THEORIES OF

LEARNING
By : Jeremiah G. Magcalas
B.S. in Social Work
Q: HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN?

A: NOBODY REALLY KNOWS.

TOPICS
 Definition of Learning
 Definition of Theories
 Six (6) main theories of learning process
• Behaviorism
• Cognitivism
• Social Constructivism
• Social Learning
• Multiple Intelligence
• Brain-based learning
 LEARNING
 the acquisition of knowledge or skills through
experience, study, or by being taught.
 The process of gaining knowledge.

 acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing

existing knowledge, behavior, skills, values or
preferences and may involve synthesizing
different types of information.

4
 THEORIES

 Is a system of ideas intended to explain

something, such as a single or collection
of facts, events of phenomena.
 a general explanation for observation made
overtime.
 Explains and predicts behavior.

5
LEARNING THEORIES

- Are the conceptual framework that

described how information is
absorbed, process and retaining during
learning.

6
KINDS OF STUDENTS’ LEARNING

1. Passive – is a learning in which

student sits in the classroom and
listen to teacher lecture about the
subject.
2. Active – is a learning that
actively involves the students thru
questions, discussion, interaction
and debating the subject matter.

7
 THE CONE OF LEARNING
Learning Activities: Learning Outcomes:
Students generally remember Students are able to …

Define
10% of what they read Describe
List
20% of what they hear Explain

30% of what they see Demonstrate

Apply
PASSIVE Practice
50% of what they see and
LEARNING
hear
70% of what they say Analyze
and write Create
ACTIVE Define
Evaluate
90% of what they LEARNING
do

8
IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING TO
EDUCATORS
 To know the nature and relationship between teachers and students.

 Help teachers to avoid seeking toolkit approach of wanting

simple answers to complex problems.

 Theories and practices helps educators to understand the reason

for their actions and foundations for re-evaluating them.

 Used as tools for  Useful in  To know what

the purpose and analyzing teaching is the real problem
method assessment. practices. and be aware of it.
SIX (6) LEARNING
THEORIES
Behaviorism
Cognitivism
Social Learning Theory
Social Constructivism
Multiple Intelligence
Brain-based Learning

10
 Behaviorism
Theory of Learning

“Teachers must learn

how to teach…
they need only to be
taught more effective
ways of teaching.”
B.F.Skinner

11
BEHAVIORISM
(IVAN PAVLOV’S CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
B. F. SKINNER’S OPERANT CONDITIONING)

 Behaviorism is a learning theory, is based on a

change in knowledge through controlled
stimulus/response conditioning. It is observable
and measurable behavior.
 Learning is a result of environmental factors.

- The learner needs reinforcements to keep interest.

Learner is dependent upon instructor for acquisition
of knowledge.
12
BEHAVIORISM
Confined to observable and measurable behavior

 Classical Conditioning - Pavlov

 Operant Conditioning - Skinner

13
BEHAVIORISM
Classical Conditioning - Pavlov

-Is a learning theory based on the idea, that behavior

can be controlled or modified based on the antecedents
and consequences of a behavior .

14
BEHAVIORISM
ANTECEDENTS
An antecedent is an event that occurs before a behavior and
can affect the likelihood of the behavior occurring.

•EXAMPLE:
•Julius was playing with his blocks in his room. Dad told Julius it
was time to clean up the blocks for dinner. He threw his blocks
across the room, screamed loudly, and threw himself on the floor.
Dad walked out of the room.

15
IMPORTANCE OF BEHAVIORISM (CLASSROOM)
- A behavior will only occur if given the right environment or
antecedent.

- The behavior is more or less likely to re occur based on the

reinforcements or consequences that fallow, such as rewards
and punishments.

16
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
Is a type of learning that had a major influence on the school
of thought in psychology known as behaviorism. Discovered
by Russian physiologist , classical conditioning is a
learning process that occurs through associations between an
environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus.

17
FOUR COMPONENTS OF CONDITIONING:
- The Unconditioned Stimulus
is one that unconditionally, naturally, and
automatically triggers a response.

- The Unconditioned Response

is the unlearned response that occurs naturally
in response to the unconditioned stimulus.

18
- The Conditioned Stimulus is previously neutral stimulus that, after
becoming associated with the unconditioned stimulus, eventually
comes to trigger a conditioned response.

- The Conditioned Response is the learned response to the

previously neutral stimulus.

19
20
OPERANT CONDITIONING - SKINNER

can be described as a process that attempts to

modify behavior through the use of positive and
negative reinforcement. Through operant
conditioning, an individual makes an association
between a particular behavior and a consequence

The term “operant conditioning” originated by the behaviorist B. F.

Skinner, who believed that one should focus on the external,
observable causes of behavior (rather than try to unpack the
internal thoughts and motivations)

21
 OPERANT CONDITIONING – B.F. SKINNER

Reinforcement comes in two forms: positive and negative.

Negative punishment is characterized by when an favorable event or outcome is removed after a

undesired behavior occurs.

The goal in both of these cases of punishment is for a behavior to decrease.

22
OPERANT CONDITIONING – B.F. SKINNER

Example 1: Parents rewarding a child’s excellent grades with

candy or some other prize.
Example 2: A schoolteacher awards points to those students who
are the most calm and well-behaved. Students eventually
realize that when they voluntarily become quieter and better
behaved, that they earn more points.
Example 3: A form of reinforcement (such as food) is given to an
animal every time the animal (for example, a hungry lion)
presses a lever

23
COGNITIVISM
(JEAN PIAGET THEORY)
 means through interaction and self cognition
development to acquire knowledge, and concern
what learner know and how to use efficiency way to
processing information.

 It focuses on the inner mental

activities – opening the “black box”
of the human mind is valuable and
necessary for understanding how
people learn. Knowledge can be seen
as schema or symbolic mental
constructions. Learning is defined as
change in a learner’s schemata.
24
JEAN PIAGET THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Piaget studied his children’s intellectual development from infancy

While studying his children, Piaget developed theories concerning

how children learn.

His theory of Cognitive Development consists of four stages of

intellectual development.

25
THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Stage 1—Cognitive Development Theory.
Sensorimotor Stage
Birth to age 2
During this stage, the child begins to develop:
- Reflexes
- Habits
- Hand-eye coordination
- Object Permanence (knowing something exists, even though it
can’t be seen)
- Experimentation and creativity. Piaget referred to the children in
this stage as “little scientists.”
- Trial and error experiments

26
Stage 2—Cognitive Development Theory.

Preoperational Stage
Age 2-7
During this stage, the child begins to develop:
- Ability to represent objects with images and words
- Language skills
- Imagination

Children learn through imitation and play during this stage.

They begin to use reasoning, however it is mainly intuitive,
instead of logical.

27
Stage 3—Cognitive Development Theory.

Concrete Operational Stage

Age 7-12
During this stage, the child begins to develop: The fundamentals of logic

- Ability to sort objects

- Ability to classify objects
- Understanding of conservation (physical quantities do not
change based on the arrangement and/or appearance of the
object)

28
Stage 4—Cognitive Development Theory.

Formal Operational Stage

Age 11-15

During this stage, the child begins to develop:

- Ability to hypothesize, test and reevaluate hypotheses

- Children begin thinking in a formal systematic way

29
SOCIAL LEARNING
(A. BANDURA’S THEORY)

- Is theory added a social element, arguing that

people can learn new information and behaviors by
watching other people or through environmental
influences.

 Conditions for effective modeling:

1. Attention – watching behavior occur
2. Retention – recalling of what was
observed
3. Reproduction – replicating
behaviors
4. Motivation – influencing someone
to do something
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
(LED S. VYGOTSKY THEORY)

 is a theory of knowledge in
sociology and communication
that examines the development
of jointly understanding of the
world. The level of potential
developments is the level at
which learning takes place.
 The level of ACTUAL development is the
LEVEL of development that the learners
has already reached and is the level at
which learner is capable of solving
problems independently.
31
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
(HOWARD GARDNER THEORY)
 is a theory of intelligence
that differentiates it into
specific (Primary sensory)
“modalities” rather than
seeing intelligence as
dominated by single general
ability.
 Each individual possess unique blend
of all intelligence.
 The theory of multiple intelligence
should “empower learners” not restrict
them to one modality of learners.
32
 Eight (8) types of
Multiple Intelligences
 Musical/rhythmic – ability to produce rhythm, appreciate pitch
and timber.
 Visual/Spatial – capacity to think images and pictures.
 Verbal/Linguistic – sensitivity to the sounds and meaning of
words
 Logical/Mathematical – ability to think conceptually and
discern patterns.
 Bodily kinesthetic – ability to handle object skillfully and control
body movements.
 Interpersonal – capacity to respond appropriately to others.
 Intrapersonal – capacity to self-aware and in tune inner feelings.
 Naturalistic – ability to recognize objects, plants in nature.

33
 BRAIN-BASED LEARNING
 is a theory based on the
structure and function of the
human brain. It constantly
accessing information and
interpreting its environment
and continuously interacting
with its surrounding to learn
and how to function
appropriately.
 Each brain is unique because it
process information in ways that makes
sense to the one brain may not make
sense to another.
34
BRAIN-BASED LEARNING ENCOMPASSES EDUCATIONAL
CONCEPTS:

35
 “I never
teach my
students.
I only provide
the
conditions in
which they
can learn.”

- Albert Einstein
36
37