Paradigms
Learning theories tend to fall into one of several perspectives or paradigms, including behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and others.
- Founders and proponents: John B. Watson in the early 20th century. B.F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov, and others.
- Basic idea: Stimulus-response. All behavior caused by external stimuli (operant conditioning). All behavior can be explained without the need to consider internal mental states or consciousness.
- Learner viewed as: Passive, responds to environmental stimuli.
- Behavior may result in reinforcement (increased likelihood that behavior will occur in the future); or punishment.
- Founders and proponents: Replaced behaviorism in 1960s as dominant paradigm. Noam Chomsky.
- Basic idea: Mental function can be understood
- Learner viewed as: Information processor
- Cognitivism focuses on inner mental activities — opening the “black box” of the human mind. It is necessary to determine how processes such as thinking, memory, knowing, and problem-solving occur. People are not “programmed animals” that merely respond to environmental stimuli; people are rational beings whose action are a consequence of thinking.
- Metaphor of mind as computer: information comes in, is being processed, and leads to certain outcomes.
- Founders and proponents: John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Lev Vygotsky, others.
- Basic idea: Learning is an active, constructive process.
- Learner viewed as: Information constructor.
- People actively construct or create their own subjective representations of objective reality. New information is linked to to prior knowledge, thus mental representations are subjective.
- Founders and proponents: Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, others.
- Basic idea: Learning is a personal act to fulfill one’s potential.
- Learner viewed as: One with affective and cognitive needs.
- Emphasis on the freedom, dignity, and potential of humans.
- Learning is student-centered and personal, facilitated by teachers, with the goal of developing self-actualized people in a cooperative, supportive environment.
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