Session Two

In todays session we leant about LEARNING THEORIES. In essence we have been 'learning' new things from the cradle and will do so onto the grave. It's almost like breathing, we know we doing it and its natural to us to do so. Learning is a part of our everyday life and its interesting to note that a few theorists has designed theories and models to learning for this thing we do everyday.

So, in class we were taught 4 baisc Learning theories. They include the following:

Behavourism Learning Theory-  is a systematic approach to the understanding of human and animal behavior. It assumes that all behaviors are either reflexes produced by a response to certain stimuli in the environment, or a consequence of that individual's history, including especially reinforcement and punishment, together with the individual's current motivational state and controlling stimuli. 

This approach in the classroom setting assumes that the  teacher knows it all and that the learner is an empty slate of knowledge that knows nothing.

Cognitivism Learning Theory- is an information-processing psychology derived in part from earlier traditions of the investigation of thought and problem solving^.

This approach in the classroom setting assumes that the learner takes in the information, the this information gets processed, and it can lead to certain outcomes.

An interesting point to note here is Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains or Hierarchy. It stems form the cognitivism world view that mainly focusses on classify educational learning objectives into levels of complexity and specificity. The three lists cover the learning objectives in cognitive, affective and sensory domains. The cognitive domain list has been the primary focus of most traditional education and is frequently used to structure curriculum learning objectives, assessments and activities. 

 The above illustration aims to explain the different stages of the learninf domain

 

 Social Learning Theory -  is a theory of learning and social behavour which proposes that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others. It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction, even in the absence of motor reproduction or direct reinforcement.

This approach in the classroom setting comes abuot when learner is not a passive recipient of information. Cognition, environment, and behavior all mutually influence each other and is influenced by their level of motivation and confidence as well.

 Constructivism Learning Theory - The theory suggests that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences.

This approach in the classroom is where teachers encourages students to constantly assess how the an activity such as a debate discussion or role-play can help them to better understand. By questioning themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist classroom ideally become "expert learners." This gives them ever-broadening tools to keep learning. With a well-planned classroom environment, the students learn HOW TO LEARN.

After being taught about the different learning theories we then were apertnered up to write a test.

 This lesson has got me thinking to the basic theories that I was taught in undergraduate studies about the different theories in relation to my proffession as a social worker. It brought me back to the importance of Theories and that it plays a vital role in my proffession.

Also, it provides the Teacher-librarian with good skills in the work that they do. For they teach the patrons how to use the library effectively and knowing the different learning theories will enable them to bring across their lesson more effectively.