THEORIES OF LEARNING AND ITS DIFFERENCES


 


      In education and philosophy there are various theories of learning of how people may perceive themselves to come up into such conclusion and reaction to a certain ideas or activity is based on these theories. These theories are experiences and occurrences that will served as a basis of learning when and where it should take place, the theories involved are subjected to people and animal and their behavior no matter how simple or complex it may seem there can be a conceptual frameworks that can serve as a pattern of learning.


      There are numerous theories in learning but it may all be categorized into three main classifications in learning so we are going to focus on the three of the most popular; 1. The theory of Behaviorism developed by: B.F. Skinner that focuses mainly on learning through changes in behavior and conditioning 2. The theory of Cognitive thinking by: bode is learning through active and organized processing of the mind and lastly 3. The theory of Social constructivism developed by: Jean Piaget. Through which learning is acquired through socialization and experiences.       


      The Theory of Behaviorism – this theory is concerned in behavior of how people act, move, communicate, and listen etc. more than thinking or feeling. The theory is more focus on stimulus response as their idea in learning; John Watson and Ivan Pavlov conclude that we can learn with our behavior “classical conditioning”. B. F. Skinner also developed the theory of “operant conditioning” that our behavior was because of the consequences of the past. Example is the experiment of the baby male elephant in Africa who was tied on a big tree, the elephant tried to force himself to get out of the strap in his body but because of his weakness he just could not resist the pressure until he has given up. Until such time the owner of the animal has released him but he would not go, the elephant stayed on the tree. The elephant still believed that he is still tied. Skinner presumed that we can learn through consequence in our behavior that teaches us our action and it is not our feelings or thoughts or object just like in the theory of cognitive gestalt theory by bode through which he denied such learning theory.


      The theory of Cognitive Thinking – This theory is concerned with developmental stages of human and animal. Bode believed that the cognition of a person can be developed as they grow he believed that learning is perceived through figurative approach and it is the highest form of learning, the representation of objects and its transformation can be retain in our mind that’s how we learn. Cognitive thinking is also a theory of accommodation and assimilation of facts.


      This theory believed that the brain is programmed to assimilate through evolution and the product of it will be accommodated by our mind and so we can learn. The one could not exist without the other. Example is the infant learn to use their senses or sight, hearing, listening as they grow at six month they understand the world around them by nine months they learn to imitate and by one year he can follow objects, learn to speak and associate themselves through objects. Bode criticize the theory of behaviorism as overt learning pattern.


      The Theory of Socialism – is the theory that perceived learning through interaction and socialization. Albert Bandura a psychiatrist believed in Piaget’s theory that this is the most important theory of learning than any other traditional learning theory known as modeling he believed that learning can be acquired by people by watching other people. They can learn through observation a good example is that of the family when the parents are acting violently their children would also learn to act violently because there is a live model, a symbolic model, they simply imitate but this theory believe that learning does not necessarily mean a change in behavior just like in the theory of behaviorism but the socialism theory believes that it is the modeling process that change them. Albert Bandura believed that all learning theory is entirely included in it and schools, parents and teachers must rely on it to be able to teach a child better.


      In summary education and learning is acquired through consistency of motivation or conditioning, we can also acquired learning as we grow and most of all we are accustomed to the society to adapt our knowledge and education that is gained in our family and in school which belong in our society. Through this we can conclude that all learning theories have made an important view point in learning and they are all right. The theories of learning should not create a conflict but they are complimentary to each other, all of them are practically useful and equally valid as a theory in learning.


     


        



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