THEORIES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING Theories of Teaching and

Running head: THEORIES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
Theories of Teaching and Learning
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

Operates on the principle of
stimulus-response
Learner is essentially a passive
entity
Learning is differentiated into
classic conditioning and operant
conditioning
It disregards the activities of
mind
It is unable to explain new
learning like recognition of new
language
Expectation- person’s
knowledge plays a vital role
Observational learning- an
individual learns by observing
others in society
Behavioural capability-
person’s knowledge is
necessary to influence his
behaviour
Self-efficiency- person’s faith
on his knowledge base plays a
vital role in learning
Reciprocal determinism- people
change their behaviour once
they interact with others
Behaviourist Theory Social learning Theory
Both the theories
are applicable for
the society
Role of
reinforcement
Behaviour is one
of the learning
element
Part 1
Running head: THEORIES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Running head: THEORIES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
Behaviourist/behaviourism theory
The behaviourism theory explains why people behave the way they do. It emphasises on
the what can be observed. This theory assumes that the learner is actually passive and responds
to his or her stimuli. The leaner can be considered as clean slate and his or her behaviour is
shaped by the negative and positive reinforcement. Both the negative and the positive
reinforcement increases the chances of occurrence of the antecedent behaviour (Harasim, 2012).
Operant conditioning occurs as a response to stimuli when reinforced. The operant conditioning
can be considered as a simple feedback system. It is important to mention that when
reinforcement or a reward follows a stimulus, then the response becomes more probable in future
(Watson, 2017).
Sociocultural Theory
Sociocultural theory can be described as a theory that looks towards the important
contributions that a society makes towards the development of an individual’s development.
Expectation is what the knowledge of person is and his beliefs regarding the society and the
deliberate outcomes of his actions (Swain, Kinnear & Steinman, 2015). Observational learning
is what a person learns from others by observing others in a society. Behavioural capability
means that knowledge of a person plays a role in influencing his behaviour. Self-efficacy can be
described as an individual’s faith on himself and it is based on the knowledge base. This means
that an individual is more likely to act based on his knowledge base. Reciprocal determinism is
described as a two-way concept that emphasises on the social learning and communication.
Reinforcement means how an individual’s behaviour gets affected when others react to his
behaviour (Mercer & Howe, 2012).
Similarities between the Behaviourism and social learning theory
One of the biggest similarities between the behaviourist and the socio-cultural theory is
that the both the theories are based on learning. However, both the theories are also similar in
terms of role of reinforcement. Reinforcement is a concept which highlights that an individual
gets affected by the way others react to his behaviour. The behavioural theory also suggests the
same aspect and how an individual learns by others behaviour and reactions. The second part
emphasises on the behaviour learnt and it is common to both the behaviourist and the socio-
learning theory (Pritchard, 2013).