Learning Theories and Methods

Based on educational research there are about six categories of learning:

• Learning as a quantitative increase in knowledge
• Memorizing and storing information that can be reproduced
• Acquiring facts, skills or methods
• Abstracting meaning
• Relating parts of the subject matter to each other and to the real world
• Interpreting or understanding reality in a different way

Cognitive psychology has influenced learning theory in five major ways:
• View of learning as an active, constructive process
• Presence of high-level processes in learning
• Cumulative nature of learning and the corresponding role played by prior knowledge
• Concern for the way knowledge is represented and organized in memory
• Concern for analyzing learning tasks and performance in terms of the cognitive processes that are involved

One model of learning based on the constructivist view suggest four stages in learning:
• Orientation (relating prior knowledge)
• Coaching (apprenticeship learning)
• Tuning and Routinization (practice with gradually more student autonomy).

There are many teaching methods based on the different ways in which people learn. Below are the most common learning styles reflecting different channels of perception (seeing, hearing, touching/moving):

• Visual/Verbal Learners perform best when information is presented visually and in a written form. They visualize information in their minds.
• Visual/Nonverbal Learners perform best when information is presented visually in a picture or design format. They prefer learning aids such as film, video, charts, tables, images, maps and diagrams in textbooks.
• Auditory/Verbal Learners perform best when information is presented aurally. They prefer listening to lectures, participating in group discussions, and interacting with others in a listening/speaking activity.
• Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners perform best when doing a physical "hands-on" activity. They prefer lab settings where they can touch and manipulate materials, in-class demonstrations, hands-on learning experiences, and fieldwork outside the classroom. •