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Introduction to Learning Theories — 10 Slides

Introduction to Learning Theories Slide 1 / 10

Introduction to Learning Theories

Behaviourism, Cognitivism & Constructivism

📚 Educational Psychology | First-Year Undergraduates

⏱ 150 Minutes | 👥 90 Students

🎓 Pedagogy: Social Constructivism + AI Integration

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What You Will Be Able To Do

  1. Compare core assumptions of behaviourist, cognitivist, and constructivist theories
  2. Apply social constructivist principles to design a peer-teaching segment
  3. Critically evaluate an AI-generated explanation of a learning theory
  4. Generate a revised, more accurate version of an AI explanation
  5. Reflect on when human judgment should override AI suggestions

🤖 AI Literacy: ILOs 3–5 develop critical AI literacy skills essential for 21st-century learning.

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Behaviourism

Key Assumptions

  • Observable behaviour only
  • Stimulus–response relationships
  • Reinforcement & punishment shape behaviour
  • Blank slate (tabula rasa)

Key Theorists

Watson, Pavlov, Skinner, Thorndike

Classroom Applications

  • Drills & repetition
  • Reward systems
  • Immediate feedback
  • Programmed instruction

Example

Skinner's operant conditioning: positive reinforcement in homework management systems increases desired behaviours.

Famous Quote

"Give me a dozen healthy infants... and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist..."

— J.B. Watson

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Cognitivism

Key Assumptions

  • Mental processes matter
  • Information processing model
  • Schema theory — organising knowledge
  • Cognitive load limits learning

Key Theorists

Piaget (early), Bruner, Ausubel, Sweller, Gagné

Classroom Applications

  • Advance organisers
  • Mnemonics & chunking
  • Worked examples
  • Graphic organisers

Example

Ausubel's meaningful learning: connect new concepts to existing schema (advance organisers) to improve retention.

Contrast with Behaviourism

Internal mental states are valid objects of study — we can investigate memory, attention, and reasoning.

Introduction to Learning Theories Slide 5 / 10

Constructivism

Key Assumptions

  • Learners actively construct knowledge
  • Prior knowledge is central
  • Social interaction is key (Vygotsky)
  • Learning is contextual & situated

Key Theorists

Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, Dewey

Classroom Applications

  • Problem-based learning
  • Collaborative tasks
  • Authentic activities
  • ZPD scaffolding

Social Constructivism (Vygotsky)

Knowledge is co-constructed through dialogue. Learning happens first between people (inter-psychological), then within (intra-psychological).

⚠️ Note: Constructivism DOES build on prior knowledge — counter to a common AI-generated misconception we will examine in class.

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Three Theories at a Glance

🔵 Behaviourism

  • Learner as passive recipient
  • Teacher as authority
  • Drill, reward, test
  • Watson, Skinner

🟣 Cognitivism

  • Learner as information processor
  • Teacher as organiser
  • Schema building, chunking
  • Piaget, Ausubel

🟢 Constructivism

  • Learner as active meaning-maker
  • Teacher as facilitator
  • Collaboration, problem-solving
  • Vygotsky, Dewey
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Learning by Doing Together

What This Means in Practice

  • Knowledge is built through dialogue & collaboration
  • Jigsaw activity: learning by teaching others
  • Jamboard/Miro: co-constructing a shared framework
  • Peer feedback: validating and refining understanding

Zone of Proximal Development

What you can do with support today vs. what you can do alone — the gap is where learning happens.

"What a child can do in cooperation today, he can do alone tomorrow."

— Lev Vygotsky

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AI as a Learning Tool — Handle with Care

✅ Opportunities

  • Generate examples quickly
  • Scaffold explanations
  • Support brainstorming
  • Personalised practice

⚠️ Risks

  • Hallucination
  • Oversimplification
  • Hidden bias
  • Over-reliance
  • Lack of disciplinary nuance

Key message: AI should supplement, not replace, human reasoning. The "AI literacy" imperative: evaluate → modify → override.

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Today's Learning Journey

⏱ 15 min

Introduction

Warm-up → AI scenario → Video clip

→

⏱ 40 min

Part A

Collaborative theory mapping + AI interrogation

→

⏱ 40 min

Part B

Peer-teaching jigsaw

→

⏱ 30 min

Part C

Gallery walk + AI reflection debrief

→

⏱ 15 min

Closure

Mentimeter quiz + insights + preview

Key materials: Jamboard / Miro, Mentimeter, ChatGPT / Claude

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What We Learned Today

Key Takeaways

  1. Three major theories explain learning differently — know when to use each
  2. Social constructivism: learning is strongest when built collaboratively
  3. AI can generate plausible-sounding but inaccurate content — always interrogate
  4. Critical AI use = evaluate, modify, document reasoning, reflect
  5. Human judgment remains essential in educational contexts

Next Session

📖 Pre-reading: Cognitive Load Theory — available on LMS

Summative Assignment

📝 AI Critique & Revision — generate, evaluate, revise, and reflect on an AI explanation of a learning theory. Due date to be confirmed.

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