Our lesson for today's class is about Theory in Learning. Learning theories are conceptual frameworks describing how information is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed and knowledge and skills retained.
For our class today, Dr Chin had explained about the three main theories that are Behaviourism, Constructivism and Social &Contextual (Social Learning).
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| Today's Class :) |
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So lets me explained a bit about what I understand about these theory that I had learned .
Behaviourism Theory ;
Behaviorism is an approach to psychology based on the proposition that behavior can be researched scientifically without recourse to inner mental states. It is a form of materialism, denying any independent significance for mind. One of the assumptions of behaviorist thought is that free will is illusory, and that all behavior is determined by the environment either through association or reinforcement. The well known behaviorist are Edward Thorndike, B.F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov and J.B Watson.
In short :
- Behaviourism assumes that a learner is essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli.
- Believe that a learner starts out with a clean slate, and behaviour is shaped by positive and negative reinforcement.
- Reinforcement, positive or negative, increases the possibility of an event happening again.
- Punishment, both positive and negative, decreases the possibility of an event happening again.
Constructivism Theory ;
Constructivsm states that learning is an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledgerather than acquiring it. knowledge is constructed based on personal experiences and hypotheses of the environment. Learners continuously test these hypotheses through social negotitation. Each person has a different interpretation and construction of knowledge process. The learner is not a blank state (tabula rasa) but brings past experiences and cultural factors to a situation. The founder of this theory is Jean Piaget.
In short :
- Learners will learn by doing or by application.
- New knowledge is built or constructed as we move through cognitive stages.
- Learners adapt to and assimilate new knowledge.
- As they receive new information and experience, new things they accommodate them into their lives and use them to increase their knowledge understand their environment.
- Learners use their understanding to make decisions and analyze problems.
Social Learning Theory (Bandura) ;
This theory explained that people learn through observing others' behaviour, attitudes and outcomes of those behaviours. Bandura said " Most human behaviour is learned observationally through modelling : from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performes, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action."
There is 4 necessary condition for effective modeling :
Social Development Theory (Vygotsky);
Vygotsky felt social learning precedes development. He states "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice : first, on the social level (between people (interpsycological) ) and later, on the individual level (inside the child (intrapsycological) ) " -Vygotsky, 1978-
Vygotsky focused on the connection between people and the sosiocultural context in which they act and interact in shared experiences. He stated that human use too;s that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. He believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills.
Now, I understand better about those theory. Each theory have its own pros and cons. Teacher should know what theory are suitable to use in class lesson. Try to understand the function of each theory so that the learning in class will much easier and help children to understand the topic easily.
I really attracted to Constructivism Theory which is constructivist teachers pose questions and problems, then guide students to help them find their own answers. They use many techniques in the teaching process. For example, a question given "How to explode a balloon?" The kids will express their own answers or discuss with their friends and start giving the answers like using a needle, using sharp nails or just sit on the balloon. These constructivism theory that being applied may:
- prompt my students to formulate their own questions (inquiry)
- allow multiple interpretations and expressions of learning (multiple intelligences)
- encourage group work and the use of peers as resources (collaborative learning)
Some benefits such as collaborative, evolving, active, inquiry-based, constructed and seflective.
