Learning Theories Visual Timeline by Melissa Starkey

1920's-1950's: Behaviorism

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-25 20:06:06 UTC

What scholar(s) established this theory?
- Ivan Pavlov
- Edward Thorndike
- John B. Watson
- B.F. Skinner
What are the key tenets of the theory? Behavioralism focuses on how aspects of our environment shape/impact our behavior. It is primarily concerned with stimulus and response relationships.

Link to more reading: EdTech Books

1950's: Cognitivism

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-25 20:26:14 UTC

What scholar(s) established this theory?
- Jean Piaget
- Jerome Bruner
- Albert Bandura
What are the key tenets of the theory? Cognitivism seeks to answer "how do we acquire knowledge?"

Link to more reading: EdTech Books

References:

Mangino, M.E. (2019). Cognitivism & social cognitivism. https://manginodesign.mit.edu/comparing-learning-theories/cognitivism-social-cognitivism#:~:text=Origins,new%20and%20different%20situations%20accordingly.

1950s: Constructivism

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-25 20:38:07 UTC

What scholar(s) established this theory?
- Jean Piaget
- Lev Vygotsky
- John Dewey
What are the key tenets of the theory? Constructivism asserts that learning is an active process.
How did each theory lead to future theories? Constructivism builds on behaviorism and cognitivism in that it helps to answer how a learner creates meaning from their experiences. This theory also developed within itself- Piaget developed theory on how students develop and learn over time. Vygotsky developed theory on how social interaction shapes learning. Dewey brought these ideas together with his theory on how real world collaboration and creativity help to create knowledge.

Link to more reading: EdTech Books

References:

Brau, B. (2022). Constructivism. Education Research: Across Multiple Paradigms. https://edtechbooks.org/education_research/constructivismy

McLeod, S. (2024 February 1). Constructivism learning theory & philosophy of education. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html

1950's: Social Cognitive Theory/Socioculturalism

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-25 20:46:13 UTC

What scholar(s) established this theory?
- Lev Vygotsky
What are the key tenets of the theory?
"Social interaction plays an important role in learning" (Allman, 2022, p.149).

Link to more reading: EdTech Books

References:

Allman, B. (2022). Socioculturalism. Education Research: Across Multiple Paradigms. https://edtechbooks.org/education_research/socioculturalism

2000's: Connectivism

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-25 20:46:51 UTC

What scholar(s) established this theory?
- George Siemens
What are the key tenets of the theory? We access knowledge from other people and networks. No one person has all the answers. We must learn to ask good questions to access the information we seek.
How did each theory lead to future theories? Connectivism builds off of previous learning theories because it addresses the fact that our learners are adapting and learning/accessing resources in new and different ways. This addresses the impact of technology on learning.

Link to more reading: EdTech Books

References:

Siemens, G. (2022). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Education Research: Across Multiple Paradigms. https://edtechbooks.org/education_research/connectivism

1960's-1980's: Adult Learning Theory-Andragogy

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-25 20:47:07 UTC

What scholar(s) established this theory?
- Malcolm Knowles
What are the key tenets of the theory? Andragogy addresses how we meet the needs of our adult learners. Andragogy is based on four principles:
- Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.
- Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities.
- Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life.
- Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented. (Instructionaldesign.org)
How did each theory lead to future theories? Andragogy is one of several adult learning theories that seek to understand adult learners' needs versus children's. Other theories of adult learning include self-directed learning and transformative learning.

References:

InstructionalDesign.org. (n.d.). Andragogy (Malcolm Knowles). Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy/

Merriam, S.B. (2017). Adult learning theory: Evolution and future directions. PAACE Journal of

Lifelong Learning, 26(2017), 21-37.

How did each theory lead to future theories?

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-27 16:20:49 UTC

Behaviorism explains how we can create environments conducive to learning but does not address how learning occurs.

How did each theory lead to future theories?

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-27 16:21:58 UTC

Behaviorism explains how we can create environments conducive to learning but does not address how learning occurs. That led to Constructivism. Vygotsky's work in constructivism was different than his counterparts- it was social. This led to Social Constructivism/Socioculturalism.

How did each theory lead to future theories?

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-27 16:26:15 UTC

With the rise of the internet and so much knowledge being online, how does this impact our learning?

How did each theory lead to future theories?

mstarkey1_ — 2025-01-29 19:15:54 UTC

But how do adults learn? How is this different than how children acquire knowledge?