Learning Theories

Running head: LEARNING THEORIES 1
Learning theories
Institution
Name

LEARNING THEORIES 2
Learning theories
Introduction
Learning is the change in behavior because of experience. On the hand, learning refers to
the acquisition of knowledge both from outside and inside a learning institution. In the learning
organization, I am a teacher who controls the class activities. As a teacher, I ensure that I control
the class and guide the learners. The institution has fifteen teachers who are dedicated to
ensuring that the performance of the learners is outstanding. Moreover, the institution has ten
support staff such as the librarian, accountant, lab technician and others. As a teacher, I use
different assessment methods. The first assessment method is formative assessment. This is used
to obtain any type of feedback to improve classroom instruction. It occurs during the learning
process and it includes homework assignments, periodic quizzes, and diagnostic tests. Another
type of assessment used is summative. This evaluation method occurs at the of a unit which
helps the teacher to evaluate the amount of content that the learners have been able to grasp.
Moreover, the other types of assessments include portfolio assessment, performance assessment,
and constructed response. As a teacher, I applied several learner profiles in order to identify the
types of learners that I am interacting with, their needs, and where they come from. This helps
me to tailor the cause to suit each learner's specific needs. Is used the learners in order to get the
real profile of the learners that I serve. The profile was created based on their strengths, skills,
interests, passion and aspirations, life experiences, their learning styles, their potential barriers to
learning, and their likes and dislikes. Apart from this, there several teaching and learning theories
that have been significant in assisting teachers to guide learners and administer knowledge to the
learners as discussed in this essay.

LEARNING THEORIES 3
Behaviorism theory
Behaviorism is a learning theory that mainly aims at observable behaviors and rewards
any activity that is done independently. According to the two scholars; B.F Skinner and Ivan
Pavlov, learning entails acquiring new behaviors according to the environmental conditions.
According to this theory, human behavior may be influenced by reward and punishment. The
theory uses two types of conditioning which are classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Ivan Pavlov applied the classical conditioning into room experimenting the relationship between
behavior and learning ("Ivan Pavlov and Classical Conditioning: Theory, Experiments &
Contributions to Psychology," n.d.). Pavlov used dogs to experiment on how salivation in dogs
responds to being fed. Pavlov inserted a test tube in the dog’s mouth to measure the saliva when
dogs were fed with meat made of powder. Pavlov noticed that the dogs salivated in response to
the food placed right in front of them (Cambiaghi & Sacchetti, 2015). However, Ivan noticed that
the dogs could salivate just on hearing the steps. The dogs learned to associate food with any
event or object such as the laboratory assistance producing the same response. As per Ivan, the
dogs do not learn only when they are presented with.
According to the behaviorist experiment, food represented the unconditioned stimulus
and salivation conditioned response. Pavlov introduced the bell as another stimulus to pair with
the meat powder. When the meal and bell were presented at the same time severally, then the
bell was used alone to find out the effect that the bell has on the dogs (Moore, 2013). The dogs
responded to the sound of the bell without being presented with food. However, at first, the bell
acted as a neutral stimulus where the dogs did not salivate on hearing the bell ring. After pairing

LEARNING THEORIES 4
it with the stimulus, the dogs started salivating because they had learned to relate the bell with
food. In the learning process, the theory demonstrates the key conditions that are associated with
classical conditioning. The first principle is acquisition where a response is established and
strengthened over time. At first the first stage of classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus is
paired with unconditioned stimulus several times. The second principle is extinction which
explains a decrease in response. This happens when the conditioned stimulus is not paired with a
conditioned stimulus (Davis, et al., 2015). The third principle is spontaneous recovery where
something that was learned before and forgotten reappears again.
On the other hand, if the unconditioned and conditioned stimulus is longer associated,
extinction will happen faster after a spontaneous recovery. The fourth principle is stimulus
generalization. This refers to the tendency for the conditioned stimulus to stimulate responses
after conditioning. The fifth principle is discrimination where learners are able to differentiate
between a conditioned stimulus with another external stimulus. Moreover, behaviorism theory
also uses operant learning by the BF Skinner. Skinner identified three types of responses which
include punishment, reinforcement, and neutral operant (De Meyer, et al., 2014). The
punishment reduces the probability of a behavior being repeated. Example, in a learning
environment, learners may be punished for going against the school rules and this may hinder
them from repeating the action in fear of being punished again. Reinforcement increases the
chance of a behavior being repeated. Example, a learner who is rewarded for performing well
will work hard in the next test in order to get the reward again. However, neutral operant neither
decreases or increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
Cognitive constructivism theory