WK 1 - Activity 4

What do I think about the learning theories?

I believe that successful learning approaches will be best informed by all 4 learning theories:

-          Behaviourism – I found there were key ties to this theory in the video presentation, in particular to the idea that a learner’s behaviour and information processing is determined by their emotional/physiological experiences of the educational context. It is not enough to teach the material, the teaching experience must be conducive to learning, and this involves positive reinforcement within a safe and happy environment.

-          Cognitivism – Well this always reminds me of the old adages of ‘practice makes perfect’, and ‘if you don’t use it you lose it’. The idea that we need to tailor learning experiences to ensure that information is converted into long-term memory makes quite a lot of sense to me, however I am cautious as to the adverse impact that multi-sensory stimuli may have on learners with neurological or sensory difficulties, or ASD in particular. I believe that in the future ‘inclusive’ classrooms the teaching delivery modes and resources may differ between each learner in particular.

-          Social Constructivism – Anthropologists will often remind you it takes a community to raise a child; learning is determined by what is modelled and scaffolded by our societies, our cultures, and our local communities; those who enter school with the desired cultural capital are more likely to have a positive educational experience. It is vitally important to ensure learners have opportunities to interact in ways that will develop their experience and knowledge, with an aim to include a diverse cohort of students in the educational experience.  

-          Connectivism – we really are in the digital age! With all the information at our fingertips, I would surmise that the focus may expand from not just simply learning how to use the “pipeline and it’s connections” but analysing, evaluating, and challenging this pipeline and it’s connections.

One further theory which I can find a few positive arguments for implementation in the classroom is Choice Theory (but please do not think I am an avid supporter, as it does have its flaws, and I am professionally more inclined to advocate for CBT and ACT). Currently I have seen this used as an approach in the Tertiary Education sector, as part of the implementation process for student adjustments when creating an inclusive environment. The idea being here, that learners will have a better experience in a context where they are aware of their choices and the outcomes of those choices, and that they are more likely to go into learning as participants rather than voyeurs if they have ownership of the process.