III.+How+We+Learn

=How We Learn=

Teaching Is A Complex Subject
To study the dynamics of teaching we must take an ecological approach. Much like studying the ecology of a particular region of the world, the numerous variables existing in the classroom environment are difficult to quantify and/or eliminate. Although we would like to, we cannot simply engineer instruction or study it the way we have studied gravity. We must, in fact, our approach to instruction must be more “ecological” than Newtonian. We must think of ourselves as instructional architects, aware of effective design principles and aware of learning principles. There have been three “eras” we have witnessed regarding the science behind how we learn. First, we began with behaviorism, which operated under the premise that the only significant attributes of the learning process are the attributes that are measurable. From much work under such principles, were produced the principles of classical conditioning. "New" interpretations and practices of the behaviorist research followed and became known as Cognitivism. Important theories from this era were Pavo's [|Dual Coding Theory], and the Multimedia Effect. Shortly after the inception of cognitivism was the formation of constructivism, led by John Dewy and Jerome Bruner. Most notably from this time was the proposition of inquiry as a teaching/learning process. If one studies the history of learning theory over the last century, you will notice the implication and ramifications which are evident today in many educational settings.

Background
Humans have been interested in how we learn for quite some time. Dating back as far as Confucius (551 B.B.), we have described effective learning as that which is active or experiential. Confucius once said //"I hear and I forget, I see I remember, I do and I understand"//.



[|Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism]
While there have been many influential leaders who have attempted to describe how we learn, an argument could be made that our approach to teaching today has recently been influenced by the teachings from [|behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism]. These three eras or revolutions have had major influence on how our classrooms are arranged today, as well as what parents, teachers, and students expect regarding the progression of learning. Behaviorism had its roots with B.F. Skinner (1904 - 1990) and his experiments in the early 1900s with carrier pigeons (see below video).

media type="youtube" key="AepqpTtKbwo&hl=en&fs=1" height="134" width="165" Behaviorism was later followed by new approaches to learning research a new interpretations. This became known as cognitivism. The work of Jerome Bruner and Lee Vygotsky dramatically impacted the educational arena, even to this day. Shortly after the spawning of cognitivism, constructivism was thrust upon the scene with the influential work of Dewey and Knowles. Most notably from constructivist theory has arisen the inquiry approach to instruction. For a more detailed comparison of these three "eras" of learning theory, see "[|Learing Theories]".