Personal Learning Theory

Personal Learning Theory Denice David UOP-Online August 5, 2005

Learning • knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study • modification of a behavioral tendency by experience (as exposure to conditioning) Merriam-Webster (2005)

Learning • “Bandura says that children learn by observing the behavior of others and imitating and modeling their behavior (Grusec, 1992)” (Lifespan, 2002).

Learning Theories • It is important to remember that there may not be one correct theory, that we must combine the theories and conduct additional research so that we can learn more about cognitive development (Lifespan, 2002)

Society, Culture & Learning • Society and Culture affect learning • Allow students to bring culture into the classroom • Avoid gender typing students

Piaget’s Learning Theory • Sensorimotor stage (Birth to 2 years) • Preoperational stage (2 to 6 years) • Concrete operational stage (7 to 12 years) • Formal operational stage (12 to adulthood)

Sensorimotor Stage • Children base their learning on behavior and perception • A child watches others around them and learns based on the behaviors they observe

Preoperational Stage • Children’s vocabulary is continually increasing • Thinking can be illogically confused between thoughts and emotions

Concrete OperationalStage • Children begin to think logically • Their thinking is based on concrete, observable objects and events

Formal OperationalStage • The child develops the ability to reason with abstract, hypothetical, and contrary-to-fact information • Children also begin to examine their own thoughts and processes and evaluate their thinking

Vygotsky’s Learning Theory • Zone of Proximal Development • children learn best when presented with new information at a level that is just above their current level of performance • Vygotsky believed that children learn not from repetition of tasks they know but by attempting tasks within their zone of proximal development

Operant Conditioning • our behavior operates on the environment to produce consequences: either desirable or undesirable • behavior is based on the environment and the consequences that occur to the behavior

Skinner’s Fundamental Principals • A response followed by a reinforcing stimulus is strengthened and therefore more likely to occur again • a response that is not followed by a reinforcing stimulus is weakened and therefore less likely to occur again

Skinner’s Reinforcers • MUST follow the response • MUST follow immediately • MUST be contingent on the response

Operant ConditioningExperiment • Study done by Gordon Hodge and Nancy Nelson at the University of New Mexico (1991) • College age students were given reinforcers to encourage classroom participation • Hodge and Nelson experimented with Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning to see if there could be a balance of student participation within a small college

(cont.) • each student had different levels of participation • A system was set up in which: • some students who had not participated before received checkmarks for any type of participation. • those who were in the middle group received checkmarks on a lesser basis. • over participators received checkmarks when they did not participate or when they were called on by the professor

(cont.) • After checkmarks were taken away the participation continued • Hodge and Nelson thought that this was because the students occurred because the students and the professor were more aware of their behavior

Learning Styles • Visual Learner • Auditory Learner • Kinesthetic Learner

Teacher Recommendations • Modify lessons to include all types of learners • Remember that not all reinforcers work for all students • Introduce a positive behavior plan to reinforcer positive, acceptable behaviors

References • Hodge, G.K. & Nelson, N.H. (1991). Demonstrating differential reinforcement by shaping classroom participation. Journal Unknown, 18(4). Retrieved July 27, 2005 from ERIC database. • Merriam-Webster, 2005. Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved August 4, 2005 from http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary . • University of Phoenix (Ed.). (2002). Lifespan development and learning [University of Phoenix Custom Edition]. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing.

Personal Learning Theory