Humanism

Humanistic perspectives emphasizes on the intellectual and emotional growth of a student. It gives students freedom to learn and to take ownership for their own learning. Teachers are to facilitate and guide students to enable them to realize their potential. There are three main founders of these theories such as Carl Rogers, Knowles and Abraham Maslow.

 Abraham Maslow believes that one’s need is achieved; it desires to continuously achieve other needs that start form basic need such as psychological needs to safety to love and to esteem which later moves towards the growth of self-actualization. In other hand, Rogers says that an individual tends to imitate and live life towards achieving the idealistic figure. 

 Knowles states that adults learned best when learning is active as they can response. Adult learning is also effective when it’s self-directed that they are able to give inputs. While based on problems learning and when learning relates to their experience also contributes to learning. There are many approaches in humanism to evoke the student’s potential. Enquiry based approaches such as problem based approaches can stimulate a student to response and through this approach teacher will be able to know the students potential.

Finally, discussions are also best for students that it enables them to discover their ideas and values. Portfolio and learning logs will sharpen a student’s knowledge and to develop better understanding. Other than that, assessment can mirror a student’s knowledge.

Further links;

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/maslow.html

http://www.simplypsychology.org/Background%20humanistic.pdf

http://www.simplypsychology.org/Carl%20Rogers.pdf

http://www.jnevins.com/andragogy.htm

http://allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/humanistic_research.html

Constructivism

Constructivist believes that leaner learned based on pre-known knowledge and understanding. Thus, learning is a process of constructing meaning from one’s own experience and present experience. The individualist constructivist view says that intrinsically personal process whereby the individual’s new information is built on previous experience and based on existing knowledge. Hence it is also considered as internal cognitive activity. Besides, the social constructivist believes that learning is constructed through social negotiations such as discussion with peer and friends.

This theory believes that, leaner will be active, self-motivated as there will be highly commitment and involved in classroom. The more interaction between the instructors and students can help to understand and built the information based on previous knowledge. Mind mapping will be one of the ways to prepare the mind and activate the schemata on previous knowledge.  A comfortable environment and relationship is important in between of the instructor and student to save enough to reveal the information and to reconstruct more refined concepts. Constructivist similarly encourages student to think and reflect on the info learned.

Constructivist theory will be well matched for all categories of students. Fundamentally, every human has experience and knowledge over a period of time on several understandings. Constructivism method of teaching can be used in as early as early childhood up to tertiary level. As teacher they are to ensure that the knowledge are taught in way that student can reflect and understands the best.

Further Links;

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Teachers_Page/Language_Learning_Articles/constructivist_learning.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXUJMNtZh_s&feature=related

Cognitive Learning

Cognitivist believes that learning is attainment of cognitive structure which human process and store information. Schema is an internal knowledge structure. It’s a process involves where new info is accepted while previous information will be altered, combine or extended to accommodate the new information. Piaget quotes the schema the basic building block of intelligent behavior – a way of organizing knowledge. Indeed, it is useful to think of schemas are “units” of knowledge, each relating to one aspect of the world, including objects, actions and abstract (i.e. theoretical) concepts.

There are three stages of Information Processing Model. Firstly the input enters a sensory register, then it is processed in Short Term Memory later it’s transferred to Long Term Memory for storage and retrieval.

In teaching and learning, the schemata can be intentionally triggered through reading, revising, problem solving, thinking and writing. This triggering makes the schemata more receptive and amenable to new and earlier stored memories. The match or mismatch between what have been retrieved and what have been studying can change the schemata and it eases the processes of elaboration and retrieval.

A proposal on cognitive teaching is to reduce feedback during study, even when students make mistakes. This tactic is used when students are given numerous tests, pop quizzes, and when they are encouraged to come up with their own ideas. “Cognitive data have shown abundant evidence that the act of retrieval induced by a recall test can be considered more potent than a passive study opportunity in facilitating long-term recall (Bjork, 1988; Landauer & Bjork, 1978)”

Further Links;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget

http://www.teaglefoundation.org/grantmaking/pdf/lisason.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkinson%E2%80%93Shiffrin_memory_model

http://books.google.com.my/books?id=sSAwbd8qOAAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cognitive+learning+theory+articles&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bP9yT7nQMcPYrQeYzMXPDQ&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

BEHAVIORISM

Action or behavior is focused in behaviorism theory to comprehend the learning. Learning consists of building connection between stimuli and reactions. Behaviorism are based on Operant conditioning and Classical conditioning. There three major thinkers contributing to the Behaviorism theory; Ivan Pavlov, BF Skinner and John B.Watson.

Ivan Pavlov came up with a theory based on dog, meat and bell.  Besides, B. F. Skinner (1974) quoted “The process of looking inside the organism for an explanation of behavior has tended to obscure the variables which are immediately available for a scientific analysis.  These variables lie outside the organism, in its immediate environment and in its environmental history. The objection to inner states is not that they do not exist, but that they are not relevant.” 

Moreover, Watson wrote that “psychology as a behaviorist views it is a purely objective experimental branch of natural science. Its theoretical goal is.…prediction and control” (Watson 1913, p. 158). Watson also wrote of the purpose of psychology as follows: “To predict, given the stimulus, what reaction will take place; or, given the reaction, state what the situation or stimulus is that has caused the reaction” (Watson 1930, p. 11, Quoted from Stanford encyclopedia of Philosophy (2010)).

As the mind of a person can’t be observed to know he/she has learned thus behaviorism theory focuses on their actions to understand the learning. It is believed that by rewarding an individual there can be changes in the behavior of the individual. The purpose of rewards or reinforcement is to transform a learner’s behavior into the desired behavior. One of the effective ways of teaching to shape the character is by discovering the best consequences whether it’s rewarding or punishing. Positive rewards are likely to be repeated but negative reinforcement like punishment is not likely to be repeated. In conclusion, feedback plays an important role in behaviorism.

Further reading;

Smith, L., 1986. Behaviorism and Logical Positivism: A Reassessment of Their Alliance, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Skinner, B. F., 1974. About Behaviorism, New York: Vintage

Watson, J., 1913. “Psychology as a Behaviorist Views It,” Psychological Review, 20: 158–77.

Watson, J., 1930. Behaviorism, Norton: New York

External Links;

B.F. Skinner - Operant Conditioning and Free Will;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhvaSEJtOV8

Multiple Intellingences

Howard Gardner came up with a theory called Multiple Intelligence to explain the human intellect. There are eight types of Multiple Intelligence such as; verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and lastly naturalistic.  Every individual possess all eight intelligence that varies by dominant intelligence.  Dominants intelligences can be vary and can have more than one dominant intelligence in an individual. Each intelligence occupies different area in the brains. They intelligence can operate individually or in consort.

Multiple intelligence in classroom are in contrast of typical classroom learning where emphasizes strongly on verbal and mathematical. Thus, Gardner's theory suggests that teachers ought to teach broader range of talent and skill. The learning tools, strategies are recommended to be more students engaging with the intelligences. This will result a better learning and understanding. Having said that, a classroom of student may perhaps be consist with diverse sets of intelligence uniquely developed within, thus it is difficult for a teacher to accommodate all learning styles at once.

Teachers are to encourage students assess their own intelligences as it could be handy. Such self-assessment is a way to support the growth of intrapersonal intelligence. One's own weakness and strengths are valued and students are encouraged to develop to think and learn differently. Intrapersonal intelligence is valuable in many practical endeavors, including career preparation.

Click below to find out your strength;

http://www.literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html - 

http://www.howardgardner.com/bio/bio.html

http://www.springhurst.org/articles/MItheory.htm

http://pzweb.harvard.edu/pis/hg.htm

http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/Gardner.html

Video by Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligence;

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iYgO8jZTFuQ

Video on theory of Multiple Intelligence;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf6lqfNTmaM

Cooperative learning

Cooperative learning is where students work together in a group to master learning goal despite of race, gender and cultural mix. Groups are made based on high, average and low achieving students. Students are rewarded based on group performance and individual performance.

The goal of cooperative learning is associated with educational achievement. Those students will learn together and share knowledge with peers. Students are expected to absorb to be tolerance and accept the diversity of group members. Cooperative learning also enables students to build their social skills as they communicate to peers from different background of culture, race, gender or religion.

Despite the advantage in cooperative learning there can be several disadvantages too. Often there will be one or two students faster than the others. This will create frustration in the slower student as he/she will be left behind in the group. Alternatively, student whom is moving fast will feel held back by waiting.

This theory varies from the Multiple Intelligence theory by Gardner where by Gardner suggests that teachers ought to teach broader range of talent and skill. The learning tools, strategies are recommended to be more students engaging with the intelligences. Each of the theory has a meaning, analysis and experimented evidence that shows benefit to the learner. Hence,teachers play an important role in determining which theory should be used in classroom for their students. Teachers need to learn the student’s capability and talents in order to effective learning. In addition, theories can be combined with another to create a effective and efficient learning.

Further links;

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Tan-Cooperative.html

http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/jshindl/cm/Chapter12CooperativeLearning-final.htm

http://www.andrews.edu/~burton/ttf/Bible%20Method%20Courses/Cooperative%20Learning%20Article.pdf

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