Theories of learning: Class 12 Education

Key points

Learning is a relatively lasting change in knowledge, skill or behaviour that comes from experience. Psychologists have put forward several theories to explain how it happens, and each one gives teachers some useful ideas.

Behaviourist theories explain learning as a change in observable behaviour:

• Classical conditioning (Ivan Pavlov): a neutral stimulus, such as a bell, becomes linked to a natural response, such as salivation, when it is repeatedly paired with a stimulus that causes the response, such as food.
• Operant conditioning (B. F. Skinner): behaviour is shaped by its consequences. Reinforcement makes a behaviour more likely and punishment makes it less likely.
• Law of effect (Edward Thorndike): behaviour that is followed by a pleasant result is repeated, and behaviour that is followed by an unpleasant result is less likely to be repeated.

In the classroom, behaviourist ideas appear in praise and rewards for good work, clear rules with consistent results, and practice and drill for skills such as spelling and tables. A teacher should link reinforcement to the behaviour at once, and should use praise more than punishment.

Social learning theory (Albert Bandura) says that people also learn by watching others, which is called observational learning or modelling. Learning is more likely when the model is respected, when the behaviour is rewarded and when the learner can copy it. Teachers act as models in the way they speak, behave and solve problems.

Piaget's theory of cognitive development describes four stages:

• Sensorimotor, from birth to about 2 years: the child learns through the senses and actions and gradually understands that objects exist when they are out of sight.
• Preoperational, from about 2 to 7 years: the child uses language and symbols but thinks in a self centred way and cannot yet reason logically.
• Concrete operational, from about 7 to 11 years: the child thinks logically about real objects and understands conservation.
• Formal operational, from about 11 years: the person can think about abstract ideas and test hypotheses.

Piaget said that children build knowledge through assimilation, which is fitting new information into what they already know, and accommodation, which is changing their ideas when the new information does not fit. For teaching, this means using real objects with young learners, giving tasks that suit the stage of the child and letting students discover ideas for themselves.

Lev Vygotsky stressed the role of society and language. He described the zone of proximal development as the gap between what a learner can do alone and what he or she can do with help from a more skilled person. Good teaching works inside this zone, with support called scaffolding that is reduced as the learner improves. Group work and discussion are useful because students learn from each other.

Constructivism is the idea that learners construct their own understanding from experience, instead of receiving knowledge ready made. The teacher becomes a guide who asks questions, sets up activities and checks understanding. No single theory explains all learning, so good teachers use ideas from several of them.

Study tip: Make a table with the theorist, the main idea, one key term and one classroom use. It covers most of the questions on this chapter.

Definitions and flashcards

Say the meaning first, then open the card to check.

Short questions with model answers

These are the kind of questions asked for 2, 3 and 5 marks. Try each one before opening the answer.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up classical conditioning, which is learning by association, with operant conditioning, which is learning from consequences.
• Giving the ages of Piaget's stages in the wrong order.
• Saying that punishment and negative reinforcement are the same.
• Forgetting to link each theory to a classroom example, which is where many marks are given.

Practise this chapter

Practice questions and timed test Printable worksheet