teaching-journal

What is Pedagogy? - 4 Essential Learning Theories

by Team Satchel

Pedagogy
The theory and practice of teaching children

Summary

Four learning theories

  1. Behaviourism
    • 1898: Edward Thorndike - Cat in a box
    • The teacher should be in control of the classroom
    • Repetition is the best way to learn
    • Based on operant conditioning
    • Skinner: applied behaviourism to teaching
      • learn through immediate feedback (he had a “teaching machine” that graded tests immediately)
    • Praise doesn’t just encourage learning, it guides them by giving structure to their learning
    • Cons:
      • Theory does not take individual thinking into account and removes learner independence
      • By relying on observable behaviour, learning cannot be tailored to students needs
    • For the purpose of exams and student behaviour, Behaviourism still mostly works.
  2. Liberationism
    • Is centred on the student instead of the teacher
    • 1964: Paulo Freire - “Emancipation through education”
      • found traditional school systems to be oppressive
    • Students should be treated as creators of knowledge
    • It expels the idea that education is about learning things and makes it more about the way we learn
      • If traditional ed was filling a cup, liberationism is like giving the cup arms so that it can fill itself.
    • Joe Lewis (Hall of Fame teacher): “Teachers should be a guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage”
    • By having cluster groups of students, the classroom can encapsulate more learning styles
  3. Social Constructivism
    • Explores if students chatting in the classroom might be learning more
    • Assumes that social interaction is a key component to the learning experience
    • Lev Vygotsky
      • believed that children learn best when they talked between themselves to solve problems
    • Based on Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive constructivism
    • Social constructivism works best when time is set aside for students to discuss the topic with each other AND with the teacher
    • Example: teacher sets a problem that is to be solved in mixed ability groups
      • teaches the student the importance of communication and learning from others’ experience
      • students that are further ahead benefit from solidifying information with their peers
      • students who are slightly behind will have a chance to catch up
  4. Connectivism
    • Coined in 2005 by George Siemens
    • Considers the impact of technology in education and how teachers can adapt to it.
    • More than online learning; it teaches students to be learners in a digital age

Notes