Behaviourism, Cognitivism and Constructivism: Teaching & Learning Paradigm Dr. Yasser Tawfik Associate Professor of Marketing Dr. Mohamed El Deeb Associate Professor of Accounting Dr. Emad Elwy Associate Professor of Business Administration Behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism A Teaching & Learning Paradigm Dr. Yasser Tawfik Associate Professor of Marketing Dr. Mohamed El Deeb Associate Professor of Accounting Dr. Emad Elwy Associate Professor of Business Administration

Introduction There are two different types of theories we have what is called descriptive theory and prescriptive theory in education which helps just answer the question what is learning?

Introduction Cont’d First learning theory which attempts to describe what is learning. Second type of theory is prescriptive theory which answers the question how do we help people?

Introduction Cont’d The outcome of that is learning theories are giving us methods of how to foster learning. From this perspective we have three types of learning theories which try to explain what learning is and how learning happens.

Learning Theories Learning theories are like Windows in a house where you can look through multiple windows into the same room and get a different viewpoint from each window. As we are talking about learning theories we have three different perspectives behaviorism cognitivism and constructivism.

Behaviorism The first theory which is behaviorism is based on behavior as students learn through practice by reshaping what they learn and sharing positive experiences. The teachers role is to create a series of steps in programmed instructions with a predefined plan, so, teacher role is really that of a supervisor.

Behaviorism Cont’d Students change their behavior because they attributed internally so they know that they feel good about learning. Behaviorism is often used for shaping classroom behavior and helping students learn basic facts and skills.

Behaviorism Cont’d For example in the classroom behavior it will only occur if the right environment or antecedent are given, then the behavior is more or less likely to reoccur based on the reinforcements and consequences that follow such as rewards and punishment. Common examples is to solve correctly in the quiz will entitle the student for higher coursework, or arriving late will cause students detention these are all examples of behaviorism at work in the classroom.

Behaviorism strengths Behaviorism learning theory based on observing behaviors, therefore it makes things easier when quantifying and collecting data and information while conducting a research. Behaviorism is can be reproduced reliably through experiment as in a Skinner box.  behaviorist perception does  not explain how people make procedural decisions or negotiate between various types of potential rewards and goals.

Behaviorism Limitation Behaviorism to be claimed as a one-dimensional approach for understanding behavior of humans and does not account for internal influences and free will such as feelings, thoughts and moods.  Behaviorism does not account for other types of learning, especially learning that occurs without the use of reinforcement and punishment. 

Cognitivism The second theory which is cognitivism that focuses on how information is received, organized, stored and retrieved by the mind. Cognitivism was developed as learning theory shifted away from behavior models to emphasize on cognitive thinking where psychologists and educators begin to be concerned with over observable behavior and instead stressed on more complex cognitive processes such as problem-solving concept.

Cognitivism Cont’d Information processing emphasize on the mental thinking where it concerns with what they know and how knowledge is acquired and how it is stored in the memory (a sensory memory and long-term memory). The students learn how information is processed so it's about enabling the students and that they inquire strategies to process information.

Cognitivism Cont’d The teacher job is to attain and maintain learners attention because the goal here is to change the students mental behavior as they learn how to think away by rehearsals, visual aids, repetition, reviewing and summarizing. Cognitivism use the mind as an information processor like a computer, for example in the classroom, instruction should be organized in sequence and presented in a manner that is understandable and meaningful to the learner. Cognitivism is often used in developing classroom lessons and helping students learn higher order thinking skills.

Cognitivism strengths Cognitivism is mainly interested in processing of information. Cognitivism has many applications in education and other areas of science The Cognitivism approach heavily concerned with mental processes and relies on experiments as its main research method. In education, cognitivism is focusing on the learning process, that creates a pedagogical orientation towards active learning. The cognitive approach is not just useful for learning more about the thought process; but it is also useful in helping people improve their behavior.

Cognitivism Limitation it refers to cognitive processes that we cannot directly observe. It relies heavily on inference.  it ignores other factors towards behavior that have been shown to affect behavior.  It’s based on controlled experiments.

Constructivism The third theory which is constructivism that equates learning with creating meaning from experience where learning is more meaningful to students when they are able to interact with a problem or concept. Constructivism can help engage and motivate your students by making them talk on a more active role in the learning process.

Constructivism Cont’d Constructivism utilizes interactive teaching strategies to create meaningful context that help students construct knowledge based on their own experiences. Constructivism is the theory that we generate knowledge as we experience situations and interpret them.

Constructivism Cont’d Knowledge is constructed on an individual's reality experiences and it might not accurately represent reality knowledge that can be altered if new information is gained. Previous information and knowledge should be tested and verified against the knowledge and reasoning of others such as parents teachers and peers learning.

Constructivism Cont’d Common examples of constructivism include role- playing which simulating the use of historical event or time. Debating controversial current event issues and topics utilizing cooperative learning groups to teach multiple perspectives and allowing students to engage in real- world activities.

Constructivism strengths Constructivism learning theory is an active constructive process where key concepts include learning by doing. Students are no longer passive participant in the classroom and that teachers is a prestigious our facilitator rather than acting presenters. Students able to make strong connections with the content they already learned. Constructivist approach is focused around small group discussion.

Constructivism Limitation Teachers need to be in control of constructivist education practices. Teachers need to understand where each student stand. The lack of structure this is the biggest disadvantage as it as substitutes require highly structured environment.

References Abramson, L.Y., Seligman, M.E.P. & Teasdale, J.D. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49-74. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211. Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived Behavioral Control, Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 665-683.