Introduction
The
present essay deals with theories of learning. A key aspiration of the essay is
to discuss the application of these theories in educational context. Theories
of learning have developed all through the years and various researchers have
added their newer techniques and theoretical framework to make the learning
process more efficient and easier and according to the changing times. The
present essay begins with a brief introduction to the evolution of the learning
theories. Further, the focus of the essay will be on specific learning theories
that have a prominent place in the research on learning. These are Pavlov’s and Skinner’s behaviourism,
Piaget’s constructivism,
Vygotsky’s social
constructivism and Bandura’s
social learning theory. The essay will analyse these theories and how they
contribute to the learning process. The essay also looks at the application of
these theories in educational context in schools and colleges. The author
analysed these theories and presents how these theories can contribute to the
learning process in schools of author’s home country, India.
The
nineteenth century introduced the theoretical research on learning. Inspired
from the views of Descartes and Kant, and particularly the impact of Charles
Darwin, psychologists started doing objective quizzes to learn how persons
learn, and to find out the finest method to educate. The 20th
century arguement on how persons study has emphasized mainly on behaviorist vs.
reasoning based thinking. Psychologists have questioned, “Is the human merely a
very innovative creature that functions by a spur reaction system, or really an
intellectual being that utilize its mind to create understanding from the data
received by the senses?”
Edward
Thorndike (1874 – 1949) is taken in account by several researchers to be the
first modern learning psychologist who wanted to introduce a systematic and
theoretical methodology to the research of learning (Avis, 2001; Claxton, 2002;
Cameron et al, 2007; Fuller, 2007; Jackson & Jordon, 2000).
Thorndike
had faith that learning was an ever increasing process and that persons study
by a trial-and-error method. His behaviorist philosophies of learning did not
take into account that learning happened as an outcome of psychological
concepts. In its place, he described how psychological contacts are created by
optimistic replies to specific behavior. For Thorndike, knowledge was founded
on a relationship among sense imprints and an urge to act. Thorndike preferred
scholars’ dynamic learning and wanted to build the atmosphere to safeguard
certain behavior that would ‘produce’ knowledge (Avis, 2001). Later on, B. F.
Skinner (1904 – 1990), the father of modern behaviorism, established
Thorndike’s Stimulus-Response research philosophy. Skinner was accountable for
the growth of programmed learning which was founded on his behavioral reaction
study on rats and pigeons in trials that gave optimistic strengthening for
“right “reactions. He took into account learning to be the assembly of required
behaviors, and ignored any effect of psychological procedures. Programmed
learning provided appropriate strengthening to the scholar, preferred prize
over penalty, encouraged the scholar by small steps over distinct expertise and
permitted the scholar to proceed at their individual pace. “There are few
queries which have to be replied in turning to the research of any new
creature. What conduct is to be set up? What strengths are at hand? What
answers are obtainable in going for a package of enlightened estimates that
will be leading to the concluding state of the conduct? How can strengths be
efficiently programmed to continue the conduct in forte? These queries are all
related in considering the issues that a kid faces in the junior classes (Avis,
2001). Behaviorist learning philosophy had considerable effect in teaching,
supervising the growth of extremely aligned and organized syllabuses, organized
instructional methods, notebooks, and other mechanisms. It has verified its benefits for the growth of various kinds
of expertise – particularly those that can be learned significantly by
repetition by means of strengthening and rehearsal. Nevertheless, proof has
accumulated that jobs necessitating more compound intellectual and advanced
psychological procedures are not usually well-learned by behaviorist techniques
and need more devotion to how persons observe, practice, and create wisdom of
what they are undergoing.
To
read more…….
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