MEDU 111
Phase 2 – 2nd year , 3rd semester
Dr. Khalid Alabdulwahhab
Objectives
 Evolution of learning theories
 Active versus passive learning
 Adult learning
 Apply active and adult learning
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
 What is a theory?
 Provides a general explanation for observations.
 Can never be established beyond all doubt.
 May be modified.
 Seldom thrown out completely
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
What is Learning ?
 For thousands of years, philosophers and psychologists have
sought to understand the nature of learning, how it occurs, and
how one person can influence the learning of another person.
 Over the past half-century, definitions of learning shifted from
 Changes that occur in the mind or behavior of an individual to
 Changes in participation in ongoing activities with others
 Changes in a person's identity within a group (e.g., a change from
being a follower to being a leader).
 Most definitions of learning involve a change in an individual's
knowledge, ability to perform a skill, or participate in an activity
with other individuals
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
 What is Learning theories?
 Describe how information is absorbed, processed, and
retained during learning
 An attempt to describe how people learn
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
 Why there is many theories?
Due to the fact that there are different types of
learning.
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
 There are many different theories
 Behaviorism
 Cognitivism
 Constructivism
 Connectivism
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
Behaviorism
 Concentrates on overt behaviors that can be observed
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and measured.
It views the mind as a "black box“.
Totally ignoring the possibility of thought processes
occurring in the mind.
look at learning as an aspect of conditioning.
Based on a change in knowledge through
stimulus/response
All behavior caused by external stimuli.
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
Cognitivism
 Information comes in, is being processed, and leads to
certain outcomes.
 View learning as involving the acquisition or
reorganization of the cognitive structures through which
humans process and store information.
 Humans generate knowledge through sequential
development of an individual’s cognitive abilities
 Focuses on the inner mental activities – opening the
“black box”.
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
Constructivism
 Each person has a different interpretation and
construction of knowledge.
 Learners construct their own reality based upon their
perceptions of experiences, so an individual's
knowledge is a function of one's prior experiences,
mental structures, and beliefs that are used to
interpret objects and events
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
Connectivism
 A learning theory for the digital age.
 The integration of cognition and emotions in
meaning-making
 Learning has an end goal
 A learner can exponentially improve their own
learning by plugging into an existing network.
 The integration of principles explored by chaos,
network, and complexity and self-organization
theories
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Evolution of learning theories
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Objectives
 Evolution of learning theories
 Active versus passive learning
 Adult learning
 Apply active and adult learning
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Active Vs Passive Learning
 Passive Learning
 Mind as empty vessels or sponges which can be easily
filled with knowledge and were expected to absorb most
of it.
 Students are listening to instructors, reading books as
per instructions, looking at presentations or slides.
 They don’t engage with it. They do not interact, share
their insight or contribute to it.
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Active Vs Passive Learning
 Active Learning
 Process where a learner takes a dynamic and energetic role in
his or her education.
 Learner is engaged and motivated even before the actual
learning starts.
 Learner can restructure and merge the prior knowledge with
the new information and get the new insight and start
practicing it.
 Puts the responsibility on learner and encourages them to get
and stay engaged in class discussions and exercises and
compel them to read, speak, listen and think.
 Learner is not dependent on a teacher is a partner in the
process.
 Teachers act as guides and motivators to the learning process.
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Active Vs Passive Learning
 Can reading be an Active Learning?
 Don’t just read and close the book
 Try to interact with what you have read immediately
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Draw flow charts
Draw diagrams
Write a summary
Speak to your self
Explain it to others
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Active Vs Passive Learning
 What do we remember?
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20% of what we read
30% of what we hear
40% of what we see
50% of what we say
60% of what we do
90% of what we read, hear, see, say and do
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Objectives
 Evolution of learning theories
 Active versus passive learning
 Adult learning
 Apply active and adult learning
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
Andragogy
 Is a theory that holds a set of assumptions about how
adults learn “the art and science of helping adults
learn”
 Andragogy as a study of adult learning originated in
Europe in 1950's
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
 What do you mean by “adult learning principles”?
Malcolm Knowles (1970) identified the six principles of
adult learning
 Adults are internally motivated and self-directed
 Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to learning
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experiences
Adults are goal oriented
Adults are relevancy oriented
Adults are practical
Adult learners like to be respected
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
Adults are internally motivated and self-directed
 Adults need to know the reason for learning
 Adult learners resist learning when they feel others are
imposing information, ideas or actions on them
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
Adults bring life experiences and knowledge to
learning experiences
 Adults like to be given opportunity to use their existing
foundation of knowledge
 Use their experience gained from life experience, and
apply it to their new learning experiences
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
Adults are goal oriented
 Adult students become ready to learn when they
experience a need to learn it in order to cope more
satisfyingly with real-life tasks or problems
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
Adults are relevancy oriented
 Adult learners want to know the relevance of what
they are learning to what they want to achieve
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
Adults are practical
 Through practical fieldwork experiences
 Interacting with real clients and their real life
situations
 Move from classroom and textbook mode to hands-on
problem solving where they can recognize how what
they are learning applies to life and the work.
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Adult learning
Adult learners like to be respected
 Taking interest.
 Acknowledging the wealth of experiences that the
student brings to the placement.
 Regarding them as a colleague who is equal in life
experience.
 Encouraging expression of ideas, reasoning and
feedback at every opportunity.
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435
Summery
 Evolution of learning theories
 Active versus passive learning
 Adult learning
 Apply active and adult learning
Dr.Khalid Alabdulwahhab 1434-1435