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Adam Jernigan
Over the many years of growth and change in the field of education there have been an
array of concepts and theories that have governed the successful acquisition of new knowledge.
The theories that have evolved education to the art that it is today have left a mark and value that
stands the test of time. These theories may have changed by addition or manipulation, but they
This report will focus on discussing three of these theorists, three different theories, and
how these theories relate to education today. The three theorists will include B.F Skinner, Lev
Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner. These three theorists each represent three of the predominate
educational theories over the past several decades that will be discussed, including behaviorist
Educational Theories
The concept of behaviorist theory has deep roots that can be traced as far back as
Aristotle (Mergel, 1998) with multiple key individuals that have followed up his theories. The
fundamental concept of behaviorism is a study of how behaviors are established and changed
over time. One of the cornerstones for behaviorism is that it has the ability to be scientifically
viewed since behaviors can be observed and measured to establish their effects. Through the
proliferation of the concept of behaviorism since Aristotle two major sects of behaviorism have
Constructivist theory is a relatively new spin on some of the previous theories. This
theory focuses on the construction of knowledge by the learner. This is referred to as a more
hands-on method that requires a more active role by the learner. Constructivism is considered to
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be a more active learning theory, as compared to some of the other theories. “If we accept the
constructivist position we are inevitably required to follow a pedagogy which argues that we
must provide learners with the opportunity to: a) interact with sensory data, and b) construct their
own world” (Hein, 1991). Under the constructivist theory’s paradigm, the student becomes the
focus and are presented with a sea of information and encouraged to draw their own conclusions,
To contrast the previous two theories cognitivists would encourage that learning is
influenced by the incorporation of schema, previously learned information, into the learning
process. “Thus, a cognitivist views the learning process as an internal and active mental process,
which develops within a learner, increased mental capacity and skills in order to learn better”
(McLeod, 2003). This concept dictates that learners incorporate new knowledge through a cycle
of receiving, storing, and retrieving information. Leaving individuals to discover information for
Educational Theorists
Above, behaviorist theory was discussed, leading to one of the theorists that is most well
known as a behaviorist, B.F. Skinner. Behaviorists typically fall into two main categories,
classical or operant conditioning, to describe the process around which people learn. Skinner
reward. Operant conditioning is a big advocate of positive reinforcement. There are multiple
factors that are included in operant conditioning including neutral operants, reinforcers, and
• Punishers: Response from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behavior
“Lev Vygotsky, the founding father of social constructivism believed in social interaction
and that it was an integral part of learning” (Kalina, 2009). Vygotsky believes that learning is
controlled best by interactions that can help the individual construct their own reality of the truth.
The question that Vygotsky would pose in a learning environment is, what else in the
environment is the student learning from? The reference here refers to interactions, does the
student only interact with the teacher, one providing instruction? Are their other interactions that
need to be considered? Vygotsky would say that the student is interacting with the textbook,
other students, and manipulatives in the classroom. He would theorize that the culmination of
previously discussed cognitivists stated that learning was based on making mental connections
with new information and developing schema. Bruner developed the concept of discovery
learning, “Bruner argued that discovery learning inherently urges learners to take responsibility
for their own learning and helps them not only remember important factual information but also
develop their high-order thinking skills” (Yilmaz, 2011). This is the foundation of today’s push
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towards a student-centered classroom, where the focus is on the students and they are urged to
Summary
Educational theories have led to the development of the educational system as we know it
today. These theories have been fundamental in creating educational opportunities for a vast
array of people, the proper question is which one is right? Which theory creates the best
opportunity for every student? The answer is none of them, singularly, provide the best
educational opportunity for every student. I would postulate that the best answer would be a
blended form of all these theories. There are opportunities for each of these theories to have a
positive effect on the learning process, given the culture we currently live in negative and
positive reinforcement must be taken into account towards the cumulation of new information.
However, today more than ever technology allows for the constructivist view to show the role of
social interaction on learning. Lastly, the interactions between previously learned schema also
plays a role in learning. Yielding to the premise that adequate learning should be a well blended
incorporation of all three of these learning paradigms. Each has its proper time and place for
implementation.
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References
Hein, G. (1991). Constructivist learning theory. Institute for Inquiry. Available at:/http://www.
Kalina, C., & Powell, K. C. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an
McLeod, G. (2003). Learning theory and instructional design. Learning Matters, 2(3), 35-43.
Yilmaz, K. (2011). The cognitive perspective on learning: Its theoretical underpinnings and