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Behaviorism

Learning is a change of behavior due to an exposure to specific stimulus from the environement.

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Thus knowledge is a collection of behaviors as responses to the environment.

Key theories / techniques :

  • Pavlovian conditioning 

  • Operant conditioning 

  • Law of effect 

The role of the teacher is to condition the student by exposing him to specific stimulus and reinforcing or weakening his responses.

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The learner is a passive accumulator of "right or wrong", "correct and incorrect", behaviors.

cognitivism

Knowledge is organised in schemas or abstract, mental conceptual models.

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Thus learning is a long-term change of people's schematas.

Key theories / techniques :

  • Cognitive load theory 

  • Multistore model 

  • Multicomponent model of working memory 

The teacher introduces new content by taking human cognition's strenghts and limits into account.

The learner is an active interpreter of reality and knowledge.

constructivism

Learning is happening when the students associate old informations with new ones, thus each person's understanding is unique.  

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Knowledge is a construct, associations built upon older associations.

Key theories / techniques :

  • Discovery learning 

  • Zone of proximal development & Social constructivism

  • Scaffolding

The teacher set up activities that student can perform as autonomously as possible and stays available to give personalized feedback.  Keep students in ZPD.

The learner is an active constructor of his reality and knowledge.

Andragogy

Adults learn by building upon a wider range of experiences.

Responsabilities and time constrainst are also to take into account.

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Knowledge must be relevant to their personal context.

Key theories / techniques :

  • The six assumptions of adult learning

  • Constructivist principles

The teacher must adapt the learning activities to be directly relevant to each adult's unique context.

The learner is mostly responsible for the learning process and must be involved in its set up.

Connectivism

Learning how to learn is now more important than accumulating it. Know where is more important than know how and know what.

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Knowledge is holded by computers, other types of hardware and people. There is plenty, select what to learn  and find how to access it.

Key theories / techniques :

  • Other learning theories apply

  • Formal, informal and non-formal learning (Downes)

The role of the teacher is to help learners build a network of knowledge and make its exploration as easy as possible.

The learner is highly autonomous, builds his own network (of knowledge) and explore it to connect relevant part to each other.

© 2020 by Robin Peixoto.

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