Who doesn’t want to learn? Yes, you are right everyone wants to learn. Then did you ever think about it that why everyone doesn’t learn? Again, you are right that everyone doesn’t have the same approach towards learning as you do. Some students in a class learn lessons readily, and some face difficulties. There might be many reasons for it. But here at Best News Scope, in this particular guide, we will discuss different learning approaches. Maybe at the end, we will talk a bit about their influence on the learning of students.
Let’s define the term learning approaches first before going into further details. Learning approaches describe how students receive, process, and keep knowledge during their learning in a class. The core of education is the transfer of knowledge. No matter what happens, it will be like this forever. It doesn’t matter how many times we recreate or innovate our education. For centuries, it has been like ‘teachers dictating and students learning.’ But it is not all. People have been trying for centuries in the development of new learning approaches & theories.
Three Types of Learning Approaches
There are a lot of learning approaches that students can adopt. But three of them are most common and significant. The description of the three approaches is as follows;
Behaviourism:
Behaviourists theory of learning assumes every learner is passive. A passive learner learns everything from their environment. According to this theory, a learner begins learning as a clean slate. The shaping of their behaviour takes place through the positive and negative build-ups. The positive and negative build-ups increase or decrease the chances of behaviour happenings. For example, both punishment and reward have different effects on the behaviour of a learner. The environment shapes the behaviour and determines the learning.
Positive reinforcement is a common example of behaviourism. If a student receives a perfect score on their spelling exam, they are given a modest prize. Students will work hard and study for their tests in the future to receive the reward. In behavioural learning, students are passive participants. The behavioural learning theory is vital in understanding how to engage and help students in the classroom.
Strength:
According to a dissertation writing service, observing and measuring behaviours is one of its biggest strengths. The focus of behaviourism is observable behaviours. So, it can be not easy to measure and collect data when conducting research. Some other strengths also include;
- Scientific and reliable
- Have useful applications in education and therapy
- Useful for behavioural modifications in real world
Weakness:
Many critics believe that behaviourism is a one-dimensional approach. It does not count for the free will and internal influences of a human. The internal influences are our moods, thoughts, and feelings. Some other weaknesses are as follows;
- It does not count for biological influences
- It does not explain all learning as it is one-dimensional
Cognitive Constructivist:
The second most important learning theory after behaviourism is cognitive theory. The base of this learning approach lies in the thought process behind the behaviour. It says that humans process the information they receive instead of merely responding. The changes in behaviour are in response to the thoughts of the learner. Hence, cognitive learning theory is the driver of behaviourism. We behave good and bad according to our thinking. In simple words, a learner’s mind is like a mirror that reflects new knowledge and skills.
Cognitive constructivism is developing own perspective on things. The basis of learning is how an individual interprets the meaning of an experience. This kind of learning is unique to each person. It is because everyone has his own set of experiences in life.
Strategies of Cognitive Learning:
There are different strategies for cognitive learning. These strategies include;
- Asking Questions: Teachers should ask their students more and more questions. This will help them to think deeper into the meaning. Also, it will evolve the thought process of an active learner.
- Make Errors: Let the students make errors and mistakes in problems and assignments. They will learn from those errors. If they can see where they went wrong, they will also know how to correct it. Making errors enhance cognitive learning.
- Thinking Aloud: Thinking aloud is also the best technique in cognitive learning. In group presentations, teachers should ask questions. It will help students think while speaking. It is a great way of enhancing the cognitive learning of learners.
Social Constructivist:
The acquisition of knowledge is the result of an active thinking process. The building of knowledge also depends on our social conversation. We learn a lot from our society and learn how to interact with each other. It is continuous learning that starts from our birth. We learn from our parents how they interact with their friends and colleagues. New behaviours can be generated in you while interacting with your colleagues or neighbours. The assumption behind social learning theory is that children learn by observing others.
Elements to Social Learning:
Like cognitive and behaviour, there are also elements to social learning. They are four in number and includes;
- Attention: Focus or attention is the main element of learning. A learner can’t learn anything if he is not focused. Focus is also a measure of your willingness to learn. When a learner sees something different, he becomes focused and learn it.
- Retention: To learn efficiently, you need to retain the information. So that he can recall the information later when there is a situation like that.
- Reproduction: Reproduction of knowledge when required is also a major element in learning. It can help you a lot in learning if you practice your response in your head.
- Motivation: The last element of social learning is motivation. People require motivation to learn something. Usually, motivation comes from seeing someone else.
Conclusion:
After discussing all three learning approaches, the decision depends upon you. All of the above strategies play an important role in shaping the behaviour of a human. There are also other kinds of learning theories too. If you want to learn about them, you can search on the internet.
