Cognitivist

Piaget 1896 – 1980

Individualism
Biological developmental stages
1. Sensory Motor – birth – 2. Data through senses
2. Pre-operational Stage – 2 – 7. Coloured blocks, clothes line (reversability),
Conservation.
3. Formal Operational – 7 – death – (70% make it) abstract reasoning, problem
solving, arguing by implication
• Little scientist
• Does not take individuality into account

COGNIVITIST IN CLASSROOM

• Inquiry orientated projects

• Opportunity to test hypothesis
• Curiosity encouraged
• Staged scaffolding

Social Constructivist/COGNITIVISIT

Vygotsky – 1986 - 1934

• Development cannot be separated from its social context
• Knowledge is actively constructed
• Search for meaning by learner
• Contextualised
• Piaget's stages – basically the same.
• Language comes first – speech carries culture, tool for thought.
• Child is a village
• ZPD – Zone of Proximal Development – extension scaffolding
• If you live in the forest your knowledge is constructed around the forest

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST IN CLASSROOM

• Journaling
• Experiential activities
• Personal Focus
• Collaborative & cooperative learning
Behaviourist

B.F Skinner -

• Empty organism approach

• Learning defined by outward expression of new behaviours.
• A biological basis – biological response – Pavlov's dogs
• Rewards and punishment
• Lecture based – teacher centric
• Does not account for unobservable processes
• One size fits all
• Knowledge is given and absolute

Criticisms

◦ A controlling agent
◦ NOT helpful with knowledge based learning
◦ Only reinforces how we behave
◦ Does NOT explain the learning process

BEHAVIORISM IN CLASSROOM

• Reward and approval

Humanist Approach

Maslow

• Facilitation not teaching

• Hierarchy of needs to be met – physiological – safety/shelter – love/belonging –
esteem/self respect/respect by and of others – self actualisation/coming to terms
with who you are (higher order thinking).
• Search for self actualisation – can be many and varied.
• Social Contract
• Asking questions rather than just giving orders
Carl Rogers
• Person/students centred
• Experiential learning
• Relevancy to person
• Safety is paramount – can't learn until they feel secure
• Self-initiated learning is the most learning and pervasive

HUMANIST IN CLASSROOM

• Teach to be authentic
• Teach people to become world citizens
• Help discover vocation
• Teach people that life is precious
• Accept person – find inner self

Drawing on your experience from prac' which model best matches your personal teaching
philosophy and how could you further implement these beliefs on prac'.