Why should we be interested in learning theories? Learning theories refer to a set of principles that explain how individuals acquire, retain and recall knowledge. In a broader sense, it could describe the process of learning which involves modifying an individual's knowledge, skills, values, attitude, behaviour and world views through personal experiences and environmental influences. Knowledge of these theories helps us to design instruction in a way that promotes learning. Major learning theories - BEHAVIOURISM - We are passive creatures driven by stimulus and learned response. This learning theory has its roots in the early twentieth century through the work of behaviourists like Pavlov and Skinner among others. Their initial work was on animals. Their research showed the association between stimulus and response. This research was then applied to the study of human behaviour. Behaviourists propose that behaviour can be controlled based on antecedents and conse
Education has traditionally been Teacher-centric with the teacher being the source of information and all activities being driven by the teacher. In most cases, students worked in silos. This is however not conducive to the development of 21st-century learning skills like Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity. Today's student must be in a position to access information, link new information to existing knowledge and develop creative solutions. Essentially, they should be able to learn independently. Student-centred learning(SCL) inverts the traditional model and puts the student at the heart of the learning process. It developed from the constructivist learning theory. Constructivism views learning as an active process of constructing knowledge from information. New information is linked to prior knowledge and hence the learning is subjective. SCL is designed for the student keeping his or her interests, abilities and learning styles in mind. Th