4th WEEK REFLECTION

This weeks’ class, we learned about learning theories. But before I reflect on today’s session, let’s look at some important facts about learning theories. Learning as a process focuses on what happens when the learning takes place. Explanations of what happens constitute learning theories. A learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn, thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. Learning theories have two chief values. One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems. The theories do not give us solutions, but they do direct our attention to those variables that are crucial in finding solutions.

There are three main categories or philosophical frameworks under which learning theories fall: behaviorism,cognitivism, and constructivism . Behaviorism focuses only on the objectively observable aspects of learning. Cognitive theories look beyond behavior to explain brain-based learning. And constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts.

In short, the three important models of learning can be summarized as:

BEHAVIORISM: Based on observable changes in behavior. Behaviorism focuses on a new behavioral pattern being repeated until it becomes automatic.

COGNITIVISM: Based on the thought process behind the behavior. Changes in behavior are observed, and used as indicators as to what is happening inside the learner's mind.

CONSTRUCTIVISM: Based on the premise that we all construct our own perspective of the world, through individual experiences and schema. Constructivism focuses on preparing the learner to problem solve in ambiguous situations.

We also discuss about Behaviourist approach towards ID or instructional design. In Paul Saettler's book The History of American Educational Technology, he states that behaviorism did not have an impact on educational technology until the 1960s, which was the time that behaviorism actually began to decrease in popularity in American psychology. Saettler identified six areas that demonstrate the impact of behaviorism on Educational Technology in America: the behavioral objective movement; the teaching machine phase; the programmed instruction movement; individualized approaches, computer-assisted learning and the system approach to instruction.

Besides that, we discussed about info-processing theory which is about the information processing theory is an approach to the cognitive development of a human being, which deals with the study and the analysis of the sequence of events that occur in a person’s mind while receiving some new piece of information. In short, it is the analysis of the way a human being learns something new.

Learning about these theory serves as a guide for me as a teacher in understanding more about how human learn which helps me to deal with students and also how to create a teaching and learning process which suits the students so that learning can be a meaningful journey.