Teaching And Learning Theories

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Investigate theories of teaching and learning and how they impact on the classroom environment. The education of students is important as it fosters the growth of a student socially and cognitively. To achieve these goals the teacher must employ varied theories of teaching and learning. Three theories relating to Teaching & Learning will be analysed with respect to the impact on the classroom. They are; Constructivism, Social Cognitive Theory and Behaviourism To further understand how these theories are applied, concepts such as Social & Cognitive constructivism, Zone of proximal development, Scaffolding, Conditioning, Modelling, Cueing and Vicarious learning, will be explored. A learning theory focuses on how the students explain and develop their understanding, whilst a theory of teaching focuses on the teacher and the implementation of the learning theory. The classroom environment is influenced by varying teaching and learning theories because each theory applies to the individualized learning needs of students. Constructivist teaching allows students to build on their internal knowledge. Within this theory there are two types of learning. Cognitive Constructivism and Social Constructivism. Both Social & Cognitive Constructivism draw on the work of Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky.(Eggen & Kauchak 2010) The application of Piaget’s and Vygotsky‘s theories in the classroom occur when the teacher provides concrete and social experiences for the students to draw upon. Experiments, problem solving and social interaction are Piaget’s beliefs, which are used to create more knowledge. (Seigel 2004) This occurs through his identified processes called assimilation, accommodation and adaptation, leading to equilibrium. In the classroom, learning occurs when a student does not quite understand an idea, but when internal knowledge

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