Learning is an essential function of life that occurs naturally. According to the Constructivist Model, learning is defined as “The formation of abstract concepts to represent reality.” (Leidner & Jarvenpaa, 1995) Everyone is able to learn, finding out the learner’s preference is more obsolete of a personalized study.
There are multiple models of learning including objectivism, constructivism, collaborationism, cognitive information processing, and socicultivism. In my own opinion, I believe that we use all five models to learn, rather than one specifically. These methods of learning that were previously mentioned are mainly focused on teaching styles and the student feedback that is later received.
Think about infants, they provide an action and receive a reaction in return. From then on they associate that action to the reaction and develop a relationship. “…an infant’s brain gives precedence to certain kinds of information: language, basic concepts of number, physical properties, and the movement of animate and inanimate objects. In the most general sense, the contemporary view of learning is that people construct new knowledge and understandings based on what they already know and (Chapter 3 When Thinking Begins 1952)
This is the child constructing meaning on his or her own terms, which is a representation of the socioculturalism model. As children begin to grow older, they are developing pre-existing knowledge. This pre-existing knowledge is key in learning new material. When you are able to tie a memory to something current you are activating pre-existing knowledge along with acquiring new knowledge from this connection. It is crucial that learners are able to take information and turn into a connection rather than a direct approach. This ensures that the learner has developed a personal relationship with that information and is able to use it in more ways than one. “There is a good deal of evidence that learning is enhanced when teachers’ pay attention to the knowledge and beliefs that learners bring to a learning task, use this knowledge as a starting point for new instruction, and monitor students’ changing conceptions as instruction proceeds…” (Chapter 1 Learning: From Speculation to Science 2000)
Students who are able to take control of their own education are able to explore more concepts and develop more connections when being given information. Examples of students taking control of their own learning is a form of collaborativism and constructivism. “Learners tend to generate higher-level reasoning strategies, a greater diversity of ideas and procedures, more critical thinking, and more creative responses when they are actively learning in cooperative groups than when they are learning individually or competitively (Schlechter, 1990)”
With that being said, people are able to learn in more than one way, putting the different models of learning up for discussion. “Students’ interest or engagement in a task is clearly important. Nevertheless, it does not guarantee that students will acquire the kinds of knowledge that will support new learning.” (Chapter 1 Learning: From Speculation to Science 2000) I do not believe that one model exceeds the other but that it depends on the learner’s engagement, perception of information and how he or she chooses to process the information.
References
Bransford, J., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). Chapter 1 Learning: From Speculation to Science. In How People Learn Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Expanded Edition. Place of publication not identified: Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.
Leidner, D. E., & Jarvenpaa, S. L. (1995). The Use of Information Technology to Enhance Management School Education: A Theoretical View. MIS Quarterly, 19(3), 265. doi:10.2307/249596
Mcleod, S. (n.d.). Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html
Piaget, J. (1952). Chapter 3 When Thinking Begins. In The origins of intelligence in children. New York: International Universities Press.
The One About Technology 