Learning and Problem Solving ITP

• learning means securing various

  skills and information
• memory relates to how the mind stores and recalls information
• Learning is “a process that leads to change, which occurs as a result of experience and increases the potential for improved performance

  and future learning”
• Learning Through Classical Conditioning - Ivan Pavlov had a major influence as he discovered the principles of classical conditioning during his experiments on the digestive systems of dogs. Pavlov noticed that
• According to the principles of classical conditioning, learning takes

  place when an association is formed between a previously neutral

  stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus
• Learning through operant conditioning - Burrhus Frederic Skinner has a major influence. It is sometimes also referred to as

  Skinnerian conditioning and instrumental conditioning.
• operant conditioning, however, associations are made between a

  behavior and the consequences of that behavior
• Learning Through Observation - Albert Bandura who wrote social learning theory and used the "Bobo doll experiment"
• The cognitive theory understands that learners can be influenced by both internal and external elements. Jean Piaget was the most in-depth theorist of cognitive development.
• his work focuses on environments and internal structures and how they impact learning. According to Piaget, a schema is the basic unit of knowledge, and schemata build up over a lifetime.
• Accommodation - how we modify what we already know to take new information into account
• Assimilation - how the new knowledge is arranged in our heads alongside what we already know
• Under cognitive learning theory is Benjamin Bloom's Bloom Taxonomy. its most basic level, the taxonomy describes the

  essential abilities needed to recall information that has been taught. While at the highest level it describes a learner’s ability to take what has been taught, analyze it and use it to create and evaluate.
• The constructivist learning theory is based on the idea that learners are active participants in their learning journey; knowledge is constructed based on experience. Entrenched in learning theories by Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, Gagne, and Bruner.
• Knowledge is constructed. Every student begins the learning journey with some preexisting knowledge and then continues to build their understanding on top of that. They will select which pieces of the experience to add, making everyone’s knowledge unique.
• Learning is a social activity. Interacting with others is vital to constructing knowledge. Group work, discussions, conversations, and interactions are all important to creating understanding. When we reflect on our past experiences, we can see how our relationship with others is directly connected to the information learned.
• Learning is an active process. Students must actively engage in discussions and activities in order to construct knowledge. It is not possible for students to take on a passive role and retain information. In order to build meaningful ideas, there must be a sensory response.
• Learning is contextual. Isolation is not the best way to retain information. We learn by forging connections between what we believe and the information we have already. Learning also occurs in the situation within the context of our lives , or alongside the rest of our understanding. We reflect on our lives and classify the new information as it fits into our current perspective.
• People learn to learn, as they learn. As each student moves through

  the learning journey, they get better at selecting and organizing

  information. They are able to better classify ideas and create more

  meaningful systems of thought. They also begin to recognize that they are learning multiple ideas simultaneously, for example, if they are writing an essay on historical events, they are also learning elements of written grammar. If they are learning about important dates, they are also learning how to chronologically organize important information.\
• Learning exists in the mind. Hands on activities and physical

  experience are not enough to retain knowledge. Active engagement and reflection are critical to the learning journey. In order to develop a thorough understanding, students must experience activities mentally as well.
• Knowledge is personal. Because every person’s perspective is

  unique, so will be the knowledge gained. Every individual comes into the learning activity with their own experiences and will take away different things as well. The theory of constructivist learning is based entirely around each individual’s own perspective and experiences.
• Motivation is key to learning. Similar to active participation,

  motivation is key to making connections and creating understanding. Students cannot learn if they are unwilling to reflect on preexisting knowledge and activate their thought process. It is crucial that educators work to motivate their students to engage in the learning journey.
• Humanism Learning Theory directly focuses on the idea of self actualization. Everyone functions under a hierarchy of needs. Self

  actualization is at the top of the hierarchy of needs it’s the

  brief moments where a person feels all of their needs are

  met and that they’re the best possible version of

  themselves. succeed. This kind of environment is the most conducive to helping students learn.
• Connectivism Learning Theory is one of the newest educational learning theories. It focuses on the idea that people learn and grow when they form connections. This can be connections with each other or connections with their roles and obligations in their lives. Hobbies, goals, and people can all be connections that influence learning.
• Transformative learning theory is a great approach for adult education and young adult learning. Also referred to as transformation learning. transformative learning theory focuses on the idea that learners can adjust their thinking based on new information.
• Transformative learning theory was founded by Jack Mezirow. His initial research found that adults don’t apply their old understanding to new situations and that having a new perspective helped them gain a new understanding of things as they change. The theory states that our worldview is changed the more we learn, which helps us grasp new concepts and ideas. By getting new information that helps evaluate past ideas
• Experiential learning theory focuses on learning by doing. recall facts. Experiential learning theory, or ELT, was identified by David Kolb
• To Kolb, effective learning is seen as the learner goes through the cycle of experiential learning theory. and Jean Piaget, Kolb was able to identify four stages of ELT. The first two stages, concrete learning and reflective observation, focus on grasping an experience. The latter two, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation are about transforming an experience.
• Participation - learner improves motivation and apparently engages

  more senses that reinforce the learning process. As a result , people learn more quickly and retain that learning longer.
• Repetition - To gain the full benefit of training learned behaviors must be overlearned to ensure smooth performance and minimum of forgetting at a later date. Proficiency in learning and retaining new skills is improved when individuals visualize themselves performing the new behavior
• Transference - Transfer of training occurs when trainees can apply the knowledge and skills learned in training course to their jobs. If the learning in one setting does not transfer to the actual job situation, the training has failed.
• Positive transfer of training when the training activities enhance performance in the new situation;
• negative transfer of

  training when the training activities

  inhibit performance in a new

  situation
• Feedback improves performance not only by helping learners correct their mistakes but also by providing reinforcement for

  learning. Knowledge of results is a positive reinforcement itself.
• Edward Thorndike is famous in psychology for his work on

  learning theory that led to the development of operant

  conditioning within behaviorism. His learning theory represents

  the original S R (Stimulus Response) framework of behavioral psychology. According to him, “learning is the result of associations forming between stimuli and responses.”
• readiness - The basic needs of the learner must be satisfied before he or she is ready or capable of learning. This means the learner must want to learn the task being presented and must possess the requisite knowledge and skill.
• Effect. Thus, learning is strengthened when

  accompanied by a pleasant or satisfying

  feeling, and weakened when associated

  with an unpleasant feeling.
• Exercise. Connections are strengthened with practice and weakened when practice is discontinued, which reflects the adage “use it or lose it.” The learner needs to practice what has been learned in order to understand and remember the learning.
• Primacy. the state of being first, often creates a strong, almost unshakable impression and underlies the reason an instructor must teach correctly the first time and the student must learn correctly the first time. Also, if the task is learned in isolation, it is not initially applied to the overall performance, or if it must be relearned, the process can be confusing and time consuming. The first experience should be positive, functional, and lay the foundation for all that is to follow.
• Intensity. Immediate, exciting, or dramatic learning connected to a real situation teaches a learner more than a routine or boring experience. Real world applications (scenarios) that integrate procedures and tasks the learner is capable of learning make a vivid impression and he or she is least likely to forget the experience.