Behaviorism

Behaviorism focuses on observable behaviors as the primary subject of study. It emerged as a dominant approach in the early 20th century, and was pioneered by theorists such as John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner. It believes that human behavior is shaped by external stimuli and that individuals respond to their environment through learned associations. “Pavlov’s dogs” and operant conditioning are some of the essential concepts in behaviorism. This theory largely disregards internal mental processes and consciousness and emphasizes the significance of the environment in influencing behavior.

Bates (2014) mentions that behaviorism is implemented in corporations, military training, and some areas of science, engineering, and medical training. In my study experience, I think the pattern where I study, do exercises, and then take tests and feedback, as well as the scores that either makes to proud or shameful, incorporates behaviorism. The feedback and score serves as the stimuli that shapes my behavior in studying and getting the correct answers for the tests, which makes me learn.

Cognitivism

Cognitivism centers on understanding the internal mental processes involved in learning, memory, problem-solving, and information processing. Unlike behaviorism, cognitivists consider mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, and problem-solving as crucial aspects of understanding human behavior. The theory posits that learning is an active process of acquiring, organizing, and integrating knowledge. Cognitive theorists have significantly contributed to this approach. Cognitivism has had a profound impact on education and instructional design, by emphasizing the importance of learners’ thought processes and cognitive structures.

As Bates (2014) suggests, Cognitive approaches “focus on comprehension, abstraction, analysis, synthesis, generalization, evaluation, decision-making and creative thinking”, and is better in higher education than k-12 education. This because the emphasis on “how to learn” is more applicable for learners with of higher education with more advanced skills and mental capabilities. I think the reflectional essays after reading or listening to lectures are good examples of this type of theory in our study for the college courses.

Constructivism

Constructivism posits learning as an active process that constructs knowledge and understanding based on prior experiences and interactions with the environment. It suggests that learners build their understanding and meaning through a process of assimilating new information into their existing knowledge and experience. The theory bases the work on Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky. In constructivist learning environments, learners are encouraged to engage in hands-on experiences, collaborate with others, and reflect on their own thinking. The teacher’s role is to facilitate learning rather than just impart knowledge, allowing learners to construct their own understanding of the world.

It is common for this approach to be used in humanities, social sciences, education, and other less quantitative subject areas (Bates, 2014), and in my study of education classes, I was asked to participate in groups and work on topics that would incorporate the knowledge learned with previous one that had made sense to me. In group work, everyone would also contribute their own knowledge for others to learn, which leads to the next concept.

Connectivism

Connectivism is developed in the digital age, which acknowledges the important role of technology and the internet in shaping how people access, process, and share information. It suggests that learning is not just an individual process but also a collective and networked one. According to the theory, knowledge is distributed across networks of people, technologies, and information sources. Learners are encouraged to create and maintain connections with diverse resources and individuals, leveraging the collective intelligence of the network. Connectivism highlights the importance of critical thinking, pattern recognition, and staying current with rapidly changing information landscapes in the digital era. It is very good for online learning and social media-driven knowledge sharing.

The WordPress blog posting and sharing is a great example of connectivism, as bloggers are sharing through digital methods. While everyone posts and contributes their bits of knowledge to the community, everyone is also learning from each other by reading, commenting, and discussing online.

Reflection:

I think this activity is helpful for me to understand the commonly addressed theories in learning. The incorporation of real-life experiences have really helped me to think about the implications of these theories, as well as reflecting my own learning experience, which is helpful for me personally to understand how some of my learning experiences went really well, while some turned out to be not as pleasant or fruitful.