Teachers need a deep knowledge of learning theories to create effective classroom environments. Teachers can utilize these frameworks as ways to help connect with students who possess differing learning styles and academic requirements; furthermore, learning theories foster self-esteem development as well as goal accomplishment among pupils. Read this article for more details regarding this concept!
Humanistic learning theory
Humanistic learning theory is a learner-centric approach to education that places the student as the center of attention. This theory emphasizes that motivated students will learn best and also claims they perform more successfully when their basic needs are fulfilled. Initially developed by Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and James F. T. Bugental in the early 1900s in response to prevalent educational theories like behaviorism and psychoanalysis at that time, humanistic learning theory remains relevant today.
Humanism’s goal in education is to facilitate human growth and development. This theory is founded upon the notion that humans have a fundamental sense of goodness at their core and naturally desire to learn, unlike more common approaches such as behaviorism or cognitivism, which emphasize cognitive or behavioral philosophies such as behaviorism and cognitivism. Humanism places great emphasis on the emotional well-being of its students while emphasizing rational approaches to providing them with necessary skills.
Humanistic teaching practices promote autonomy for students as the source of authority in their learning experience, such as choosing which materials and learning methods they will use, including reading, attending lectures, or even social media interaction. Students should set personal goals that they are responsible for working toward on their own time and can decide when they want to work on them.
Humanistic teachers understand that student motivation for learning varies based on needs and interests, which means they do not force topics on them – instead, they help them acquire what they require in a manner that is engaging for them. Furthermore, humanistic educators view grades as irrelevant; self-evaluation should be the sole meaningful method to assess a student’s performance rather than regular testing that may stifle enthusiasm for learning.
One of the most significant challenges educators face is keeping learners engaged with their studies. To avoid disengagement, eLearning professionals need to understand why students become bored in class and how they can make it more engaging; one effective solution for doing this may be adding elements such as gamification or microlearning into the course content to boost engagement levels among their learners and help them reach their goals faster.
Social learning theory
Social Learning Theory (SLT) is an expansive framework that affects many therapeutic techniques and interventions. It has helped transform psychotherapy by offering therapists a broader perspective than traditional behavioral conditioning; SLT includes elements such as expectancy modeling and values modification to help reinforce positive behaviors and attitudes, plus community-based interventions that promote healthier behavior on a local level.
Social learning theory helps explain the emergence and maintenance of deviant behavior, including aggression. Criminologists Ronald Akers and Robert Burgess combined social learning theory with Edwin Sutherland’s differential association theory to create a comprehensive model of bad behavior.
Albert Bandura believed that social learning occurs through observation of modeled behavior, with observers’ ability to learn dependent upon their attention being modulated by characteristics associated with observed behavior and its consequences, such as relevance, novelty, valence, and functional value. An excellent modern example of social learning occurs through viral challenges on social media; individuals watch others perform specific tasks and then imitate them; these challenges have proven very successful at encouraging healthier lifestyle choices among the general population.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a learning theory that emphasizes environmental influence over human behavior and conditioning as a form of learning. Based on the work of people like Pavlov, who believed certain antecedent stimuli could be coupled with either reinforcing or punishing consequences for conditioning behavior in certain people. Although heredity also plays a part, heredity does not play as significant a role as the environment when it comes to creating behaviorism in action; language acquisition is one such example where behaviorism plays its part: Babies making gurgling sounds before actually learning their native tongue – behaviorism also explains why some individuals acquire their native language from their environment!
Cognitive learning theory
Dissatisfaction with behaviorism’s focus on external behavior inspired educational psychologists such as Jean Piaget and William Perry to develop a cognitive learning theory that paid more attention to internal processes. Their approach revolved around the idea that knowledge consists of active systems of intentional mental representations that each learner interprets through their existing cognitive structures, which may vary based on factors like stage of development, cultural background, or other circumstances; educators who apply this theory into teaching practices provide students with a pathway connecting what they already know with new material they must acquire.
Piaget’s basic unit of knowledge is a schema or organized cognitive structures, which enable children to process information efficiently. Over time, these schemas expand as children grow into adulthood; Piaget argues that intellectual development progresses toward more stable and coherent levels of organization.
Cognitive psychology differs significantly from both behaviorism and constructivism, being created by Swiss child psychologist Jean Piaget in the 1930s as an alternative approach. Focused on memory and thinking processes, its main stages include four main steps that span childhood development.
One key distinction between cognitivism and behaviorism is cognitive learning theory’s view that motivation should come primarily from within; behaviorists tend to believe learners were motivated by external stimuli like rewards and punishments, while cognitive theorists believe successful learning requires restructuring existing cognitive structures, necessitating considerable effort by learners for successful results.
