Have you ever wondered how we learn? What do you think is going on in our mind when we do something new? Scientists have been working hard to answer those questions! They have four main theories, each one tells us a little bit more about our brain and how it learns.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism was the first learning theory (it started in 1913). Behaviorists studied behaviors. They focused on things they could see and mostly studied animals. They made the study of psychology very scientific because behaviors are much easier to observe and understand than thoughts. Behaviorists helped us learn a lot about the brain and how it works. They focused on how changes to the environment (living space, and experiences) change behavior (the way we act.) Unfortunately there was some stuff that they missed because they did not look at what was going on inside of the brain, and they did not think about differences that we are naturally born with.

Behaviorists focused on three types of learning.

1. Classical Conditioning

• We learn through association ( when things go together). We learn the ring tone of our phone because it goes together with us getting a message.

2. Operant Conditioning

• We learn by rewards and punishments. When we do something and it has a good response (we get to buy a new toy for a good report card) we are more likely to do that thing again. When we do something and it has a bad response (we get in trouble) we are less likely to do that thing again.

3. Observational Learning

• We learn by watching and copying others.

Cognitivism

Behaviorism was not perfect. People don’t just react to things that are around them, they also think and decide what their reaction will be. Peoples’ reactions can be different based on their mood, and the way one person reacts to something can be very different from the way another person reacts to something. Cognitivism tries to understand what is happening inside the brain when someone learns. People who study cognitivism look at the brain, at thoughts, and compare the brain to a very complicated computer to help them understand it.

Constructivism

Constructivism builds on the idea of cognitivism. It looks at how people build on everything they do to learn. Someone who loves dinosaurs can build on what they know about dinosaurs. Memorizing dinosaur facts can help their memory grow stronger. Learning where dinosaurs used to live can help them learn about geography (the study of the world). Learning about dinosaurs can help them become interested in learning about other animals, or maybe about history. They might go to a museum to see dinosaurs and learn all sorts of other things there as well.

With constructivist learning it is important that the learners are interested in the things they are learning. This type of learning is led by the learner (instead of a teacher), who figures out how to put all of the stuff they have learned together!

Connectivism

The internet has given us new ways to learn, and has created new ideas about learning as well! We can pass on information very quickly from one person to another. Connectivism is based on those connections. We learn as a group through social media, online games, and group messages. Before the internet connectivism was still important, people learned from each other when they got together in groups, learned from reading newspapers and books, learned through music, and from watching TV. Now an interesting post can travel across the entire world in seconds!