From the very beginning of history people have been concerned with the question “How does effective learning work?”. Over the years scientists and educators came up with various theories regarding this topic. Working my way through the VCT-unit “Learning Theories & Principles”, I got to know the three theories of learning, which shall be explained in the following part.

 

1. Behaviorism

This theory was established by B.F. Skinner and is mainly based on the principles of operant conditioning, which gives attention to the shaping of behavior through positive or negative reinforcement. In the context of education those principles are applied in “Drill & Practise” – learners are given input and have to repeat the input until they have memorized it.

To learn more about Skinner’s experiments on the role of reinforcement and the validity of behaviorism for human learning you might want to watch the following video:

2. Cognitivism

Cognitivism focuses on the individual, and thus demands learner constructed and relevant learning matter. Instead of the memorizing, students are required to understand the information. One way of doing this is through explorative learning, which concentrates on problem-solving activities.

3. Constructivism

Constructivism is the theory which is given most attention to nowadays. It regards the brain as a self-organizing, information-processing system that constructs an understanding of the world in search for meaning by reflecting on experiences. Therefore, there are rarely “right” or “wrong” answers to tasks, but solutions to a problem can be diverse.

With the theory of Constructivism come certain principles, like:

- Distance education

- Acquisition of certain skills

- Multicultural learning

- Cooperative learning

In my opinion, it is important to note that the founding of the later theories is to some extent connected to the development of New Media. As information is accessible at any time and nearly anywhere today, the memorizing of facts is just not as important as it used to be. Instead, competences that come with the above mentioned principles play a more crucial role. Media competence is in that context of great relevance as it enables the learner to retrieve information. The obtained information has to be structured, stored, and evaluated by the learner, wherefore he needs methodological skills. Also of importance are personal and social skills, e.g. the ability to learn autonomously without a direct instructor, but also to work cooperatively in a team. Those new requirements have to and are increasingly incorporated into existing curricula and reflect the theory of Constructivism.

The Behaviorism theory meets fierce criticism. Nevertheless, it is necessary to state that aspects of behaviorism are not completely outdated, but still hold true today. Who would deny that a good grade and the teacher’s recognition – positive reinforcement – encourage students to “keep up the good work”? Personally, I think that it is not necessary for us as future teachers to decide in favour of one theory, since the theories are not mutually exclusive. In my opinion, we should face the challenges in education today, foster competences and skills needed, and find a healthy balance between methods that derive from different theories.