|
Behaviorism Behaviorists believe that by presenting the right stimulus and providing reinforcement one can learn any response. This change in response is seen as learning. The role of the teacher is to direct the classroom and be active in reinforcement, maximizing interaction and feedback with students. Because of the emphasis in measuring behavior, an outcome of behaviorism is the use of task analysis and objectives in curriculum design. Early behaviorists include John Watson, Edward Thorndike, and B.F. Skinner. Web Resources: Behaviorism (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Theoretical Roots of Early Behaviorism |
click for animation |
|
Cognitivism Cognivists think learning happens when one processes information. People structure information into schema, a network of thoughts and ideas. As new information is presented, it is assimilated or causes a restructuring of the network. Web Resources: Cognitive Psychology Resources on the Web (Haverford College) Paper: Cognitive Approaches to Instructional Design Cognitive science article archive (University of Helsinki) |
click for animation |
|
Constructivism Constructivists see learning as an ongoing process and knowledge as a contructed entity. Through problem solving and discovery-based activities, people learn not only about the world but about how their own learning process. Teachers act as facilitators allowing students to formulate their own method of learning. Early constructivists include: Jean Piaget, Seymour Papert, Jerome Bruner, Lev Vygotsky, and John Dewey. Web Resources: Constructivism (University of Colorado, Denver) Building and Using Constructivist Learning Environments (CLEs) on the Web: A Resource Site Constructivism and the Internet: Theory and Practice An Educational Resource |
click for animation |
