Learning Is Generally

Learning is generally defined as relatively permanent changes in behaviour, skills, knowledge or attitudes resulting from identifiable psychological or social experiences.

Learning can be physical, social, emotional or cognitive.

Learning is not the same as teaching.

• Two of the main learning theories are behaviourism and constructivism.

Behaviourism emphasises the links that can often be observed among overt behaviours and the circumstances of the behaviours.

Constructivism emphasises the inner thoughts of learners.

Behaviourism is a perspective on learning that focuses on changes in individuals’ observable behaviours: changes in what people say or do.

Focusing on behaviour is merely looking at one form of learning: outward learning.

Operant conditioning is one of many behaviourist perspectives. It focuses on how the consequences of behaviour affect the behaviour over time.

• B.F. Skinner researched the process of operant conditioning using laboratory rats. He also pointed out many parallels between operant conditioning in animals and operant conditioning in humans.

The process of operant conditioning is widespread in classrooms. There are countless classroom examples of consequences affecting students’ behaviour in ways that resemble operant conditioning.

Example of operant conditioning: a young boy makes a silly face (the operant) at another child sitting next to him. Class mates sitting around them giggle in response (the reinforcement)

• Operant conditioning can encourage intrinsic (internal) motivation, to the extent that the reinforcement for an activity is the activity itself.

Operant conditioning can also encourage extrinsic (external)

Constructivism is a perspective on learning that focuses on how students actively construct knowledge out of experiences.

The main idea of psychological constructivism is that a person learns by mentally organising and reorganising new information or experiences.

• John Dewey is an educational...