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Learning Theories-Background Readings |
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Tuesday, 14 September 2010 17:31 |
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Research in the fields of
Educational Psychology, Cognitive Science, and the Learning Sciences have produced
a large body of knowledge about the subject of learning and understanding.
While this workshop is not intended as a course in learning theory, or
educational psychology, it is important to take away a few points on what
this research tells us about human learning and understanding. Here are a few examples from this
literature: A) 3-key principles of learning -
Bransford, Donovan & Pellegrino B) Learning as internalization of
the social - Vygotsky C) Learning as experience - Kolb D) Differences in learning styles -
Honey and Mumford 3-KEY PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING A) Three key principles of
learning described by John Bransford, Suzanne Donovan & James Pellegrino
- How People Learn: Bridging research and practice, commissioned
by National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Learning Research and
Educational Practice, first published 1999 Pellegrino (2006) talks about 3
important principles about how people learn < for the full article
download here > 1. "The first important principle about
how people learn is that students come to the classroom with preconceptions
about how the world works which include beliefs and prior knowledge acquired
through various experiences." If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp
new concepts and information presented in the classroom, or they may learn
them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the
classroom. This finding requires that teachers be prepared to draw out their
students' existing understandings and help to shape them into an
understanding that reflects the concepts and knowledge in the particular
discipline of study. Comments:
2. "The second important principle about how
people learn is that to develop competence in an area of inquiry, students
must: (a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge, (b) understand facts
and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c) organize
knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application." To develop competence in an area of
learning, students must have both a deep foundation of factual knowledge and
a strong conceptual framework. Research that compares the performance of
novices and experts, as well as research on learning and transfer, shows
clearly that experts are not just "smart people"; they also draw on
a richly structured information base. But this factual information is not
enough. Key to expertise is the mastery of concepts that allow for deep
understanding of that information, transforming it from a set of facts into
usable knowledge. The conceptual framework allows experts to organize
information into meaningful patterns and store it hierarchically in memory to
facilitate retrieval for problem solving. And unlike pure acquisition of
factual knowledge, the mastery of concepts facilitates transfer of learning
to new problems. This research has clear implications for what is taught, how
it is taught, and the preparation required for teaching. 3. "A third critical idea about how
people learn is that a "metacognitive" approach to instruction can
help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining
learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them." Strategies can be taught that allow
students to monitor their understanding and progress in problem solving.
Research on the performance of experts reveals that they monitor their
understanding carefully, making note of when additional information is
required, whether new information is consistent with what is already known,
and what analogies can be drawn that would advance their understanding. In
problem solving, they consider alternatives and are mindful of whether the
one chosen is leading to the desired end. Although this monitoring goes on as
an internal conversation, the strategies involved are part of a culture of
inquiry, and they can be successfully taught in the context of subject
matter. In teaching them, the monitoring questions and observations are
modeled and discussed for some time in the classroom, with the ultimate goal
of independent monitoring and learning. This research, again, has clear
implications for teacher preparation, as well as for curriculum design. LEARNING AS SOCIAL B) Learning as internalization
of social experience as described by Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) - http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html Vygotsky’s theory is one of the
foundations of constructivism. It asserts three major themes: 1. Social interaction plays a
fundamental role in the process of cognitive development. In contrast to Jean
Piaget’s understanding of child development (in which development necessarily
precedes learning), Vygotsky felt social learning precedes development. He
states: “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice:
first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first,
between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child
(intrapsychological).” (Vygotsky, 1978). 2. The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).
The MKO refers to anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability
level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process, or
concept. The MKO is normally thought of as being a teacher, coach, or older
adult, but the MKO could also be peers, a younger person, or even computers. 3. The Zone of Proximal Development
(ZPD). The ZPD is the distance between a student’s ability to perform a task
under adult guidance and/or with peer collaboration and the student’s ability
solving the problem independently. According to Vygotsky, learning occurred
in this zone.
image downloaded from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/english/literacy/concepts/2kczpdl56.htm Vygotsky focused on the connections
between people and the sociocultural context in which they act and interact
in shared experiences (Crawford, 1996). According to Vygotsky, humans use
tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate
their social environments. Initially children develop these tools to serve
solely as social functions, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky believed that
the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills. LEARNING AS EXPERIENCE C) Learning as experience
according to David Kolb - http://www.learning-theories.com/experiential-learning-kolb.html Kolb (1984) proposes that “learning is the process whereby
knowledge is created through the transformation of experience." His theory of experiential learning describes a 4-cycle
process.
image downloaded from http://www.learning-theories.com/experiential-learning-kolb.html Comment:
DIFFERENCES IN LEARNING STYLES D) Differences in learning
styles - http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/2_learntch/theories.html "The idea that people learn in
different ways has been explored over the last few decades by educational
researchers. Kolb, one of the the most influential of these, found that
individuals begin with their preferred style in the experiential learning
cycle (see above)." http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/2_learntch/theories.html Honey and Mumford (1986 cited in
McGill & Beaty 1995 p.177) building on Kolb's work, identified four
learning styles:
"There are strengths and
weaknesses in each of these styles. Honey and Mumford argue that learning is
enhanced when we think about our learning style so that we can build on
strengths and work towards minimising weaknesses to improve the quality of
learning." Additional References Online sites with
information on learning theories http://www.learning-theories.com http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
(explore the many topics on this site - examples below) |
