Learning Theories

There are many different theories of how people learn. It can be useful to consider them when working with your teams and how they learn. It is interesting to think about your own particular way of learning and to recognise that everyone does not learn the way you do.

The Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development highlights some of the theories of learning:

Burns 'conceives of learning as a relatively permanent change in behaviour with behaviour including both observable activity and internal processes such as thinking, attitudes and emotions.' It is clear that Burns includes motivation in this definition of learning. Burns considers that learning might not manifest itself in observable behaviour until some time after the educational programme has taken place. 

So what exactly are these different types of learning? Well here goes...

Sensory Stimulation Theory: Traditional sensory stimulation theory has as its basic premise that effective learning occurs when the senses are stimulated. Laird quotes research that found that the vast majority of knowledge held by adults is learned through SEEING. Hearing is the next most effective and the other senses - touch, smell and taste account for 12% of what we know. By stimulating the senses, especially the visual sense, learning can be enhanced. However, this theory says that if multi-senses are stimulated, greater learning takes place. Stimulation through the senses is achieved through a greater variety of colours, volume levels, strong statements, facts presented visually, use of a variety of techniques and media.

Reinforcement Theory: This theory was developed by the behaviourist school of psychology, notably by B.F. Skinner earlier this century. Skinner believed that behaviour is a function of its consequences. The learner will repeat the desired behaviour if positive reinforcement (a pleasant consequence) follows the behaviour. Positive reinforcement, or rewards can include verbal reinforcement such as 'that's great' or 'you're certainly on the right track' through to more tangible rewards such as a certificate at the end of the course or promotion to a higher level in an organisation.

Negative reinforcement also strengthens a behaviour and refers to a situation when a negative condition is stopped or avoided as a consequence of the behaviour. Punishment, on the other hand, weakens a behaviour because a negative condition is introduced or experienced as a consequence of the behaviour and teaches the individual not to repeat the behaviour which was negatively reinforced. A set of conditions is created which are designed to eliminate behaviour. Laird considers this aspect of behaviourism has little or no relevance to education. However, Burns says that punishment is widely used in everyday life although it only works for a short time and often only when the punishing agency if present.

Cognitive-Gestalt approaches: The emphasis here is on the importance of experience, meaning, problem-solving and the development of insights. Burns notes that this theory has developed the concept that individuals have different needs and concerns at different times, and that they have subjective interpretations in different contexts.

Holistic learning theory: The basic premise of this theory is that the 'individual personality consists of many elements...specifically...the intellect, emotions, the body impulse (or desire), intuition and imagination that all require activation if learning is to be more effective.

Facilitation theory - the humanist approach: Carl Rogers and others have developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic premise of this theory is that learning will occur by the educator acting as a facilitator, that is by establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors. 

Other characteristics of this theory include:

• a belief that human beings have a natural eagerness to learn
• there is some resistance to, and unpleasant consequences of, giving up what is currently held to be true
• the most significant learning involves changing one's concept of oneself

Facilitative teachers are:

• less protective of their constructs and beliefs than other teachers
• more able to listen to learners, especially to their feelings
• inclined to pay as much attention to their relationship with learners as to the content of the course
• apt to accept feedback, both positive and negative and to use it as constructive insight into themselves and their behaviour.

Learners:

• are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning
• provide much of the input for the learning which occurs through their insights and experiences
• are encouraged to consider that the most valuable evaluation is self-evaluation and that learning needs to focus on factors that contribute to solving significant problems or achieving significant results.

Experiential Learning: Kolb proposed a four-stage learning process with a model that is often referred to in describing experiential learning. The process can begin at any of the stages and is continuous, ie there is no limit to the number of cycles you can make in a learning situation. this theory asserts that without relection we would simply continue to repeat our mistakes. 

Kolb's research found that people learn in four ways with the likelihood of developing one mode of learning more than another. Learning is:

• through concrete experience - putting it into practice
• through observation and reflection - objectively analyse the outcome
• through abstract conceptualisation - reviewing your conceptual understanding
• through active experimentation - experimenting to find solutions

Differences in learning styles: As already discussed, the idea that people learn in different ways has been explored over the last few decades by educational researchers. Kolb, one of the most influential of these, found that individuals begin with their preferred style in the experiential learning cycle. Honey and Mumford building on Kolb's work, identified four learning styles:

• Activist (enjoys the experience itself)
• Reflector (spends a great deal of time and effort reflecting)
• Theorist (good at making connections and abstracting ideas from experience)
• Pragmatist (enjoys the planning stage)

There are strengths and weaknesses in each of these styles. Honey and Mumford argue that learning is enhanced when we think about our learning style so that we can build on strengths and work towards minimising weaknesses to improve the quality of learning.

Action Learning: Action Learning is the approach that links the world of learning with the world of action through reflective process within small cooperative learning groups known as 'action learning sets'. The 'sets' meet regularly to work on individual members' real-life issues with the aim of learning with and from each other. The 'father' of Action Learning, Reg Revans, has said that there can be no learning without action and no (sober and deliberate) action without learning.

Well - that's a lot of information! Have you been able to identify your best method of learning? Have you identified the best methods for your team? 

This can be utilised when planning meetings, new projects, conferences, team building - everything that can help your team to keep improving. 

If you would like to see how Eventus can help tailor team building events and programmes to suit your team building needs, please contact us now.