EDIT 610

Walt Poston
8/5/2020

Assignment 12:
Learning Theories Research
Objective

 Research and describe 3 theorists and their

contributions to education
 Describe 3 learning theories citing examples
of how they are used in education.
 Identify, analyze, and explain how these
theories incorporate technology and have
utility in education.
 Theorist 1: Ivan Pavlov
 Born in Russia 1849
 Died in 1936
 Son of a priest
 Poor relationship with his father due
to his love for science
 Won Russia’s first Nobel Prize in 1904
 Known for conditioning dogs to
salivate at the sound of a bell
 His idea’s are used in education as
teachers use positive reinforcement
(stimuli) to increase positive
behaviors such as good test scores,
following procedures, practicing
good manners, etc.
Theory 1: Behaviorism
 Theory
 Students respond to certain stimuli. Stimuli are used to condition
students and overtime produce certain behaviors. These behaviors are
taught by stimuli and responses are learned.
 Learning takes place when:
 The teacher presents stimuli and observes student responses
 Students are presented with stimuli to produce a certain behavior
(learning).
 Examples:
 Positive Reinforcement- When a teacher puts a sticker that says
Excellent Work! on a students test paper for answering all the questions
correct. The stimuli is the sticker and the learned behavior is answering
questions correctly gives me a reward.
 Token Economy- A student receives tokens for good grades/good
behavior in class. At the end of the week, they get to use those tokens to
purchase a prize.
 Theorist 2: John Dewey
Born in Vermont in 1859
Died in 1952
Wrote 37 Volumes
Believed that experience was
important to learning
Believed that teachers were to
actively guide students through the
correct process of learning
Believed teachers and prominent
members of society should work
with students
Encouraged the use of technology in
education which led to simulations,
multimedia use, and role play
 Theory 2: Constructivism
 Theory
 Students learn by (constructing) knowledge by generating meanings and forming
relationships between past knowledge and new experiences
 Learning takes place when:
 Students explore, interact, and build on what they know
 Teachers are the designers, guiders, helpers, and consultants
 Students don’t just passively hear information, but they construct it
 There is a Democratic & equal student/teacher relationship
 Students solve the problems
 Examples:
 Have students complete a research assignment that builds on what they learned in
previous grade levels. For example, students learned about early explorers in
elementary and middle school. Have students fill out a KWL chart. Then have them
research what they want to know about early exploration using reviewed sources and
have them share that information with the class. Students have then formed
relationships between past and new knowledge, constructed knowledge, and
contributed to the learning community.
 Theorist 3: Jean Piaget
Biography
 Born in Switzerland 1896
 Died in 1980
 Developed his love for science from his
dad
 Curious about psychology due to his
mother’s struggle with mental illness
 Published by the age of 10
 Ph.D. from University of Neuchatel
 Professor and Author
 Authored/edited a total of 110 books
 Averaged writing 1 ½ books a year from
the time he was published until the time
he died
 His ideas on human/cognitive
development provide a solid foundation
to be paired with educational practice Retrievedfrom:https://www.biography.com/scie
ntist/jean-piaget
Theory 3: Constructionism
 Theory
 The belief that students need to be engaged in hands own activities in
order for learning to take place. (The idea that you learn by doing)
 Learning takes place when:
 Students experience the material
 Students create/ make something (hands on)
 Students are put into real situations
 Examples:
 CCU EDIT students creating their on Weebly Page to learn how to
design and develop a content website
 CCU EDIT students playing the role as online instructor in order to
learn how to be an online instructor
 CCU EDIT students learning to use video tools by creating their on
Adobe Spark/Powtoon videos
 Theories and Utility
 All of the theories presented in this slide show are useful. I chose these theories because
they represent some of the components that make up my teaching philosophy. I have
always believed that experience is the best teacher and Behaviorism, Constructivism, and
Constructionism all value that concept. Constructivism and Constructionism both
showcase my belief that education must be student centered and that students must take
control of their own learning, especially in High School. However, teachers serve a
purpose. They must guide them through the process by handing them the tools, providing
them support, and leading them to the answers. In contrast to the teacher being the
facilitator, I do believe that teachers have to condition their students. Students have to be
conditioned to perform every procedure correctly in order for learning to take place. For
example, how to enter the classroom, what to do when they need to use the restroom,
and how to turn in papers. I have learned that students crave this structure and if they
know what to expect with those things, then learning can take place. Finally, if there is one
thing that I have learned from this program it is that technology can allow students to
become the creator/developer while learning content. That is what I want for my students.
I can showcase the theories of Constructivism and Constructionism by using technological
tools to have my students create projects, presentations, videos, and newsletters. They
can also experience tools such as web quests, Pear Deck presentations, and edpuzzles.
 References

Balzer, H. (2015). Slavic review. Vol. 74(4), pp. 887-890. doi:10.5612/slavicreview.74.4.887

Boghossian, P. (2006). Behaviorism, constructivism, and socratic pedagogy. Educational

Philosophy and Theory, 38(6), 713–722.

Brainerd, C.(1996). Piaget: A cenntenial celebration. Psychological Science, Vol. 7, No. 4 ,pp.
191-195

Csizmadia, A., Standl, B., & Waite, J. (2019). Integrating the constructionist learning theory
with computational thinking classroom activities. Informatics in Education, 18(1), 41–67.

Jia, Q. (2010). A brief study on the implication of constructivism teaching theory on classroom
teaching Reform in Basic Education. International Education Studies, 3(2), 197–199.

Rich, P., & Reeves, T. (2006). A significant contributor to the field of educational technology.
Educational Technology, 46(4), 54-56. Retrieved August 5, 2020, from
www.jstor.org/stable/44429318