

• The requirements of the task must be

appropriate to the developmental stage
(Piaget, Bruner) and allow for the
development of HOTS (Bloom)
Socio-cultural
Theory
 “The Mozart of Psychology”

Lev Semonovich Vygotsky was born in Western Russia on

November 5, 1986.His father, Semi L’vovich, founded the
“Society of Education in Gomel”, and held a wide range
of active interest including foreign language, history,
literature, theater and arts. His mother was educated as
teacher.

College of Education
 Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory
Pamela G. Virtusio

 Vygotsky Theory is that social interaction plays a

very important in cognitive development.

 Did not focus on the individual child but on the child

as a product of social interaction, especially with
adults.

 Focus on dynamic interactions rather than child

by himself.

 People thinking differs dramatically between

cultures because different cultures stress different
things. College of Education
 Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory
Pamela G. Virtusio

1. The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)

 Refers to anyone who has better

understanding or higher ability level than the
learner.

 Normally thought of as being a teacher, trainer,

or older, adult, but MKO could also peers , a
younger person, even computers.

Batangas Eastern College of Education

2. Zone of Proximal Development

 Difference between what child can accomplish

alone and s/he can accomplish with the
guidance of another.
I. Scaffolding

• Appropriate assistance given by the teacher to

assist the learner accomplish a task.

• Requires that an instructor shows example how

to solve a problem, while controlling
the learning environment so that students can
take things step by step expanding their
knowledge without excessive frustration.
II. Reciprocal Teaching

• A highly successful teaching method, it provides

an environment of open dialogue between
student and teacher which goes beyond a simple
question and answer session.
1) Children construct their
knowledge.
2) Development cannot be separated from its
social context.

3) Learning is mediated.

4) Language plays a central role in

mental development.
  Sociocultural theory considers learning as a
semiotic process where participation in
socially- mediated activities is essential.

 Social interaction emphasized that effective

learning happens through participation in
social activities, making the social context of
learning crucial.

 Vgotsky theory was important in education

since these works provide tools for the
development of individuals learning.

Batangas Eastern Colleges College of Education

Behavioral
Learning Theory
Behaviorism (also called the behaviorist
approach) was the primary concept in
psychology between 1920 to 1950 and
is based on a number of underlying
assumptions regarding methodology and
behavioral analysis.
Behaviorism is a theory of animal and human
learning that only focuses on objectively
observable behaviors and discounts mental
activities. Behavior theorists define learning
as nothing more than the acquisition of new
behavior.
The behavioral view generally assumes
that the outcome of learning is a change
in behavior, and it emphasizes the effects
of external events on the individual.
(Woolfolk,
2016)
The principle of contiguity states that
whenever two ormore sensations
together occur
enough, they will become
associated.often
• Discovered in the 1920s by Ivan Pavlov.

• Contiguity learning process plays a major role in classical

conditioning. (Contiguity developed to become classical

conditioning).
 Tuning fork a dog’s
response
(salivation)
Tuning fork = Neutral Stimulus
(no salivation)

Food = Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

Salivation = Unconditioned Response
(UR)

Contiguity
Food + Sound

Tuning fork = Conditioned Stimulus

(CS) Salivation = Conditioned
Response (CR)
 is one that is a previously neutral is the unlearned is the learned
unconditionally, stimulus that, after response that response to the
naturally and becoming associated occurs naturally previously
automatically with the unconditioned in reaction to the neutral stimulus.
triggers a stimulus, eventually unconditioned
response. comes to trigger stimulus.
a conditioned response.
• Focuses on the learning of involuntary emotional
or

physiological responses such as fear, increased muscle tension,

salivation, or sweating (respondents).

Occurs when a natural reflex responds to a stimulus. The

most popular example is Pavlov’s observation that dogs

salivate when they eat or even see food. Essentially,

animals and people are biologically “wired” so that a

certain stimulus will produce a specific response.

• Focuses on the learning of involuntary emotional
or

physiological responses such as fear, increased muscle tension,

salivation, or sweating (respondents).

Occurs when a natural reflex responds to a stimulus. The

most popular example is Pavlov’s observation that dogs

salivate when they eat or even see food. Essentially,

animals and people are biologically “wired” so that a

certain stimulus will produce a specific response.

• Unintentional Classical Conditioning:
– Exams Phobia
– Mathematics Phobia
– Public Speaking Phobia
– School Phobia
Occurs when a response to a stimulus is reinforced.
Basically, operant conditioning is a simple feedback
system: If a reward or reinforcement follows the
response to a stimulus, then the response becomes more
probable in the future.
• The learning process involved in
operant behavior.

• Operant Behavior appears when

people actively “Operate” on their
environment.

• Operant Conditioning appears when

a response to a stimulus is reinforced .
• The learning process involved in
operant behavior.

• Operant Behavior appears when

people actively “Operate” on their
environment.

• Operant Conditioning appears when

a response to a stimulus is reinforced .
A reinforcer is any consequence that
strengthens the behavior it follows. In
other words, it is increasing the
frequency of behavior.

Consequences Effect
Behavior Reinforcer Strengthened
or repeated
behavior
 Types of
Reinforceme
nt
1. Positive Reinforcement:

Something is added to increase desired behavior

(giving something good).
 • Smiling at students after a correct response.

• Commending students for their work.

• Selecting students for a special project.

• Praising student’s ability to parents.

 Types of
Reinforc
ement
2. Negative Reinforcement:

Something is removed to increase desired behavior

(taking away something bad).
•Obtaining a score of 80% or higher makes
the final exam optional.

•Submitting all assignments on time

results in the lowest grade being dropped.

•Perfect attendance is rewarded with

a “homework pass”.
 Recommendations
for Reinforcement

- Reinforce immediately following the

behavior. desired

- Make the reinforcement process informational.

- Try reinforcement before punishment if possible.

- Use reinforcement to shape behavior.

 + ve -
Punishment involves decreasing or ve

behavior A behavior
suppressing
followed by a punisher
. is less likely to
be repeated in similar situations in the
future. In other words, it is decreasing
the frequency of behavior.

Consequences Effect
Behavior Punisher Weakened or
decreased behavior
 Types of

Punish
1. mentPunishment:
Positive/Presentation

Something is added to decrease

undesired behavior (giving something bad).
* Give student detention for failing to follow the
class rules.
 Types of

Punish
ment
2. Negative/Removal Punishment:

Something is removed to decrease

undesired behavior (removing something).
* Make student miss their * Time out
time in recess for not (Behavior Modification
following the class rules. Station)
 Recommendations
for Punishment
- Kindly unpleasant.

- Short in duration.

- Applied as soon as possible after the behavior.

- Choose punishment strong enough to discourage the

behavior but not overly severe.

- Explain why the behavior is unacceptable.

- Teach and reinforce desirable alternative behaviors.

 Examples of
Effective
Punishment
- Time Out.

- Verbal Reprimand.

Examples of
Punishment
to Avoid
- Extra Class
work.
- Physical Punishment.

- Psychological Punishment.

- Suspension from School.

1. Behaviorism is based on observable behaviors.

2. Effective therapeutic techniques that supported by

researches in changing maladaptive or harmful
behaviors in both children and adults.
3. Straightforward, Comprehensive and
Precisely defined.

4.High applied value and Testable.

5.Had a strong impact on modern

psychological thought.
1. It does not account for all kinds of learning, since it
disregards the activities of the mind.

2. Too narrow a description of human experience and

personality.
3. Certain behaviors are hard to condition.

4. Internal thoughts and feelings can’t be ignored.

At the end, we can tell that Behaviorism theory is useful
in the classroom for both teachers and students.

For Teacher: to reinforce positive/negative or punish

students based on their behavior and to shape specific
students behaviors.

For Students: to increase appropriate behavior while

bad behavior will be ignored and unrepeated.
 In your own opinion
Is there a best
learning theory ?
“ A teacher who is attempting
to teach without inspiring the
pupil with a desire to learn is
hammering on cold iron”
-Horace Mann
Reporter:
Aileen Mae F. Abon
Mat-Science