Three Theorys of Learning
How can we understand and explain the human
learning process? Here is a short overview of the three
major influences in the search to understand the human
learning process.The three major theories of the 20th
Century were:
Behaviourism
The behaviourist teaching strategy is based
on the principle that the teacher knows what the student
has to learn. Learning is seen as a “Conditioned
Reflex”. One only has to present the necessary stimulus
to receive the necessary reaction.
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The major theoretical and didactical difficulty
with the behaviourist theory is the problem of not
being able to accurately measure the right
stimulus to reinforce the learning process.
The brain is seen as a “Black Box” which
received inputs and reacted in a deterministic
manner.
The behaviourist is not particularly interested
in the brain’s on-going processes. The model for
this theory is the brain as a “Passive Vessel”, to
be filled.
Behaviourism is strongly discredited these days
because it could not encompass the many
complexities of the human learning process.
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The behaviourists give us a clear understanding of
the “Repetitive Learning Process” and developed “Speech
Laboratories” based on the concept of “Drill and
Practice”. They beleive a given stimulus to get a given
response is practiced until a particular stimulus,
practically automatic, creates a particular response.
Humans develop skills by repeating them. Tasks which
were at first difficult become, with practice, easy and
routine. Walking, throwing a ball or playing a piano are
some ordinary examples. These activities also carry over
to our current learning methods in the form of learning
by repetition.
Cognitivism
The cognitivists do not see the human brain
as a “Black Box”. They work with the idea of developing
a model to explain what lies between the inputs and the
outputs.
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To state it in broad terms, they see the
process of human thought as “Information
Processing”.
On an abstract level the computer and the human
brain are equivalent: Both are information
processing devices.
There is a close relationship between the
cognitivist’s research program and the search for
artificial intelligence.
In contrast to behaviourism, the human brain is
no longer seen as a passive vessel, but as a place
for the process of transforming information.
What stands in the middle of the cognitivists
concept is, “The brain as a problem solving
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It is no longer believed that, “From the one and
right stimulus comes the one and right answer.”
- Cognitivists believe that it is important to learn
the specific methods of problem solving which lead to
the correct answer(s).
- Cognitivists think that a problem “exists” and can
be can be represented physically. And therefore,
requires only a solution.
Today we see that this is not the case, problems have
to be constructed or invented before they can be solved.
Constructivism
The constructivists sees learning as an
active process in which humans construct knowledge in
relation to their earlier experiences.
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In contradiction to cognitivism, in
constructivism, problem discovery and problem
solving are not in the foreground.
The constructivists believe that the basis of
human learning is in the self-generation of
problems.
Problems don’t exist on their own, they have to
be invented.
It is the opinion of constructivists that
people should first create a problem field and
develop a specific view or perspective of an
unsure or insecure situation to arrive at a proper
solution.
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