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This Padlet will briefly focus on research proven learning theories and relationships to 21st century learning and teaching.

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The originator of the Social Learning Theory, Bandura completed research that contributed to both psychology and education. The Social Learning Theory, later updated to the Social Cognitive Theory consisted of research focusing on how we learn through observations. Bandura's findings showed cognitive processes determine if learning will take place. The processes that must occur are attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation

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ALBERT BANDURA | Psychologist | Social Psychology | Stanford University | California

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Professor Bandura is an innovative scholar whose pioneering work in social cognitive theory has served as a rich resource for academics, practitioners, and policy makers alike across disciplinary lines. His illustrative career includes groundbreaking work across a broad range of areas.

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Richard Mayer is a current Professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara. Mayer is most known for the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. The theory presents the idea individuals learn greater from words and pictures, than from words alone. Meyers research found that there are two channels, auditory and visual, for information processing. These channels offer limited capacity to process presented information. The information is selected cognitively through a process. This process consists of the learner selecting, organizing, filtering, and integrating the most important information.

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Richard Mayer | Psychological & Brain Sciences | UC Santa Barbara

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Dr. Mayer's main interest is in determining how people learn (i.e., the science of learning) and how to help people learn (i.e., the science of instruction).

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Edward Thorndike was a pioneer of learning theory and behaviorism that provided the groundwork for B.F. Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning. His theory of learning consisted of laws. The Law of Excercise is based on use and disuse of information. a connection must be made and information must be used to retain information. The Law of Readiness states individuals have to be prepared to learn. They must accept or reject the information. Lastly, the Law of Effect says connection to information will be made when the learner is satisfied, but also notes a dissatisfied learner makes a weak or no connection at all.

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Edward Thorndike was an early 20th century educator and psychologist who studied the learning process and influenced the development of the American public school system.

Professional Life

Edward Thorndike was born August 31, 1874 in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and began his graduate work at Harvard. By age 23, he completed his PhD from Columbia University.

Thorndike began his professional career at the Women's College of Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he taught for one year, before accepting a teaching position at Teachers College at Columbia University in 1899. Thorndike remained at Teachers College until his retirement in 1940; his career focused largely on evaluating the learning process and testing intelligence.

In 1912, Thorndike acted as president of the American Psychological Association. Thorndike also served as president of the Psychometric Society, after the first president and founder Louis Leon Thurstone, stepped down in 1937. Thorndike married Elizabeth Moulton in 1900 and they raised four children.

Contribution to Psychology

Thorndike is known for his development of the law of effect, a theory regarding the effects of reward and punishment on learning. Thorndike originally believed that reward and punishment were equal in terms of effect, but he eventually determined that reward was far more effective and that punishment may actually lead to the repetition of an undesired behavior.

Similarly, Thorndike's connectionism states that behavior is a product of the connection of numerous neural and psychological processes. Behavior that cannot be explained by a simpler phenomenon, such as conditioning, follows connectionist principles. For Thorndike, learning is generally a gradual process built upon insight and increasing connections.

To study the learning process, Thorndike conducted a series of experiments involving animals and problem boxes and mazes. His subjects were rewarded when they were able to push a lever and escape, which they were able to do with increasing rapidity upon repetition. Thus, Thorndike concluded that the learning process was enhanced by the learner's response to stimulus. B.F. Skinner built upon Thorndike's law of effect in his behaviorist work with operant conditioning.

Thorndike identified three specific factors that benefit learning and result in maximum outcomes:

1. The law of effect is determined by consequence.

2. The law of recency requires that recurrence is determined by the most recent response.

3. The law of exercise states that when a stimulus is administered upon response, each subsequent response is strengthened.

Thorndike also developed military tests during World War I, when he was a member of the Committee on Classification of Personnel. His Alpha and Beta tests were used to measure the intelligence of soldiers. Thorndike's tests were adapted for use among schoolchildren in the following years, and they directly impacted the development of standardized testing. Thorndike was a proponent of eugenics, because he believed that intelligence was a hereditary trait.
References:

1. Clifford, Geraldine Joncich. (2003). Edward L. Thorndike. Encyclopedia of Education. Retrieved from http://www.gale.cengage.com/InContext/bio.htm

2. Tomlinson, S. (1997). Edward lee thorndike and john dewey on the science of education. Oxford Review of Education, 23(3), 365-383. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215839945?accountid=1229

Last Update: 07-07-2015

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Edward Thorndike was an early 20th century educator and psychologist who studied the learning process and influenced the development of the American public school system. Edward Thorndike was born August 31, 1874 in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and began his graduate work at Harvard.

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After the completion of readings on Bandura, Mayer, and Thorndike I found a few similarities across their theories. The initial similarity I discovered was learning being influenced by observations. Each theorist focused on observations and its effect on behaviors. Individuals could be influenced by media observed (Mayer’s Theory), social observations (Bandura’s Theory), and positive/negative reinforcement (Thorndike’s Laws). Another similarity between theorist would be the processing of information. There work emphasized the process of learning only information or behaviors they find worthy. Once the information is presented it’s sorted to use or disuse. During the readings the differences between the theorists were most evident. One difference was being behaviorist or cognitive based approach. The multimedia learning theory differed from others due to its focus on memory and its role in processing information.Lastly information on positive reinforcement for the social learning theory and Thorndike’s Law were present, but lacking in the multimedia theory. Each of these theories provide the framework for designing effective and meaningful content for 21st century learning. The 21st century framework provides a guide to ensure students are prepared for life. The approach to ensuring students are prepared should still be based on learning theories. The students and content have changed, but until new research says differently we should continue to design and present content as the theories suggest.

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Psychological & Brain Sciences | UC Santa Barbara, www.psych.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/mayer.

Psychological & Brain Sciences | UC Santa Barbara, www.psych.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/mayer.

“ALBERT BANDURA | Psychologist | Social Psychology | Stanford University | California.” ALBERT BANDURA Academic Publications | Psychologist | Social Psychology | Stanford University | California, www.professoralbertbandura.com/.

Admin. “Edward Lee Thorndike: Theory of Learning.” EduGyan: A Platform For Learning, 27 Mar. 2017, www.edugyan.in/2017/03/edward-lee-thorndike-theory-of-learning.html.

“GoodTherapy.org.” Therapy for Schizophrenia, Therapist For, GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog, www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/edward-thorndike.html.

Mcleod, Saul. “Social Learning Theory.” Simply Psychology, Simply Psychology, www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html.