Lecture - Chapter 2 Flashcards
What is learning?
experience>learning>change in behaviour
define experience (first step in learning)
exposure to external or internal events
- these events are called stimuli
*external = outside the body, internal = inside body
define learning
all relatively permanent changes in behaviour that result from experience that is not due to reflexes, fatigue, aging, drugs, injury or disease
define change in behaviour
measurable change in behaviour in the present or the possibility of change in the future
*measurable= can use instrumentation to measure change
learning is the process by which we
acquire new knowledge, skills, or attitudes
- modify existing knowledge based on new information or experiences
- reinforce previously learned knowledge through repetition and practice
learning occurs through various methods such as
- direct experience & hands-on practice
- teaching & instruction from others
- reflection (important tool, used to connect dots)
what are cognitive processes?
- higher order thinking/processing
- require a bit of labour (ability to form memory, retrieve memory, language, etc.)
different people/schools of thought offer distinct view of how learning occurs, ranging from
- cognitive processes to observable behaviour changes
- belief in innate knowledge to
- a focus on learning through experience and interaction with the world
what is the philosophy-based learning theory?
rationalism vs empiricism
- can trust and knowledge be found within us (rationalism) or can it be found outside of ourselves (empiricism)
What were plato’s beliefs?
as a rationalist, developed the belief that knowledge and truth can be discovered by self-reflection
What were aristotle’s beliefs?
the empiricist, used his senses to look for truth and knowledge in the world outside of him
*tells us experiences are important
What were socrates beliefs?
developed the dialectic method of discovering truth through conversations with fellow citizens
*gathering info that we naturally don’t have access to, based on idea that your knowledge/experience has allowed you to understand new perspectives you don’t have access to yet
discourse & reflection as toold for developing thinking owe much to _and _
plato and socrates
how did romans differ from greeks in their concept of learning?
- the roman catholic church had important influence in how ppl viewed knowledge
much learning was the memorization and recitation of scripture by rote and the learning of trades by apprenticeship (focused on application/problem solving)
what time period brought interdisciplinary learning? What is this?
renaissance period (15-17th centuries)
- combine knowledge of all the fields to produce new knowledge (richer way of knowing)
- ex, art = physics & optics, chem, math, geometry
the renaissance period was focused on much more than art _
- artists were much more aware of human anatomy, biology, the ways in which physics interacts with math and chemistry
describe copernicus
1473-1543
- best known for knowledge of the solar system, was astronomer and mathematician
- was saying we need to merge math and physics together
describe martin luther
1483-1546
- accredited for many things
- german theologian who talked about equality
- wanted education to be accessible to all (free for citizen/municipality)
what did rene rescartes do?
1596-1650
- revived the platonic concept of innate knowledge
*described in a variety of ways (scientist, philosopher, mathematician, religion)
describe the example of the reflex system in descartes’ POV
- if human steps on something, will result in reflex where they remove foot from hot area
- descartes was saying that there are natural systems in place that help us react to world, the building blocks are found within
- without it, you can’t have any kind of knowledge
*though humans had special innate knowledge that allowed us to do complex things
what did john locke do?
1632-1704
- revived aristotle’s empiricism with the concept that the child’s mind is a blank tablet (tabula rasa)
- though that the mind is furnished from experience
who said “the only habit which the child should be allowed to form is to contract no habit whatever”
jean-jacque rousseau
- didn’t give much freedom to students or listening to feedback
- flexibility was super controversial
What was Rousseau’s novel Emile about? How was this used to influence education?
the hero learns about life through his experiences in life
*free time/play was eventually extracted from this kind of writing
- a lot of trust placed on the student to learn and explore without constant supervision of the teacher
what did Immanuel Kant do?
1724-1804
- refined and modenized plato’s rationalist theory with his suggestion that a priori knowledge was knowledge that was present before experience (have some sort of neural machinery that allows learning to take place)
what did Edward L. Thorndike do?
1874-1949
- considered by many to be the first modern psychologist who sought to bring a scientific approach to the study of learning
- plotted learning of animals on x and y axis
how did thorndike measure behaviour of lab animals?
- put cats in puzzle boxes, the challenge for the cat is to figure out how to escape it
- was able to observe the number of times the animal was placed in the box (x axis/# of trials)
- y axis = how much time does it take to escape the puzzle box? (if learning is happening, time should decrease)
What is the skinner box?
- skinner built a contraption that measured behaviour without human interaction
- if you press lever down, the # is indication of behaviour
- can also measure how often the animal compresses these levers
learning theorists were very against making inferences on what’s happening in the mind - what did skinner think?
said we will only focus on what we obseve and not on what’s happening in the mind
*no assumptions!
How did the skinner box differ for mice vs pigeons?
mice: pressing lever = light goes on
pigeons: number of pecks on the hole = light goes on
Who said “these questions are all relevant in considering the problem of the child in the lower grades”
Skinner
- believed his work was very important (data from animals>humans)
Skinner came up with a fraction:
response rate
# of responses/time (secs, mins, hrs)
what did piaget do?
1896-1980
- he was the first to state that learning is a developmental cognitive process
*child is learning in the form of cognitive structures changing over time - will engage in more complex thinking as development occurs
who said “…it is possible to envisage a balance being struck, varying from subject to subject, between different parts to beplayed by memorizing and free activity. In which case, it is possible that the useof teaching machines will save time”
jean piaget
What did vygotsky do?
1896-1934
- include the notion of social-cultural cognition - the idea that all learning occurs in a cultural context and involves social interactions
- zone of proximal development