Theories of Learning and Development
Review of Learning Theories MS PowerPoint
(Google Slides)
Theories provide us with principals that explain and predict phenomena.
The following documents include further information about learning theories:
(Google Slides)
Theories provide us with principals that explain and predict phenomena.
The following documents include further information about learning theories:
- Learning Theory and Literacy Instruction
- Learning Theory Visual
- Learning Theories edTPA
Behaviorism
- Lead psychologist: B. F. Skinner
- Basic principle: operant conditioning (operating on the stimulus and the consequence of the behavior)
- Classroom implications: direct instruction
Socio-cultural Theory
- Lead psychologist: Lev Vygotsky
- Basic principle: role of language in cognitive development
- Classroom implications: dialogical teaching and argumentation in the classroom
Moral Development
- Lead psychologist: Lawrence Kohlberg
- Basic principle: the focus of reasoning when faced with a dilemma
- Classroom implications: ask higher-level thinking questions that don't have a clear answer. Push students to expand their focus of thinking from self to community to world.
Social Cognitive Learning Theory
- Lead psychologist: Albert Bandura (Bandura - BBC)
- Basic principle: imitation! People pay attention to the behaviors of other people; they keep a good memory of those behaviors, they select the behavior they want to reproduce, they model the behavior and add more elements that make the behavior theirs!
- Classroom implications: teachers and students serve as models to other students in the classroom.
Bio-Ecological Model
- Lead psychologist: Bonfrenbrenner
- Basic principle: we are encapsulated in layers of systems that have a huge impact on our lives
- Classroom implications: contain issues in the smallest possible system as long as the roots of the problem reside in that system. If the problems reside in a larger system, find ways to mobilize others to change that system.
Hierarchy of Needs
- Lead psychologist: Abraham Maslow
- Basic principle: intellectual needs cannot be met if basic physical and psychological needs are not met.
- Classroom implications: Use the hierarchy of needs to check the extent to which you and your classroom meet every child's psychological needs.