Learning Theories

Week 7

PGCE 7000
Today we will learn about:

Maslow’s hierarchy of need

Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory

Metacognition

Rosenshine’s principles of instruction

Overarching Principles of the EYFS

• every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable,
confident and self-assured

• children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships

• children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their

experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between
practitioners and parents and/or carers

• children develop and learn in different ways (see “the characteristics of effective
teaching and learning”) and at different rates.
Maslow’s
Hierarchy of
Needs
Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-
Ecological Theory
Theories of Learning
Learning Objective
• To consider what teaching and learning is and what
teachers and learners do
• To consider a number of learning theories and relate
them to teaching and learning in school
Theories of Learning
• Consider why it is important as a teacher that you have
some basic knowledge of some of the theories about
how people learn ( 2 minutes)
• Feedback please
Why do we need to apply
theories of Learning?
• To be able to organise appropriate learning activities

• To match the learning activity to a suitable learning approach

• To be able to engage learners in the learning activities

• To understand why a certain approach may not work

• To allow the learner to make good progress

• To pitch the learning at the right level

Theories of Learning

Teaching in this context:

• You might suggest that they facilitate learning by setting
appropriate expectations, managing behaviour, outlining
objectives and outcomes, organising tasks, resources, activities,
assessment and inclusion.
• Why do teachers do things in certain ways?
Theories of Learning

Learning
• It could be argued that learning in this context is the knowledge, understanding and/or skills
that the learners acquire as a result of the teacher facilitated activities
• There will be theories of learning that you can relate to the learning environment that the
teacher has facilitated?
• Typical learning theories you might recognise in a classroom are social constructivism,
transmission learning, behaviourism, cognitive constructivism, discovery learning and the use
of Bloom’s Taxonomy
• There are also many other theories on how people learn.
Theories of Learning

They are:

• Based on well researched investigations into the different ways

that pupils learn.
• Not always easy to spot in action in classrooms but you do get
glimpses of them if you know what to look for.
Theories of Learning

Social constructivism
• Based on the work of Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)-Russian psychologist
• Emphasis is on the importance of social interaction in relation to learning
• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the difference between what a learner can achieve
on their own and when supported by a more knowledgeable other (MKO)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibEP4xBdJco
• What are the implications for teachers?
Theories of Learning

Social constructivism
• Implications for Teachers-
Possible Implications
1. Know the ZPD of pupils
2. Scaffolding
3. Group Work
4. Questioning
5. Praise
6. Monitoring Groups
Theories of Learning
Cognitive constructivism
• Based on the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980). Swiss psychologist
• There are stages of cognitive development that influence learning:
• 0-2 movement and senses
• 2-7 Acquisition of language
• 7-11 Concrete operational
• 11+ formal operational (abstract reasoning)
• Was Piaget accurate with these ages?
• In relation to Piaget’s ideas above what do you need to consider when teaching pupils in your lessons?
Theories of Learning
Behaviourism
Based on the work of Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) an American psychologist.
• It is not about managing classroom behaviour even though it is based on using rewards and sanctions to
condition behaviour
• Pupils learn what the required response is and repeat it. What sort of responses would it be useful for us as
teachers to get from pupils? Links to Standard 1
• How important are whole school policies/ initiatives when considering behaviourism?
• It can help with exam technique eg. rote learning or doing lots of the same sort of problem before an exam.
• “Pavlov’s dog” is an example of behaviourism. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) Russian physiologist
Theories of Learning
Theories of Learning

Transmission
• Not a real leading name here but one who is worth looking at is Paulo Freire(1921-1997) Brazilian
educationalist. The “jug and mug” idea
• Teacher transmits their knowledge to students as in a lecture environment
• Can be unpopular with learners. Have you experienced poor transmission as a learner?
• Some teachers can do it really well: the story-teller approach
• Do we have to use transmission as teachers? If so in what situations?
• We probably need to use it to give instructions, to introduce and explain new ideas and concepts and
to introduce abstract concepts.
Theories of Learning

Discovery learning
• Jerome Bruner(1915-2016) American Psychologist
• Pupils are presented with information that they then make sense of for themselves
• Pupils have a much more active role in the learning process
• The emphasis may be on practical work and investigative approaches: “concepts and
processes”
• What are the problems for the teacher?
Theories of Learning

Blooms Taxonomy
• Work of Benjamin Bloom and colleagues published in 1956 and revised in 2001
• What is Bloom’s Taxonomy and why is it useful?
• It proposes that there are six cognitive levels that learners can access from very basic recall
of information right up to creating new work or new ideas.
• Very useful when deciding on learning outcomes for different ability pupils
Theories of Learning
Theories of Learning

https://www.schooltube.com/media/Bloom%27s+Taxonomy+%28
Revised%29+According+to+Homer+Simpson/1_zhqwh51z
Theories of Learning

• We hope that even a basic understanding of how pupils learn will help you to teach better lessons

• Good teachers may not be familiar with the terminology or the names of the key authors but they will
shift seamlessly from one approach to another

• Reading about theories of learning, observing the teaching of lessons in school and then reflecting on
the links between theory and practice will help you to write your assignment

• Many tutors and teachers found all these things out through experience. Is this you?
Theories of Learning

A Currently Popular Approach in School

• Barak Rosenshine, an American educationalist, has produced
a variety of resources based on what he terms 10 principles of
effective learning
• His work is currently very popular with schools at the
moment and often features in school CPD sessions.
Theories of Learning
ROSENSHINE’S 10 PRINCIPLES
1. Begin a lesson with a short review of previous learning.
2. Present new material in small steps with student practise after each step.
3. Ask a large number of questions and check the responses of all students.
4. Provide models.
5. Guide student practice.
6. Check for student understanding.
7. Obtain a high success rate.
8. Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks.
9. Require and monitor independent practice.
10. Engage students in weekly and monthly review.
Evidence and further reading
https://www.eif.org.uk/report/adverse-childhood-experiences-what-we-know-what-we-dont-know-and-what-should-happen-next

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/tools/guidance-reports/social-and-emotional-learning/

Sciaraffa, M. A., Zeanah, P. D. and Zeanah, C. H. (2018) ‘Understanding and Promoting Resilience in the Context of Adverse Childhood
Experiences’, Early childhood education journal. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 46(3), pp. 343–353. doi: 10.1007/s10643-017-0869-3 .

https://www.psychologynoteshq.com/bronfenbrenner-ecological-theory/

https://educ3040fall13.weebly.com/

Tudge, J. R. H., Navarro, J. L., Merçon-Vargas, E. A. and Payir, A. (2021) ‘The promise and the practice of early childhood educare in the
writings of Urie Bronfenbrenner’, Early child development and care. Routledge, 191(7-8), pp. 1079–1088. doi:
10.1080/03004430.2020.1844193.

Long, R. and Fogell, J. (1999) Supporting pupils with emotional difficulties : creating a caring environment for all . London: David Fulton.

https://www.evidencebasedmentoring.org/how-to-help-families-and-staff-build-resilience-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/
Rationale

We have been considering different theories that help us understand how

children learn. This session starts to help us understand some of the
situations that make learning more challenging for the children in our care.

Our Cumbria curriculum is committed to supporting all our teachers to

dismantle disadvantage and promote positive outcomes for all our children.
In this session we begin to look at ways that we can recognise and help
children who have had significant trauma. This is particularly pertinent as
we head out of the pandemic.