Effective teaching - 2010 and beyond...

An important aspect of being an effective teacher in the year 2010 and beyond is having an understanding of how children learn and the different learning theories available, and understanding the learning theories requires knowledge of the theory, the ability to put the theory into practice and the competency to discern “which kinds of learning are most necessary in different contexts” (Shulman, 1992, as cited in InTime, 2001).

 

“Learning is at the core of any study of educational psychology, and our goal as teachers is to promote as much learning as possible for all students” (Eggen & Kauchak, 29, p. 164).

 

Behaviourism:

 

Behaviourism is a theory which “explains learning in terms of observable behaviours and how they’re influenced by stimuli from the environment” (Eggen & Kauchak, 2009, p. 164). Effective teachers can use their understanding of behaviourism to create positive learning environments and to encourage appropriate student behaviour, which in turn can increase learning and motivation.

 

Social Cognitive Theory:

 

Social cognitive theory is “a theory of learning that focuses on changes in behaviour that result from observing others” (Bandura, as cited in Eggen & Kauchak, 2009, p. 179). Effective teachers can use their understanding of social cognitive theory to model acceptable behaviours and attitudes towards learning, and to encourage self-regulation and responsibility.

 

Cognitive Learning Theory:

 

Cognitive learning theory is a theory which “explain(s) learning in terms of changes in the mental structures and processes involved in acquiring, organising, and using knowledge” (Royer; Sawyer, as cited in Eggen & Kauchak, 2009, p. 196). Effective teachers can use their understanding of cognitive learning theory to attract and maintain attention, ensure accurate learner perception, promote encoding, and prevent interference to retrieval.

 

Constructivism:

 

Constructivism is “a theory of learning suggesting that learners create their own knowledge of the topics they study rather than receiving that knowledge as transmitted to them by some other source, such as another person or something they read” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, as cited in Eggen & Kauchak, 2009, p. 226). Effective teachers can use their understanding of constructivism to provide an adequate representation of content to ensure correct construction of knowledge, to relate new knowledge to learners’ real world experiences, and to encourage cooperation and social learning in the classroom. 

 

 

Theory	Can Explain	Examples	Cannot Explain	Examples
Behaviourism	The acquisition of responses resulting from associations.   Changes in behaviour resulting from consequences.	Why people learn to fear water and get over the fear.   Why people take pain killers for headaches.	Changes in behaviour that don’t have a direct cause.	Why children stop talking when a classmate is told to stop.
Social Cognitive Theory	The acquisition of behaviours that result from observing others.     Changes in behaviour resulting from observing the consequences of others’ behaviours.	Why people wear fashions popularised by celebrities.     Why children stop talking when a classmate is told to stop.	Behaviours that occur regardless of the presence of someone else.     Why people fail to imitate modelled behaviour.	How a student figures out an answer to a problem that hasn’t been explained or modelled. Why a student is unable to replicate the solution to a problem that has been modelled by a teacher.
Cognitive Learning Theory	Behaviours that occur in the absence of reinforcement or modelling.     Why people fail to imitate modelled behaviour.	How a student figures out an answer to a problem that hasn’t been explained or modelled. Why a student is unable to replicate the solution to a problem that has been modelled by a teacher.	The acquisition of misconceptions and why people with the same sets of experiences acquire different understandings of an event.	Why people think the Earth is closer to the Sun in June than it is in December.
Constructivism	Original ideas and misconceptions.	Why people believe the Earth is closer to the Sun in June than it is in December.	How the model of human memory influences learning.   Behaviours that are acquired involuntarily and without awareness.   Learning by nonhuman animals.	Why students write poorer essays on computers if they lack computer skills.     How people learn to fear water if they nearly drowned.       How Pavlov’s dogs learned to salivate at the sight of lab assistants.

Source: Eggen & Kauchak, 2009, p. 247

 

 

In the Classroom