The 9 most important learning theories

Learning is a very complex process, the theoretical definition of which has been the subject of debate for the last century.

For this reason, it is not surprising to see that in psychology and related sciences, as is the case of the sciences of education, have not agreed to define what learning is and how it is gives.

There are many theories of learning, all of them with their advantages and disadvantages. Next we are going to take a closer look at them, knowing their definition of what learning is and getting to know some of their greatest representatives.

• Related article: "Educational psychology: definition, concepts and theories"

How many learning theories are there?

In psychology there are many theoretical currents, a fact which has repercussions on sciences with which it is closely related, such as educational sciences. For this reason, it is not surprising that, when addressing what learning is and how it occurs, many psychologists and psychopedagogues have proposed various theories, each with its followers and detractors.

Although we have all experienced what learning is, trying to define it is not an easy task. It is a difficult concept to define, which can be interpreted in very different ways and the history of psychology itself is a demonstration of this. However, we can roughly understand that learning is all changes, both behavioral and mental, as a result of experience, differing quite a lot from person to person depending on their own characteristics and the situation.

There are as many learning theories as there are ways to see it. It is difficult to give an exact number of how many theories there are, since even within the same current two authors can differ on how learning occurs and what is. Likewise, what we can say is that his scientific study arose at the beginning of the 20th century and that, since then, it has been tried to give an answer to how this important process occurs in education.

Learning theories, summarized and explained

Next we will see the main theories of learning raised from the beginning of the last century to the present time.

1. Behaviorism

Behaviorism is one of the oldest psychological currents, having its origins at the beginning of the 20th century. The fundamental idea of ​​this current is that learning consists of a change in behavior, caused by the acquisition, reinforcement and application of associations between environmental stimuli and observable responses of the individual.

Behaviorism wanted to show that psychology was a real science, focusing on the purely observable aspects of behaviora and experimenting with strictly controlled variables.

Thus, the most radical behaviorists assumed that mental processes are not necessarily those that cause observable behaviors. Within this approach, Burrhus Frederic Skinner, Edward Thorndike, Edward C. Tolman or John B. Watson.

Thorndike suggested that a response to a stimulus is reinforced when this phenomenon is followed by an effect positive reward, and that a response to a stimulus will become stronger through exercise and repetition.

The figure of Skinner is very important in behaviorism, being one of the greatest representatives of him with his operant conditioning. In his opinion, rewarding the correct actions of the behavior reinforces them and stimulates their recurrence. Therefore, reinforcers regulate the appearance of desired behaviors.

Another of the referents of behaviorism we have it in the figure of Iván Pávlov. This Russian physiologist is famous for his experiments with dogs, bringing great influences on behaviorism in general.

We must thank Pavlov for his approach to classical conditioning, according to which learning occurs when two stimuli are associated simultaneously, one, the conditioned, and the other, the unconditioned. The unconditioned stimulus causes a natural response in the body and the conditioned stimulus begins to trigger it when it is linked to it.

Taking his experiments as an example, Pavlov showed his dogs food (unconditioned stimulus) and rang the bell (conditioned stimulus). After several attempts, the dogs related the sound of the bell to the food, which made them emit in response to this salivary stimulus, like the one they did when they saw the food.

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2. Cognitive psychology

Cognitive psychology has its origins in the late 1950s. Under this current, people are no longer seen as mere receptors of stimuli and emitters of directly observable response, as the behaviorists had understood.

For cognitive psychology, human beings act as information processors. Thus, cognitive psychologists have a special interest in the study of complex mental phenomena, which had largely ignored by behaviorists, who went so far as to assert that thought could not be considered conduct.

The appearance of this trend in the fifties is not accidental, since it was at that time that the first computers began to appear. These computers had military purposes, and they were far from the potential they have now, but they gave foot to think that human beings could be compared to these devices, while we process the information. The computer became an analog of the human mind.

In cognitive psychology, learning is understood as the acquisition of knowledgeIn other words, the student is an information processor that absorbs content, carrying out cognitive operations during the process and storing it in its memory.

3. Constructivism

Constructivism emerged between the 1970s and 1980s, in response to the vision of cognitive psychology. Unlike this current, the constructivists did not see students as mere recipients information liabilities, but rather as active subjects in the process of acquiring new knowledge. People learn by interacting with the environment and reorganizing our mental structures.

Learners are seen as responsible for interpreting and making sense of new knowledge, and not simply as individuals who store, in a purely memoristic way, the information received. Constructivism implied a change of mentality, going from treating learning as the mere acquisition of knowledge to the metaphor of construction-knowledge.

Although this current matured in the 1970s, there was already a few antecedents on constructivist ideas. Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner anticipated the constructivist vision several decades ago, in the 1930s.

Piaget's theory of learning

Piaget elaborated his theory from a purely constructivist position. This Swiss epistemologist and biologist affirmed that boys and girls play an active role when it comes to learning.

For him, the different mental structures are modified and combined through experiences, through adaptation to the environment and the organization of our mind.

Learning occurs as a result of changes and novel situations. Our perception of the world is renewed as we grow. This process is made up of schemes that we mentally order.

Adaptation takes place through a process of assimilation, which modifies external reality, and another of accommodation, which is what changes our mental structures.

For example, if we discover that our friend has a dog and we have had a previous bad experience with these animals, as they have bitten or barked us, we will think that the animal is going to hurt us (assimilation).

However, seeing that he approaches us and makes a gesture as if he wants us to caress his belly, we are forced to change our previous classification (accommodation) and recognize that there are more friendly dogs than others.

Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning

David Ausubel is also one of the greatest exponents of constructivism, receiving many influences from Piaget. He believed that for people to learn it is necessary to act on their previous knowledge.

For example, if a teacher wants to explain what mammals are, he must first consider what his students know about what they are dogs, cats or any animal that is within this class of animals, in addition to knowing what they think about them.

So that Ausubel had a theory very focused on practice. Meaningful learning is in contrast to pure rote learning, such as holding down long lists without arguing. The idea of ​​producing much more lasting knowledge, which is more deeply internalized, is defended.

4. Bandura Social Learning

The theory of social learning was proposed by Albert Bandura in 1977. This theory suggests that people learn in a social context, and that learning is facilitated through concepts such as modeling, observational learning, and imitation.

It is in this theory that Bandura proposes reciprocal determinism, which maintains that the behavior, the environment and individual characteristics of the person, influence each other. In his development he also affirmed that children learn by observing others, as well as by behavior of the model, which are processes that involve attention, retention, reproduction and motivation.

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5. Social constructivism

At the end of the 20th century, the constructivist vision was further changed by the increase in the perspective of situated cognition and learning, which emphasized the role of context and social interaction.

Criticism against the constructivist approach and cognitive psychology grew stronger with the pioneering work of Lev Vygotsky, as well as the research carried out in the anthropology and ethnography of Rogoff and Lave.

The essence of this criticism is that constructivism and cognitive psychology look at cognition and learning as processes "Trapped" within the mind, in isolation from the environment, considering it self-sufficient and independent of the contexts in which it is find.

Social constructivism emerged as a response to this criticism, defending the idea that cognition and learning should be understood as interactions between the individual and a situation where knowledge is considered to be situated, that is, a product of the activity, the context and the culture in which it is formed.

6. Experiential learning

Experiential learning theories are based on social and constructivist theories of learning, but placing experience at the center of the learning process. Your goal is understand how experiences motivate students and promote their learning.

In this way, learning is seen as a set of significant experiences, occurring in everyday life, which lead to a change in the knowledge and behavior of the individual.

The most influential author of this perspective is Carl Rogers, who suggested that experiential learning is one that occurs on their own initiative, and with which people have a natural inclination to learn, in addition to promoting a full attitude of involvement in the learning process learning.

Rogers defended the view that learning should be facilitated. Students cannot be threatened with punishment since, in this way, they become more rigid and impervious to new knowledge. Learning is more likely to happen and is more durable when it happens on your own initiative.

7. Multiple intelligences

Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983, in which he argues that the understanding of intelligence is not dominated by a single general ability. Gardner states that the general level of intelligence of each person is made up of many different intelligences.

Although his work is considered something very innovative and, today, there are not a few psychologists who defend this model, it must be said that his work is also considered speculative.

Even so, Gardner's theory is appreciated by educational psychologists, who have found in it a broader vision of their conceptual framework.

8. Situated learning and community of practice

Situated learning theory and community of practice developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger collects many ideas from learning theories of various psychological streams.

Situated learning theory highlights the relational and negotiated character of knowledge and learning, the nature of which is results from an action of commitment towards knowledge, which occurs more effectively within communities, be of the type that be.

The interactions that take place within a community of practice are various, such as cooperation, problem solving, understanding, and social relationships. These interactions contribute to social capital and the acquisition of knowledge within the community itself, depending on the context.

Thomas Sergiovanni reinforces the idea that the learning process is more effective when it occurs in communities, stating that academic and Social studies will improve only when classrooms move from being mere places where students have to go to true teaching and learning communities. learning.

9. 21st century learning and skills

Today we know that learning theoretical and practical knowledge must go beyond what is in books. Immersion in new technologies and in social and creative capacities is fundamental in a world that is constantly changing. One of the references of this trend is the Association for 21st Century Skills (P21) or Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Among the competencies valued today, in addition to the mastery of new technologies, are the critical thinking, improvement of interpersonal skills and self-directed learning, among others many more.

It is not only knowing data or being critical of it, but it is also the acquisition of skills that are useful so that the student, once he is an adult, can function as a citizen with the capacity to thought. It is make you aware of your environmental footprint, how you can improve humanity, be creative or how to act as a good neighbor and parent.

Bibliographic references:

• Skinner, B.F. (1954). The science of learning and the art of teaching. Harvard Educational Review, 24 (2), 86-97.
• Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1990). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Gardner, H. (1993a). Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. NY: Basic Books.
• Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. New York: General Learning Press.
• Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• Rogers, C.R. & Freiberg, H.J. (1994). Freedom to Learn (3rd Ed). Columbus, OH: Merrill / Macmillan.