E-learning:Theoretical

Underpinnings

E-learning: Theoretical underpinnings

• Learning theories that have progressively taken centre stage in e-learning includes: Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Socio-constructivism.

• All three theories play a roll in any learning context.

Behaviorism

Socio-constructivismCognitivism

Drill & Practice

Tutorial

Collaborativelearning

Scaffolding

Drill & Practice

Tutorial E-learning

Behaviorism

• Oldest and most widely understood of the three main learning theories underpinning e-learning.

• Sufficient repetition of an experienced result in specific behaviors being learned.

• Desired behaviors must be reinforced by appropriate stimuli such as congratulatory feedback.

• Digital technology enhanced drill-and-practice as well as tutorials can be framed as behaviorist.

Psychologisyt Ivan Palov a proponent of behaviorism

Underpinnings

Cognitivism

• The most prominent theorists in cognitivism have been: Piaget, Bruner and Vygotsky.

• Cognitivism focuses on the mind and the learning processes.

Vygotsky

Bruner

Piaget

Underpinnings

Piaget

• Theory are characterized by developmental stages.• Four developmental stage are identified: sensory-motor skills; pre-

operational; concrete operational and formal operational stages.

Jean Piaget Cognitivism

Bruner

• Identified 3 stages of cognitive development: Enactive, Iconic and Symbolic.

Jerome Bruner

Cognitivism

Vygotsky

• Learning theory of Vygotsky is also characterized by developmental stages.

• The theory focuses on the gap between what the learners can do now and what is beyond their reach.

• The gap is known as the zone of proximal development.

Lev Vygotsky

Cognitivism

Socio-constructivism

• Socio-constructivism focuses on learners constructing their own knowledge, skills or understanding from their own observations and reasoning capabilities.

• Socio-constructivism requires interaction between learners and their environment.

• The elements of socio-constructivism includes: social, reflective, authentic, scaffolded, progressive and experiental.

Underpinnings

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html

Communal constructivism

• Communal constructivism is an expansion of the definition of socio-constructivism.

• Communal constructivism is an approach to learning in which students construct their own knowledge as a result of their experiences and interactions with others, and are afforded the opportunity to contribute this knowledge to a communal knowledge base for the benefit of existing and new learners.

Underpinnings