LEARNING THEORY LINKS
Learning theories are landmarks on the roadmap of teaching which guide us toward the ongoing destination of good instruction. Just as a driver who refers to a road map for clarity, educators should have an understanding of the academic foundation and the intent of their philosophical approach when instructing students.
All too often there is a serious blunder that is swept along with the fancy and eagerness of using technology in the classroom. The given possibility of being able to incorporate this new device or approach does not necessarily enable a learning opportunity for the student. The learning theory must be foremost understood and recognized thereafter, whether it involves the use of technology or not.
I believe that just because we are able to add something to our instruction, it doesn’t imply that we are compelled to integrate that something into our teaching. All too often, the focus is how to adapt the equipment to conform to current routines and not how to use the equipment to augment the students’ learning.
The following websites help to describe several different learning theories which also compare and contrast viewpoints concerned with learning.
| Greg Kearsley's Learning and Instructional Theories http://www.educationau.edu.au/archives/cp/04.htm This site provides fundamental information about theories of learning but to provide essential and referential building blocks for readers to consider what it is about computer assisted learning that makes it different in process, to learning without computer assistance. |
| Theories List http://tip.psychology.org/theories.html From * ACT* (J. Anderson)* to Triarchic Theory (R. Sternberg) this is truly an exhaustive list of learning theories. |
| Learning as a Process - Learning Theory http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm These pages focus on four different orientations (the first three taken from Merriam and Caffarella 1991). 1. the behaviourist orientation to learning 2. the cognitive orientation to learning 3. the humanistic orientation to learning 4. the social/situational orientation to learning |
| Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner) http://tip.psychology.org/skinner.html There are two journals that contain current behaviorist research: The Journal for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB) and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. They can be accessed via this link: http://www.envmed.rochester.edu/wwwrap/behavior/jaba/jabahome.htm |
| Funderstanding Website http://www.funderstanding.com/about_learning.cfm This site examines 12 different theories on how people learn *
Constructivism |
| Classic Texts and Manuscripts in Education |
| Experiential Learning articles http://reviewing.co.uk/research/experiential.learning.htm This is one of the most comprehensive review and list of experiential learning articles and contains many critiques of David Kolb's theory. |
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Brain-Based Dimensions of Learning? http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~elc/brain1.html One of the hottest and most significant topics in modern education is brain-compatible teaching and learning. In effect, this whole domain deals with what we now know about the science of brain research, what it tells us about human cognition, and what it implies about teaching and learning. |
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Instructional Technology Connections http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itcon.html *
Theory & Philosophy in Education, Technology and Culture. |
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Learning outcomes are statements of what is expected that a student will be able to DO as a result of a learning activity. |
