JOT2 – LEARNING
THEORIES
LeAnn Polensky
NOTE: Please be sure to download the actual
assessment task and rubric from TaskStream and
carefully read what each task requires.
Task A: Learning Theories
& Learners
Constructivism, Cognitivism, Behaviorism
When Constructivism is Beneficial
for Learners
● When transfer of knowledge to problem solving is
needed
●When group cooperation and problem solving is
needed
●When students have different learning
styles/intelligences
When Cognitivism is Beneficial for
Learners
● When students need to relate information to prior
knowledge.
● When students need to transfer knowledge to new
contexts.
● When students need to learn an easier skill set
before being presented with a more complex set.
When Behaviorism is Beneficial for
Learners
● When students need to master basic skills and
fluency.
● When observable and measurable outcomes are
needed to demonstrate mastery.
● When students need different types of
reinforcement (positive/negative) to motivate
learning.
Task B: Learning Theory
Used in Lesson Plan
Learning Theory – Lesson Plan
●
Lesson Plan: Nickels and Dimes as well as Time
●
The learning theory exhibited in this lesson plan is
behaviorist.
●
●
●
●
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Students are memorizing facts
The teacher is leading the instruction
The teacher is leading the activities
A stimulus is presented to elicit a response
Knowledge is constantly checked and students are
rewarded for the correct answer
Task C: Adaptation of
Lesson Plan
Lesson plan in Cognitivism
●
Adding Learning Centers
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Hickory Dickory Dock
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In this center, one student will hold a paper mouse and the
other will hold an analog clock. One student will turn the
minute hand of the clock as they both sing the nursery
rhyme “hickory dickory dock.” When the song ends, the
student holding the mouse will read the time and the
students will talk about whether or not that was correct and
why.
Lesson plan in Cognitivism
●
Adding Learning Centers
●
What would I do?
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In this center, students are provided with paper and an
analog clock. They make a time on the clock, draw the
clock on their paper and then draw a picture of something
that they would be doing at that time of day. Then students
would switch papers with their partner and talk about the
time and the drawing. They would ask each other questions
about what they would be doing at that time of the day and
talk about how the drawing would change if it were the
opposite time of day (AM or PM).
Lesson plan in Cognitivism
●
Collaborative discussion
●
What would I do?
●
Based on what the students drew in their centers, we would
talk about time as a group. Students can share their
drawings. Then, I would make a time on the clock and have
students act out what they might be doing at that time.
Then students can talk about what they acted out and how
that would change based on whether the time was AM or
PM.
Task D: Lesson Plan
Discussion
Most Beneficial?
●
The version of the lesson that would be most
beneficial to the students would really be a
combination of both.
Most Beneficial?
●
Behavorist
●
●
●
This version of the lesson plan would be beneficial to
the students because they are being introduced to
new concepts and ideas. There is important
vocabulary involved that needs to be memorized for
success.
Due to lack of prior knowledge, the teacher needs to
lead the instruction to introduce the concepts.
The teacher needs to be able to have an observable
outcome to assess students to determine their prior
knowledge.
Most Beneficial?
●
Cognitivist
●
●
●
This version of the lesson plan would be beneficial to
the students because they are forming their own ideas
and creating relationships between time and their
surroundings.
They are interacting collaboratively and helping teach
one another while still being guided by the teacher.
Their progress can still be assessed, but it is not as
rigid and more difficult to observe
Task E: Effective
Instruction Through the
Use of Design Theories
Design Theories and Learning
●
●
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Different theories of design provide an effective
learning environment for all students based upon
which modality helps the individual learn best.
Each student has individual needs and learning
theories provide instructors with a way to
differentiate instruction and tailor it to each student.
The learning theories are also useful based upon the
final outcome desired. Some topics such as spelling
are best mastered through memorization whereas
other topics such as cellular mitosis lend themselves
to more constructivist methods.
Task F: Design Theories
Strengths and Limitations:
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Wiggins
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Gagne
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Teaching for Understanding (The Harvard model)
Strengths of Wiggins Theory
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Desired results are determined before the lesson
●
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“Backwards-Design”
Lessons are created to ensure students know and
understand what will be on the assessment
Teachers are able to ensure that students have all of
the required knowledge before the assessment.
Students will most likely understand the material
well, as they will not be lost in the details
Limitations of Wiggins
●
Teachers are limited to teaching only what is on the
test.
●
●
Students are not able to explore other material
●
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Test-centered, not learning centered
Cannot dig into things that interest them
Centered around 6 facets of understanding
●
Not necessarily meeting all students’ needs
Strengths of Gagne’s Events
●
●
Very structured
Learning hierarchy
●
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Lower level skills are learned before more difficult
skills
Students are provided feedback in order to assess
their own learning
Limitations of Gagne’s Events
●
Long model with many steps
●
●
Missing a step for planning
Very repetitive
●
Students may become bored
Strengths of Teaching for Understanding
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Uses Generative Topics
●
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Understanding Goals
●
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Interesting to students and offer opportunities for
multiple connections
Long term and constantly updated
Performances of Understanding
●
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Students expand upon what they already know
Build and demonstrate their understanding
Weaknesses of Teaching for Understanding
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Teacher must predict student baseline skills
●
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Changes
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No steps for testing prior knowledge
Many changes must be made to develop the most
effective learning environment
Early Skills
●
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Complex and builds on prior knowledge
Not as effective with brand new skills (lower grades)
Task G: Most Suitable
Design Process
Most Suitable
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Gagne’s design process
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Students will need incredible amounts of scaffolding
Varied skill levels of the students
Elicits practice
Provides guidance to the learners
Provides feedback needed to assess their own
learning
References
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●
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ALPS: Teaching for Understanding. Retrieved October
16, 2014 from Harvard Learnweb:
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/info.cfm
Ertmer, P.and T. Newby (1993). Behaviorism,
cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical
features from an instructional design perspective.
Performance improvement quarterly 6(4), 50-72.
Gagne, R. (1988). The events of instruction. Principles
of instructional design (pp.185-204). San Diego:
Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
References
●
Roblyer, J.E. (2001). Learning theories and integration
models. Integrating educational technology into
teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill