INTRODUCTION
When we heard the word “learning,” the first thing that
comes to our mind is studying subjects or courses like
mathematics, science, and language in school. In a boarder
sence though, learning extend much more beyond the
confines of the classroom or the school. People learn
everyday of their lives in various place and condition.
NATURE OF LEARNING
Many educators have attempted to define learning. some of these
definition are too complicated to have meaning. Others are not
broad enough in their scope. One writer defines learning as an
inteligent adaptation to changing condition. Another defines
learning as the process of acquirring knowledge. Perhaps the best
definition especially where educators are concerned, is the
definition which puts emphasis on the student's ability to perform
as the result of learning.
Ornstein (1990), defines learning as “reflective process whereby the learner
either develops new insights and understanding or changes and restructures
his or his mental process”.
Slavin (1995), defines learning as a change in an individual cause by
experience.
Learning is a process that brings together personal and environmental
experinces and influences for acquiring, enriching or modifying one's
knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, behavior, and world views. (“Education, n.
d.”)
Woolfolk (2016) asserts that “learning occurs when experience (including
practice) causes a relatively permanent change in an individual knowledge,
behavior, or potential for behavior”
Learning is also define as “any relatively permanent change in
behavior that occurs as a result of paractice and experience.
From the definitions, learning has three important
elements:
a) a change in behavior, better or worse
b) change takes place through practice or experience,( not changes
due to growth or maturation)
c) behavior change must be relatively permanent and last for a fairy
long time
TYPES OF LEARNING
There are types of learning resulting from
engagement or participation in classroom activities.
these type of learning are basic ingredients to sucess
in school. these are what schools desire of students
to develop.
A.MOTOR LEARNING. It is a form of learning for one to maintain and go through daily life
activities as for example, walking, driving, climbing, and the like. These activities involve motor
coordination.
B.VERBAL LEARNING. It involves the use of spoken language as well as the communication
devices used. Signs, pictures, symbols, words, figures, and sounds are used in such activities.
C.CONCEPT LEARNING. A form of learning which requires the use of higher-order mental
processes like thinking, reasoning, and analyzing. It involves two processes: abstraction and
generalization
D.DISCRIMINATION LEARNING. It is a learning to differentiate between
stimuli and responding appropriately to stimuli. An example is being
able to distinguish the sound of horns of different vehicles like bus, car,
and ambulance.
E.LEARNING PRINCIPLES. It is learning principles related to science,
mathematics, grammar, and the like. principles show the relationship between
two or more concepts, some examples of which are formulas, laws, associations,
correlations, and the like.
F.PROBLEM SOLVING. This is a higher-order thinking process. this learning
requires the use of cognitive abilities - such as thinking, reasoning, observation,
imaagination and generalization.
G.ATTITUDE LEARNING. Attitude is a predisposition which determines and
predicts behavior. Learned attitudes influence one's behavior towards people,
object, things, or ideas.
NATURE OF LEARNING THEORIES
The nature of learning or the changes occurring within an
individual is difficult to visualize and understand because it is an
internal process. hence it is not easy to present or explain in
concrete terms what this complex process is all about. Thus,
there is a need to look at theories of learning to enable one to
better conceptualize and operationalize what learning is all
about.
A LEARNING THEORY is an organized set of principles explaining how individual
acquire, retain, and recall knowledge. Learning theories try to explain how
people learn and why they learn. They also try to explain the phenomenon of
learning - its nature, and the conditions under which learning best occurs.
Theories of learning are sets of conjectures and hypotheses that explain
the process of learning or how learning takes place. There are several learning
theories: behavioral, cognitive, cognitive constructivist, and social constructivist
theories. Although these theories were developed in western countires,
application to education in the context of Filipino teachers and learners , inside
and outside the classroom, will be discussed to facilitate learning.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE THEORIES IN LEARNING:
A. Behavioral theories in learning
1. Pavlov's classical learning theories
2. Thorndike's S-R theory
3. B.F Skinner Operant conditioning theory
4. Albert Bandura's Social learning theory
B. Cognitive Theories of learning
1. Brunner's cognitive learning theory
2. Ausubel's Meaningful learning theory
3. Gagne's Cognitive learning theory
4. Piaget's Theory of cognitive development
Behavioral theories in
learning
Pavlov's classical learning theories
Ivan Pavlov
• Born September 14th, 1849 Died on February 27th, 1936
• Received a medical degree at age 33
• Father of Classical conditioning, also known as Pavlonian
conditioning
• His studies on the digestive system won him the Nobel
prize in 1904
• Pavlov’s work set the foundation for John B. Watson, and
his idea of behaviorism
• Used theories of associative learning and behaviorism to
create his own theory of Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is when an unconditioned stimulus and response is manipulated with a
condtioned stimulus to create a conditioned response.
a. Neutral stimulus - This stimulus does not naturally caused the subject to respond in a certain
way.
b. Unconditioned stimulus - a stimulus that naturally (no learning invoved) causes a particular
response
c. Unconditioned response - an unlearned response that is automatically elicited by
d. Contditioned stimulus - A previously neutral stimulus that eventually elicits a conditioned
response after being associated with unconditioned response.
e. Conditioned response is a learned response to a stimulus that was previously neutral.
Several principles of classical conditioning
Stimulus Generalization - refers to the process by which the conditioned
response transfers to other stimuli that similar to the original conditioned
stimulus.
Discrimination - refers to the process by which we learn not to respond to
similar stimuli in an identical manner.
Extinction - refers to the process by which conditioned responses are lost.
Thorndike S-R Theory
Edward Lee Thorndike, is an American pioneer in
comparative psychology, was born in Lowell,
Massachusetts in 1874 to the family of a Methodist
minister. He became interested in the field of psychology
after reading William James' "Principles of Psychology"
and after graduating from Wesleyan University.
• Born August 31,
1874 in
Williamsburg,Mas
sachusetts.
• Died on August 9,
1949.
Edward Thorndike's work on animal behavior and the learning process led to the
theory of connectionism and helped lay the foundation for modern educational
psychology. he is one of the first pioneers of active learning, a theory that
proposes letting children learn themselves, rather than receiving instruction from
teachers.
The learning theory of Thorndike represents the original S- R framework of
behavioral psychology: Learning is the result of associations forming between
stimuli and responses. Such associations or "habits" become strengthened or
weakened by the nature and frequency of the S-R pairings. The paradigm for S-R
theory was trial and error learning in which certain responses come to dominate
others due to rewards. The hallmark of connectionism (like all behavioral theory)
was that learning could be adequately explained without referring to any
unobservable internal states. THORNDIKE’S CONNECTIONISM THEORY
LAW OF EFFECT
States that if an act is followed by a
satisfying change in the environment, the
likelihood that the act will be repeated in
similar situations increases.
LAW OF READINESS
Individuals learn best when they are
physically, mentally and emotionally ready
to learn, and they do not learn well if they
see no reason for learning
LAW OF EXERCISE
States that any connection is strengthened in proportion
to the number of times it occurs and in proportion to the
average vigor and duration of the connection.
Things most often repeated are best remembered •
Students do not lean complex task in a single session
B.F Skinner Operant conditioning theory
Burrhus Frederic (B. F.) Skinner (March
20, 1904 – August 18, 1990)
American psychologist, behaviorist,
inventor, author and social philosopher.
He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of
Psychology at Harvard University from
1958 1974.
The operant conditioning theory was based on skinner's experiment with a hungry rat
that was placed in a box. Upon its accidental pressing of a lever in the box, it was
rewarded with a food pellet which served as reinforcement to the reinforcing behavior.
Reinforced thus, the rat kept on pressing that bar, this time no longer accidentally but
intentionally. Skinner has shown that basic to operant conditioning is the use of
reinforcement.
REINFORCEMENT is defined as any behavioral consequence that strengthen (increase
the frequency of) behavior. The reinforcement increases the likelyhood of the
recurrence of a particular type of response
Responses my be reinforced by the presentation positive or negative of a particular
consequences.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCERS
POSITIVE REINFORCERS - are events that are presented after a response
has been performed and that increase the behavior or activity they
follows.
NEGATVE REINFORCERS - are escapes from unpleasant situations or ways of
preventing something unpleasant from occurring.
PRIMARY REINFORCERS - are those that satisfy basic human
needs
SECONDARY REINFORCERS - are those that acquire reinforcing
power because they have been associated with primary
reinforcers.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
Albert Bandura was born in
December 4 1925.
He was born in Mundare,
Alberta, Canada.
He is a psychologist specializing
in social cognitive theory and self-
efficacy.
He is most famous for his social
learning theory.
The social learning theory is a major outgrowth of the behavioral
learning theory tradition. developed by Albert bandura, the social
leraning theory accepts most of the principles of behavioral
theories but focuses to a much greater degree on the effects of
cues on behavior and on internal mental processes, emphasizing
the effect of thought on action and action o thoughts.
THE FOUR PHASES OF BANDURA'S ANALYSIS OF OBSERVATIONAL
LEARNING
ATTENTION. An observer must attend to and recognize the distinctive features of the model's
response because mare exposure to a model does not ensure acquisition of behavior.
RETENTION. Reproduction of the desired behavior implies that a student symbolically retains
the observed behavior.
Motor reproduction processes. Bandura believes that symbolic coding produces internal
models of the environment that guide the observer's future behavior.
Motivational Processes - although an observer acquires and retains the ability to perform
modeled behavior, there will be no overt performance unless conditions are favorable.
