Educational Theory

Wai Phyo Win

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 Educational Theory

 Behaviourist Learning Theory

 Cognitivist Learning Theory
 Humanist Learning Theory
- adult learner

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 Do we need theory?

 if practice or experience is the “how”,

theory is the “why”

 it is better to understand both the “how” and

“why”

 Teaching is a “scientific application” of

“tested theory”

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 Each and every individual is unique

Theories have attempted to provide

explanations about learning that apply to
“people in general”

but in reality
there is
“no people in general”

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Jargon
Why can’t we use everyday language?
to maintain acceptable standards of
precision.

e.g. energy in physics

market in economy
duty in jurisprudence
reinforcement in behaviourism

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 Behaviourist Learning Theory

 behavourist studied animals by teaching

them simple tasks

 animals were taught by rewarding them

with food when they did well

 some of the findings can apply to human

learning

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 Behaviourism
 behaviourism involves a mechanistic,
materialist view of psychology as the study of
observable, objectively measurable behaviour

 emphasizes the importance of associations

between stimulus and response connection

 given stimulus produce a certain reaction in the

learner

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 Behaviourism
 main principles underlying behaviourist
approach → association of learning

 learning is regarded as change in observable

behaviour resulting from repeated
reinforcement or association
→ stimulus and response (S-R)
 behaviourists do not look for the “underlying
cause” of behaviour

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 The Concepts of Behaviourism

 behaviourist theory views the learner’s mind

as a “black box”
 stimulus from the environment is presented
and the learner reacts to the stimulus with
some type of response
 desirable behaviour is reinforced and
undesired behaviour is discouraged

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 Ivan Petrovich Pavlov

 experimental work on reflexes:

presenting dog with food produced
reflex of salivation

 a response to a previously neutral

stimulus which has become
conditioned through repeated
pairing with a stimulus → learned

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 Classical Conditioning

Before US: Food UR: Salivation

Conditioning

During US: Food + UR: Salivation

Conditioning US: Tuning fork

After CS: Tuning fork CR: Salivation

Conditioning (Alone)

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 John Broadus Watson

- believed psychologists should study

observable behavior instead of speculating
about a person’s inner thoughts and feelings

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Before Watson’s
US: LoudExperiment
noise UR: Fear response
Conditioning from hammer i.e. crying and
striking metal withdrawal
bar
During US: Loud noise, UR: Fear response
Conditioning plus
US: White rat

After Conditioning CS: White rat CR: Fear response

(alone)

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 Principles of Classical Conditioning
Acquisition
process by which a previously neutral
stimulus acquires the ability to elicit a
conditioned response

Stimulus Generalization
stimuli similar to conditioned stimuli elicit
similar conditioned responses

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 Principles of Classical Conditioning
Stimulus Discrimination
can discriminate various stimulus

Extinction
the conditioned stimulus no longer elicits
the conditioned response

Spontaneous recovery
reappearance of the reaction after a time
interval
reaction will be weaker
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 Edward Lee Thorndike

Thorndike formulated the “law of effect”,

which states that behaviors that are followed
by pleasant consequences will be more likely
to be repeated in the future. He also
formulate “law of exercise”.

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