Psychological Perspectives on Learning

The past half-century has seen the rise of several psychological theories on how students learn and consequently how teachers should teach.  Each theory has its own emphasis on particular psychological aspects of learning.  Each has its own value and use in the contemporary classroom.

Behaviorism     

B.F. Skinner, one of the first scientists to work in the field of psychology, also had a profound impact on educational theory.  Skinner was a behaviorist which means he was concerned with how students acted, as opposed to how students learned or a student’s internal processes.  For Skinner, learning was something the teacher imparted on a student.  Student behavior and learning depended on what they were conditioned to do through reinforcement.  Skinner’s theory was based on experiments he’d conducted with pigeons who learned to press a lever in order to receive food.  Skinner equated other organisms (including students) to his birds, believing that they all continued behavior for which they were rewarded.  In terms of student learning, Skinner’s theories are limited by their emphasis on observable behavior. 

Cognitivism

The latter half of the 20^th century saw the rise of the cognitivist perspective on learning.  Based on the work of another psychologist, Jean Piaget, cognitivism “made new contributions to learning theory by creating models of how learners receive, process, and manipulate information” (Smaldino, et al., p. 10).

The concept of long- and short-term memory, where information that is not rehearsed is sloughed off and not remembered, comes from cognitivist psychologists.  Unlike behaviorists, who were concerned only with behaviors they could observe and therefore influence, cognitivists advanced the science of learning by turning inward to the psyche and mental processes of the student.

Constructivism

Constructivists take learning theory to a new level in examining how students “build” learning.  For constructivists, the emphasis shifts from the idea of the passive learner on whom information is imparted and processed, to learning as an active inquiry of problem-solving and discovery.  The role of the teacher becomes one of forming opportunities for experiential and authentic learning.  Constructivists believe that children learn best when they can assimilate new information with prior knowledge to erect new learning constructs.  Consequently, for constructivists, the best gauge of learning is the ability of students to access and utilize new information in everyday situations (Smaldino, et al., p. 10).

Social-Psychological Perspective

As expected, the social-psychological view of education is concerned with the group dynamics of the classroom.  They are concerned with the structure of authority and independence in the classroom, as well as how rewards and punishments are decided on and meted out.  More importantly, social psychologists advanced the concept of cooperative learning, in which a small group of learners take on assigned tasks to assist the entire group.  Cooperative learning, they posit, is more effective and “socially beneficial” than competitive learning. 

Conclusion

In order to be most effective, teachers need to decide their own preferences in terms of these four theories, adopting what they find useful and discarding the rest.  No one theory holds the answer to all classroom situations or learning challenges.  In each situation, the teacher should utilize the theory or concept that best suits their needs and the needs of their students.