Pedagogy and Learning theories

Pedagogy and Learning theories

In this writing, it mainly focuses on learning theories and teaching pedagogy. Being a teacher it is very much important to know the types of learning theories, how to use the learning theories and the teaching pedagogy or the teaching methods that we can use in our classrooms. Before writing much in this, I would like to give some definitions on learning theories and teaching pedagogy. The word pedagogy means is the science and art of education. Its aims range from the full development of the human being to skills acquisition. And it is originates from Greek meaning is “to lead a child”. It short it means the Methods used to teach children. Learning theory is a model of psychology that explains human responses through the concept of learning. Learning is a quantitative increase in knowledge and it also involves relating parts of the subject matter to each other and to the real world.

Learning is a personal act. We each place our own personal stamp on how we learn, what we learn and when we learn. We in effect have our own learning style. The act of learning is paradoxical in nature. It can at times appear to be a very simple act. So simple, that we do not question its presence in how we go about our daily activities, for it is natural to our existence as learning organisms. Yet, when we encounter difficulties in learning something, we no longer take the learning process for granted. It is only then that our metacognition or awareness of how we learn is heightened.


Some key ideas from learning theories

1. Learning is a process of active construction.
Learning is the interaction between what students know, the new information they encounter, and the activities they engage in as they learn. Students construct their own understanding through experience, interactions with content and others, and reflection

2. Students’ prior knowledge is an important determinant of what they will learn.
Students do not come to your class as a blank slate. They use what they already know about a topic to interpret new information. When students cannot relate new material to what they already know, they tend to memorize—learning for the test—rather than developing any real understanding of the content.

3. Learning is a social phenomenon.
Students learn with greater understanding when they share ideas through conversation, debate, and negotiation. Explaining a concept to one’s peers puts knowledge to a public test where it can be examined, reshaped, and clarified.

4. Students’ metacognitive skills (thinking about thinking) are important to their learning.
Many students utilize few learning strategies and have a limited awareness of their thinking processes.

5. Learning is context-specific.
It is often difficult for students to use what they learn in class in new contexts (i.e., other classes, the workplace, or their personal lives).