The document discusses different learning theories including behaviorism and constructivism. Behaviorism focuses on observable behaviors and reinforcement, while constructivism believes learning occurs through hands-on experiences. An example given is having students do an experiment with sand and salt water to learn about runoff. The document also discusses how learning theories are evolving as new understandings of cognition emerge, and how the internet is facilitating more interactive learning styles.

1. Learning Theories
Instructional Setting The teacher is teaching in a small country public school in Crane, Missouri.
The class sizes are small, and there are approximately 45 students in each grade. Crane is a
Pre–K–12 school, and all grades are on the same campus. The teacher teaches first grade with
approximately 17 students in my class. The classroom that this student was in has the student sitting
in small groups with centers all around the classroom. Some of the centers are word art, writing
using the word wall, there is a reading center and a math center. The classroom has visual aids such
as the word wall and picture cues to help the students with their writing. The student is eight years
old. The student has already been retained...show more content...
Another reason this is beneficial is the teacher is able to reflect on the lesson, and the teacher will
become a better teacher form the reflection. They concentrate on immediate observable behaviors
(Robler, 2003). When students demonstrate the desired situations the behaviorist reinforces the
students (Robler, 2003). The Constructivist learning theory focuses on learning through experiences
and hands on activities. Constructivists believe that students learn better by students learning the
material themselves rather than learning the material from a teacher (Ertmer, & Newby, 1993).
Through personal experiences, when the teacher provides hands on activity the students have a
better understanding of the material being learned. An example of this is if a teacher was teaching
students about how much salt is left in the water from the sand run off the teacher would have the
students put sand and salt on a cookie sheet. Then the students would pour water on the sheet as the
cookie sheet is on a 45–degree angle. The teacher would then place the runoff on a bunsen burner.
The teacher will give the students resources help them while they are setting their goals (Ertmer, &
Newby, 1993). The students in a constructivist classroom work in cooperative or collaborative
learning groups (Ertmer, & Newby, 1993). The students are assessed through authentic
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2. Learning Theories Essay
Learning Theories The Technological Revolution The Spectrum of Learning Theories Behaviorism
Constructivism Fitting the Other Theories into the Spectrum Theory of Multiple Intelligence
Learning Theories and the Brain Brain Structures Implications for Learning Theory Implications for
Multimedia References By Darren Forrester & Noel Jantzie
Kilde: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/%7Egnjantzi/learning_theories.htm This chapter takes a brief
look at the two major categories of learning theories (behaviorism and constructivism), the major
theorists within those categories, and the implications of those theories for the use of multimedia
and communications and...show more content...
They in effect, devote a whole chapter of their text just to describe the many ways of defining
learning.
While it may seem somewhat premature to evaluate the aforementioned definition of learning and to
equate it with a specific theory, it is important to recognize that "intervention" in the learning
process can imply many different things. The degree of intervention, by who or what and how, are
the defining factors of a learning theory. These factors help distinguish the many different theories.
As you will see these theories are not stagnant. They are evolving and changing as we discover new
ways of viewing human cognition. "The mechanistic model of the mind of the behavior era has
given way to the logical–computational model favored by artificial intelligence and cognitive science
theorists" (McLellan, 1996, p.6).
Don Tapscott, in his book Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation, argues that we are
now in a digital era of learning. According to Tapscott, a transformation in learning is taking place
from what he labels "broadcast" learning to "interactive" learning. No longer are today's generation
of learners satisfied in being the passive recipients of the traditional teaching process, rather, they
want to discover it for themselves by becoming interactive with the learning. The net generation
children using GlobaLearn [a web site], are beginning to process information and learn
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