Educational Learning Theories Explained

Educational learning theories emphasize the different ways learners acquire new knowledge and learn skills. Educators use them to create an effective instructional design and promote an effective learning environment with the use of teaching strategies.

Educational learning theories benefit both teachers and students and encourage a positive experience in the classroom that motivates students to learn.

What Are Learning Theories?

Learning theories are educational concepts that are based on how people receive and process new information to develop skills and retain knowledge. They are used by educators to form teaching styles and create productive learning environments. The different learning theories connect different aspects of mental processes and various methods that help people successfully acquire new knowledge.

What Are the Five Main Learning Theories?

These learning theories play an important role in providing an effective learning environment for students. They allow teachers to take different approaches to teaching by giving them an understanding of the various ways new knowledge is processed.

1. Behaviorism

Behaviorism gives educators a way of understanding how to modify behaviors.

What Is It?

Behaviorism is a learning theory that focuses on observing behaviors and providing reinforcement or consequences based on how learners respond to external stimuli in an educational environment.

How Is It Used?

Behaviorism uses operant conditioning and classical conditioning to promote positive behavior and decrease negative behavior. Operant conditioning is a way for learners to make connections between behaviors and the consequences, reinforcing good behavior. Classical conditioning teaches learners to associate a neutral stimulus with a meaningful incentive to help them develop positive responses.

When educators utilize the behaviorist learning theory, they have a clear way of measuring a student's progress and managing the classroom. It allows them to evaluate a student's abilities and tailor their feedback for a more effective learning process.

2. Cognitivism

Cognitivism is the mental process involved in understanding new information.

What Is It?

Cognitivism emphasizes the role the cognitive processes play in student learning. It focuses on the way new knowledge is processed, organized, and stored. With a constructivist learning style, students are taught how to process information in effective ways, leading to successful learning outcomes.

How Is It Used?

The cognitive learning theory is used to give students strategies to engage with learning material for a better understanding. This can include concept maps or graphic organizers to help them organize their thoughts. A teacher can use scaffolding to guide students and give them a framework for learning, supporting them when needed but gradually letting them learn on their own.

3. Constructivism

Constructivism emphasizes the use of prior experiences when constructing new concepts.

What Is It?

Constructivism is a learning theory that was introduced by Jean Piaget, a psychologist. He believed learning was an active process where children interact with their environment and combine what they already know to interpret the material.

With the constructivist learning theory, students are encouraged to use their prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences to make connections to new learning material and build new knowledge. It centers around an active classroom with hands-on activities and collaboration.

How Is It Used?

It is used to create an engaging learning environment that motivates students to ask questions and gain perspectives from peers to learn new information. When a constructivist teacher uses this theory, they act as a facilitator to their students and guide them through learning material by offering support when needed but letting the learners make their own connections and provide their own insights.

4. Humanism

Humanism places importance on personal growth and self-esteem.

What Is It?

Humanism is a learning theory that encourages learners to view learning as a form of personal growth and motivates them to learn through a process of self-actualization. It emphasizes self-esteem and personal development to create a supportive learning environment.

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow were two key humanism figures, they highlighted the importance of humanistic learning environments that support a positive well-being for students to develop their self-concept and reach their full potential.

How Is It Used?

Teachers can implement humanism in the classroom by ensuring it is a student-centered environment where they recognize individuals' goals and interests. By providing an understanding and empathetic learning environment, students are able to recognize their potential and set goals for themselves.

5. Connectivism

Connectivism utilizes the benefits of networking for learning.

What Is It?

Connectivism is a theory of learning that emphasizes critical thinking through the use of social interactions and educational technology. It shows how the ability to make connections between different sources of information building a network is important to effective learning.

Technology plays a crucial role in connectivism, encouraging students to take information from different sources and use it to continuously update what they know. Connectivism integrates technology into a learning environment such as social media, discussion forums, and digital collaboration tools.

How Is It Used?

Using this learning theory in a classroom teaches students how to engage in their own learning. Implementing educational games, called gamification, is an effective way to use connectivism to encourage student learning. Digital games provide students with a more interactive learning experience.

Other Common Learning Theories

Aside from the five main learning theories, there are several others that can be used in educational settings to help provide an effective learning environment for students.

Social Learning Theory

The social learning theory focuses on the cognitive process of observational learning. With this learning style, students see model behavior and imitate it. It also involves processing information from social interactions. When learners observe the results of others' behaviors, it can help them understand how to exhibit positive behavior.

Andragogy

Andragogy highlights adult learning characteristics and takes a more self-directed approach. Malcolm Knowles developed this adult learning theory and emphasized the life experiences that adults bring to an educational setting and how those experiences motivate them to learn.

A topic's relevance to real-life situations intrinsically motivates adults to learn and encourages them to take responsibility for their education. This learning theory can be used to create a learning environment that is relevant to adult students' lives and caters to their specific learning needs. It can be an effective way to help them directly connect and implement their new knowledge into their lives.

What Impact Do Theories of Learning Have on Teaching Methods?

Theories of learning impact teaching methods by giving educators strategies to create a more effective learning environment. They help educators promote problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.

The teaching strategies that use educational learning theories create inclusive learning environments that set students up for success.

How To Apply Learning Theories in Teaching

When teachers are planning their instructional design and interacting with students, they can implement concepts from educational learning theories into their teaching practices to become more effective educators. The teaching strategies can be applied to help students with knowledge retention or help teachers better manage classroom behavior.