Psychological Foundation in Education [ Ed 56]

KENNY ROSE BORBONN

MAED English

1. Give at least 5 psychological foundation theories and explain how can it facilitate learning.

A. Constructivism

Constructivism is a learning theory found in psychology which explains how people might acquire

knowledge and learn. It therefore has direct application to education. The theory suggests that

humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences. Constructivism is not a specific

pedagogy. Piaget's theory of Constructivist learning has had wide ranging impact on learning

theories and teaching methods in education and is an underlying theme of many education reform

movements. Research support for constructivist teaching techniques has been mixed, with some

research supporting these techniques and other research contradicting those results.

2. Cognitive Theory

The Cognitive Learning Theory explains why the brain is the most incredible network of information

processing and interpretation in the body as we learn things. This theory can be divided into two

specific theories: the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and the Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT).

When we say the word “learning”, we usually mean “to think using the brain”. This basic concept of learning

is the main viewpoint in the Cognitive Learning Theory (CLT). The theory has been used to explain mental

processes as they are influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which eventually bring about

learning in an individual

3. Behaviourism

Behaviorism is a worldview that assumes a learner is essentially passive, responding to

environmental stimuli. The learner starts off as a clean slate (i.e. tabula rasa) and behavior is shaped
 through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement [2]. Both positive reinforcement and

negative reinforcement increase the probability that the antecedent behavior will happen again. In

contrast, punishment (both positive and negative) decreases the likelihood that the antecedent

behavior will happen again. Positive indicates the application of a stimulus; Negative indicates the

withholding of a stimulus. Learning is therefore defined as a change in behavior in the learner. Lots

of (early) behaviorist work was done with animals (e.g. Pavlov’s dogs) and generalized to humans [3].

4. Experimental Learning

According to Kolb, this type of learning can be defined as "the process whereby knowledge is created

through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combinations of grasping and

transforming the experience."Experiential learning theory differs from cognitive and behavioral

theories in that cognitive theories emphasize the role of mental processes while behavioral theories

ignore the possible role of subjective experience in the learning process. The experiential theory

proposed by Kolb takes a more holistic approach and emphasizes how experiences, including

cognitions, environmental factors, and emotions, influence the learning process.

5. Connectivism

is a relatively new learning theory, developed and based upon the idea that people process

information by forming connections. This theory has developed with the digital and technology age,

adapting to advances in these arenas. This new theory suggests that people no longer stop learning

after formal education and continue to gain knowledge from other avenues such as job skills,

networking, experience and access to information with new tools in technology.

2. What psychological approach/ theory could bes educate the youth?

Social constructivism not only acknowledges the uniqueness and complexity of the learner, but

actually encourages, utilizes and rewards it as an integral part of the learning process. Social

constructivisms or socioculturalism encourage the learner or learners to arrive at his or her version

of the truth, influenced by his or her background, culture or embedded worldview. Historical

developments and symbol systems, such as language, logic, and mathematical systems, are inherited

by the learner as a member of a particular culture and these are learned throughout the learner's

life. This also stresses the importance of the nature of the learner's social interaction with

knowledgeable members of the society. Without the social interaction with other more

knowledgeable people, it is impossible to acquire social meaning of important symbol systems and

learn how to utilize them. Young children develop their thinking abilities by interacting with other

children, adults and the physical world. From the social constructivist viewpoint, it is thus important

to take into account the background and culture of the learner throughout the learning process, as

this background also helps to shape the knowledge and truth that the learner creates, discovers and

attains in the learning process.[9]

3. How can you educate the 21st century learners using psychology?

Although the subject of teachers' learning was the focus of some early studies by educational

psychologists learning to teach more than a decade ago,36 educational psychologists have tended

not to focus on teachers' learning as an important area of study. Only in the past decade have

educational psychologists turned their attention from the study of teachers' behavior to the study of

teachers' thinking, cognitions, and knowledge.37 The studies by Leinhardt and Putnam (of networks

of teachers' knowledge and script theory) and of Lampert (on the role of teachers' understanding of

subject matter and interpretation of what students mean) are most salient.38 One can begin to see

that research why and how teachers come to behave as they do. This literature and that of other

researchers on teacher thinking39 have explored the many ways in which teachers think, plan, and

decide, and how teachers' work is constrained by the world in which teachers operate. Using
psychology to understand the teacher in this way might make contact with teachers in powerful

ways. Such psychological windows into teachers' thinking or psychological lenses for examining

teaching also open up new possibilities for metaphors that convey new ways of thinking about how

to connect psychology to teacher education