Educational Technology Learning Theory

Educational TechnologyLearning Theory Kim Peacock, M.Ed.

Learning Theory + • Social theory • Communication theory • Media studies • Technology theories • Neuroscience • Etc…

Epistimology(aka How Can We Know) • Empiricism (experience) • Knowledge comes from sensory input + experiences that get meshed together into complex associations. • Empirical truths (things are proven to be true). • Learning comes in controlling the environment

Epistimology(aka How Can We Know) • Rationalism (reason) • Knowledge is already in the mind. Learning and comes from reflection on what learners know combined + what they observe (aka reasoning). • A priori truths (things are just true based on reason) • Learning comes in making connections with prior knowledge.

Three Main Theoretical Perspectives • Behaviourism • Cognitivism • Cognitive Load Theory • Constructivism

A Fourth Perspective ??? • Connectivism ??? • Others...

Behaviourism • Key theorists: Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike, Skinner • The mind is a black box. • Learning is an expected response to a given stimulus; we can’t see what goes on in the black box.

The Motto of the Behaviourist • Practice Makes Perfect!

Behaviourism – Key Ideas • Stimulus-response (repetition) • Operant conditioning (reinforcement) • Punishment • Consequences • Modelling • Shaping • Cuing • Drill and practice

Behaviourism: Instructivism • Aka – Direct instruction • Aka - Teacher-directed • Primary mode: Lecture

Behaviourist Educational Practices • Learning objectives / curriculum • Direct instruction • Behaviour analysis • Classroom management techniques • Choice • Rewards

Behaviourist Technologies • Math Blaster

Behaviourist Technologies • iClickers

Behaviourist Technologies • Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) • Computer AssistedAssessment (CAA)

Behaviourist Technologies • Online Tutorials

Behaviourist Technologies • TED Talks / YouTube

Behaviourist Technologies • Brainpop

Behaviourist Technologies • Foursquare, Huffingtonpost

Behaviourist Technologies • Microquestgames (e.g., Robinson)

Behaviourist Technologies • The Future? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3ih-sm6hxA

Criticisms of Behaviourism • Grossly oversimplifies learning • Learning is not always tied to behaviours • Learning does not require rewards or punishments • The mind is not a black box • People adapt

Drill Time! • Tweet me another behaviourist technology and tell me why you feel it is behaviourist. Don’t forget #edit202!

Cognitivism • Emerged in the 1900s as a response to behaviourism: got big in the 50s/60s. • Key theorists: Piaget, Gagne, Vygotsky, Bruner • Beyond behaviour and into the “black box” • Memory systems are active, organized processors of information • Prior knowledge is key in learning

Cognitivist Motto • The mind is a computer.

Cognitivism - Key Ideas • Schema/scaffolding • Atkinson-Shiffrin Memory Model (Sensory/ST/LT Memory) • Working memory • Meaningful effect • Motivation • Seriality

Cognitivism - Key Ideas • Practice for retention • Organization • Mneumonic devices • Metaphor / Symbolism • ”Memory palace” • Mental maps • Advance organizers

Cognitive Load Theory • Processing information can over or under load working memory. • Things must run smoothly in order for meaningful learning to occur. • Key Theorists: Miller, Sweller • Example: High falutin’ mumbo jumbo • Example: Learning in another language • Example: Overstimulation

Cognitive Load Key Ideas • Chunking • Learning structures • Instructional design • Means-ends analysis (inching closer) • Intrinsic load (difficulty) • Extraneous load (simplicity) • Germane load (schemas/connections) • Error / Fundamental Attribution Error

Working Memory • Working memory is the system which actively holds multiple pieces of transitory information in the mind when needed for verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make them available for further information processing. • Becker & Morris (1999) • It has replaced Atkinson & Shiffrin’s STM

Cognitive Load Implications for EdTech • What things look like matter • User Interface • HCI • General Aesthetic • How things are organized matter • Navigational structures • Layout of information

Cognitivist Technologies • Scratch

Cognitivist Technologies • Digital Concept Mapping

Cognitivist Technologies • Prezi

Cognitivist Technologies • Databases

Cognitivist Technologies • Artificial Intelligence • Learning theorists and computer scientists often work together in this area.

Criticisms of Cognitivism • Ignores the affective and psychomotor • Too focused on knowledge; difficult to measure understanding and HOTS • The brain is not a computer

Drill Time! • Tweet me an example of a web tool or site that has high extraneous load. Label it #edit202 AND #extraneousload

Constructivsm • Emerged in the early 1930s • Key Theorists: Dewey, Kolb, Montessori, Piaget, Bruner, Jonassen • The mind is a rhizome (network) • Teacher as facilitator

Constructivism • Learning is building connections by actively interacting with the environment • begin with complex problems and teach basic skills while solving these problems • learning involves constructing one's own knowledge from one's own experiences

Jonasson’s Definition • “Learners construct their own reality or at least interpret it based upon their perceptions of experiences, so an individual's knowledge is a function of one's prior experiences, mental structures, and beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events.... What someone knows is grounded in perception of the physical and social experiences which are comprehended by the mind." • Jonasson, 1991

David Jonasson • Constructivism and Technology • Computers in the Classroom: Mindtools for Critical Thinking (1996) • http://web.missouri.edu/jonassend/

Constructivism – Key Ideas • Problem-based learning • Project-based learning • Authentic tasks • Discovery learning • Case-based learning • Collaborative learning • Active learning (responsibility on learners) • Vygotsky’s Zone of proximal development

Seymour Papert • Constructionism • Learning is most effective when learners create tangible, real-world objects. • “Learning by making” • Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (1980) • Father of Lego Robotics • http://www.papert.org/

Merrill’s Assumptions of Constructivism • Knowledge is constructed from experience • Learning is a personal interpretation of the world • Learning is an active process in which meaning is developed on the basis of experience

Merrill’s Assumptions of Constructivism • Conceptual growth comes from the negotiation of meaning, the sharing of multiple perspectives and the changing of our internal representations through collaborative learning • Learning should be situated in realistic settings; testing should be integrated with the task and not a separate activity(Merrill, 1991, in Smorgansbord, 1997)

Constructivist Technologies • Many video games

Constructivist Technologies • Lego Robotics (Constructionist)

Constructivist Technologies • Technology as tool: A means to an end • Google Sites • Wikispaces • PB Works • Blogger • Wordpress • Etc...

Constructivist Tech Strategy • WebquestsBernie Dodgewebquest.org

Aside: Constructivist Schools • Quest 2 Learnhttp://q2l.org/ • High Tech Highhttp://www.hightechhigh.org/ • New Tech Highhttp://newtechhigh.org/ • Edutopia Schools That Work • http://www.edutopia.org/schools-that-work

Educational Technology Learning Theory