LEARNING THEORIES

A Mini Project Report

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for BBA (Banking & Insurance) semester III program of G.G.S.Indraprastha University, Delhi. Submitted by Course Semester Enrolment no. - hemant sharma - BBA (B&I) - III - 06012201809

Delhi College of Advance studies Shankar Garden, Vikaspuri New Delhi 110018

Introduction Learning can be defined as the process leading to relatively permanent behavioural change or potential behavioural change. In other words, as we learn, we alter the way we perceive our environment, the way we interpret the incoming stimuli, and therefore the way we interact, or b ehave. John B. Watson (1878-1958) was the first to study how the process of learning affects our behaviour, and he formed the school of thought known as Behaviourism. The central idea behind behaviourism is that only observable behaviours are worthy of research since other abstraction such as a persons mood or thoughts are too subjective. This belief was dominant in psychological research in the United Stated for a good 50 years.

Perhaps the most well known Behaviorist is B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990). Skinner followed much of Watsons research and findings, but believed that internal states could influence behaviour just as external stimuli. He is considered to be a Radical Behaviorist because of this belief, although nowadays it is believed that both internal and external stimuli influence our behaviour.

Behavioural Psychology is basically interested in how our behaviour results from the stimuli both in the environment and within ourselves. They study, often in minute detail, the behaviours we exhibit while controlling for as many other variables as possible. Often a gruelling process, but results have helped us learn a great deal about our behaviours, the effect our environment has on us, how we learn new behaviours, and what motivates us to change or remain the same.
Objectives of the study

To know the concept of learning theories. To study the various forms/types of learning theories. Behaviorist Cognitivist Constructivism Design-Based Humanism To study the benefits of learning theories. To study the examples of learning theories.

Research Methodology

Descriptive research - The main goal of this type of research is to describe the data and characteristics about what is being studied. The idea behind this type of research is to study frequencies, averages, and other statistical calculations.

Source of Data

The source for making this assignment is secondary data. It is one which already exists and is collected from the published sources. The sources from which secondary data was collected are: Newspapers and Magazines like Economic Times, Insurance Times, and Insurance Post Internet Due to lack of time it was not possible to collect primary data, thus secondary sources are used.

Concept Learning theory is a model of psychology that explains human responses through the concept of learning. Learning theory includes behaviourism, cognitive theory, cognitive -behavioural theory and constructivism. In psychology and education, learning is commonly defined as a process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or making changes in one's knowledge, skills, values, and world views. Learning as a process focuses on what happens when the learning takes place. Explanations of what happens constitute learning theories. A learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn, thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. Learning theories have two chief values accordin g to Hill (2002). One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems. The theories do not give us solutions, but they do direct our attention to those variables that are crucial in finding solutions. The other important dimension that emerges refers to the extent of cognitive development, and it has to do with the level at which this development takes place. The most basic purpose of learning theory like any other is to better explain how learning occurs. Attempts have been made by the psychologists and behavioural scientists to develop theories of learning. To date, the most widely recognized theories of lear ning are four: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, cognitive and social learning theories

Types of Learning Theories

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Behaviorist Cognitivist Constructivism Design-Based Humanism

Behaviorist Theory The Behaviourists theory is another attempt to explain human personality. It is in conflict with the Psychoanalytic and the Humanistic theory (discussed in next room) in several important ways. Most important of these are the ways in which each claims how human personality is formed. The Behaviorist in particular believes that cultural and sub -cultural conditioning moulds and shapes behaviour and subsequently the personality. The unconscious is of little concern to the behaviourist. A human being, according to the behaviourist, has his life determined for him since he is a product of the culture that causes him to be as he is. The theory, therefore, is very deterministic. The Psychoanalytic and the Humanistic theories are much less so. Therapy in the Behaviorist model bases on the principles of learning, with all of learning's processes or methods: conditioning, reinforcing (rewards, denials, and punishment), desensitization, aversion therapy, modelling, imitation, etc. Considering this theory's attitude toward the denial of a person's free will (humanism's point of view -- and to a lesser degree the Psychoanalytic), we get an idea how little the theory is concerned with any outside energy or force -- any that has an effect on human behaviour. This aspect of humankind is simply ignored or is considered nonexistent. Simply, to the behaviourist, normal behaviour results from acceptable conditioning, reinforcing, modelling, etc. Abnormal behaviour results from defective conditioning, reinforcing, modelling, etc. The behaviourist isn't interested in what developmental processes may have influenced a person's behaviour. In treating the patient, the behaviourist has little regard for the patient's feelings, thoughts, emotional experiences or im agination. He feels that if the patient is taught to understand his environment and how he interacts with it, he will automatically understand himself and his behaviour. The behaviourist functions from the position that if a neurotic behaviour can be learn ed, it can be unlearned. The techniques that are used are conditioning, desensitizing, assertive training, aversion therapy, etc. -- all quite commonly used in schools and many clinics (unfortunately!) Despite the tremendous differences among behaviourism, the psychoanalytic and the humanistic approaches to understanding and explaining human personality, one characteristic is outstandingly the same: None of them are concerned with any energy or support system outside the patient -- his "self."

. Humanism Theory Another theory of recent interest is Humanism -- a continuing and pervasive theory and a present issue regarding how too many presently view their life. The position of the Humanist is that a person has the capacity for self-awareness; that he does have control over his behaviour. The Humanist allows that a person has freedom of choice, self-determination and is responsible for his selfdirection. Immediately, we see a huge difference from the Behaviourists point of view who believes that life (beha viour) is very deterministic. Further, the Humanist's position -- free will -- bases on the belief that these free will attributes can/do/should mature or "actuate" in an upward or "growing up" direction (metaphorically speaking) -- that this progression of personal growth, upon reaching an optimum level, results in maturity and a positive self awareness. This, according to the Humanist, results in a complete and fulfilled life. The Humanist stresses that anxiety is a motivating force for change, not as a deterrent to comfort -- different, somewhat from the psychoanalytic point of view. The Humanist views anxiety as a motivation or pressure for change, hoping the change is toward a more mature behaviour. According the Humanist, a person's success in living depends on his growing (differentiating) from a dependent, physically oriented (as in id oriented?) entity to a whole, complete, functioning and self-actuating/actuated human being. A person's goal, as the Humanist views it, is to appreciate life (and be), to assess correctly his purpose in life, and fully accept his place in society. In this regard, the Humanist contends that dying should not concern a person, since death only is an end to a complete life. Easy to say! Still scarcely a comfort to anyone who may have missed out in growing toward being a self-actuating/actuated individual! Looking around, one sees quite a few instances of this latter circumstance. This finiteness attitude of the Humanist turns me off. It's not a very comforting theory -- knowing that all that life amounts to is being born, living (hoping that you become self-actuating/actuated), then dying. That's it, the end. No more. Pretty dismal -- six feet of dirt above and the rest of the earth below. What a way to go! Humanism has no basis from which it operates that allows for the presence in each of us of an immutable, imperishable, in frangible, timeless, immortal spirit or soul. The finiteness with which the Humanist treats humankind disallows any reflection on spiritual energy -- any "outside" support system. I disavow myself from this position and, so, I disavow myself from the Humanist theory. There certainly is no room in my belief that disallows the human spirit or soul -- and from what I have gleaned from my review of the statistics, the theory doesn't fit nearly ninety percent of humankind's belief -- its belief that there is a Creator. That His energy is our energy; and therefore we have a Creator-energy soul or spirit.

Cognitivist Theory The cognitivist paradigm essentially argues that the black box of the mind should be opened and understood. The learner is viewed as an information processor (like a computer). The Cognitivist revolution replaced behaviourism in 1960s as the dominant paradigm. Cognitivism focuses on the inn er mental activities opening the black box of the human mind is valuable and necessary for understanding how people learn. Mental processes such as thinking, memory, knowing, and problem-solving need to be explored. Knowledge can be seen as schema or symbolic mental constructions. Learning is defined as change in a learners schemata. A response to behaviourism, people are not programmed animals that merely respond to environmental stimuli; people are rational beings that require active participation in order to learn, and whose actions are a consequence of thinking. Changes in behaviour are observed, but only as an indication of what is occurring in the learners head. Cognitivism uses the metaphor of the mind as computer: information comes in, is bei ng processed, and leads to certain outcomes.

Design-Based Design-Based Research is a lens or set of analytical techniques that balances the positivist and interpretive paradigms and attempts to bridge theory and practice in education. A blend of empirical educational research with the theory -driven design of learning environments, DBR is an important methodology for understanding how, when, and why educational innovations work in practice; DBR methods aim to uncover the relationships between educa tional theory, designed artefact, and practice. In recent years, educators have been trying to narrow the chasm between research and practice. Part of the challenge is that research that is detached from practice may not account for the influence of conte xts, the emergent and complex nature of outcomes, and the incompleteness of knowledge about which factors are relevant for prediction (DBRC, 2003). According to Collins et al. (2004), Design-based Research (also known as design experiments) intends to address several needs and issues central to the study of learning, including the following: The need to address theoretical questions about the nature of learning in context The need for approaches to the study of learning phenomena in the real world situations rather than the laboratory The need to go beyond narrow measures of learning. The need to derive research findings from formative evaluation.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7.

Characteristics of design-based research experiments include : Addressing complex problems in real, authentic contexts in collaboration with practitioners Applying integrating known and hypothetical design principles to render plausible solutions Conducting rigorous and reflective inquiry to test and refine innovative learning environments Intertwined goals of (1) designing learning environments and (2) developing theories of learning Research and development through continuous cycles of design, enactment, analysis, and redesign research on designs that must lead to sharable theories that help communicate relevant implications to practitioners and other educational designers Research must account for how designs function in authentic settings Development of such accounts relies on methods that can document and connect processes of enactment to outcomes of interest (DBRC, 2003)

Constructivism Theory

Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world we live in. Each of us generates our own rules and mental models, which we use to make sense of our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply the process of adjusting our mental models to accommodate new experiences ere are several guiding principles of constructivism: 1. Learning is a search for meaning. Therefore, learning must start with the issues around which students are actively trying to construct meaning. 2. Meaning requires understanding wholes as well as parts. And parts must be understood in the context of wholes. Therefore, the lear ning process focuses on primary concepts, not isolated facts. 3. In order to teach well, we must understand the mental models that students use to perceive the world and the assumptions they make to support those models. 4. The purpose of learning is for an individual to construct his or her own meaning, not just memorize the right answers and regurgitate someone elses meaning. Since education is inherently interdisciplinary, the only valuable way to measure learning is to make the assessment part

of the learning process, ensuring it provides students with information on the quality of their learning How Constructivism Impacts Learning CurriculumConstructivism calls for the elimination of a standardized curriculum. Instead, it promotes using curricula customized to the students prior knowledge. Also, it emphasizes hands -on problem solving. InstructionUnder the theory of constructivism, educators focus on making connections between facts and fostering new understanding in students. Instructors tailor their teaching strategies to student responses and encourage students to analyze, interpret, and predict information. Teachers also rely heavily on open -ended questions and promote extensive dialogue among students. AssessmentConstructivism calls for the elimination of grades and standardized testing. Instead, assessment becomes part of the learning process so that students play a larger role in judging their own progress.

Benefits and Limitations

Benefits

encourages active engagement promotes motivation promotes autonomy, responsibility, independence the development of creativity and problem solving skills. a tailored learning experience

Limitations creation of cognitive overload potential misconceptions teachers may fail to detect problems and misconceptions

Example

One of the silos of organizations that find it difficult to learn inter organizationally is unfortunately the church. There are moments and places where this kind of organizational learning can happen. One of the case studies for inter organizational learning is occurring in Springfield, Missouri. Two churches, Calvary Temple and Park crest Assembly, are combining efforts to create a learning organization. Rather than continuing separate organizations they are uniting their resources of land, congregations, and finances. They have created a step process plan considering all angles and problems that might arise. The greatest organizational learning tool they have is trust and united vision. This is how they are learning inter organizationally. They have a common goal, common direction, created together not independent of one another. They are building on what unites them, not concentrating on what might divide them.

Conclusion Teaching and learning activities can be designed and implemented to take principles of learning into account. Also, it is interesting to think about individual differences among learners and to work towards including activities that have variety and interest for all th e learners in educational programs.

The advantages of a learning process that takes place within an organization can be immensely multiplied when one considers the opportunities for organizations to learn from other organizations. However, there must be specific steps taken to learning interorganizationally that is different from traditional organizational learning processes. The research refers to it as interorganizational learning and it has conceptualized how members are able to learn by developing sets of rules that are separate from the rules of the persons organization. Therefore this learning group is indeed an unique learning group or interorganizational learning group

Bibliography
Internet http://www.funderstanding.com/content/constructivism http://www.learning-theories.com/category/learning-theories-and-models http://www.learning-theories.com/ http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/2_learntch/theories.html Books