Welcome to the Theory section. Its rich with information about well known and lesser known learning theories.
Have you ever heard the word “research based” and wondered what exactly it means? Today, research based tends to mean that someone used a particular strategy and demonstrated that students were able to recall more information and do better on tests.
One way to substantially raise standards across the board is to identify and tap into learning capacities of students that are not already being used. Natural learning (formerly “brain based learning” as we originally defined it) is beautifully positioned to provide guidance. The reason? Natural learning takes for granted that a learner is a whole person – a living system – and that every aspect of a person contributes to his or her learning. Body, brain, and mind are all interacting (though they may not be operating every effectively). What does this mean in practice? Let’s look at basic math [...]
The 12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles describe several processes that are all happening at the same time. The body is active. Senses are engaged. Students are searching for meaning and trying to understand. The way that they connect with others powerfully influences what they are thinking and feeling. And so on.
Below is a list of books published by Funderstanding contributors, Renate and Geoffrey Caine. The Caine’s books are available for purchase through Amazon by clicking the below links.
Education and educators are in the spotlight as never before. Parents, politicians, business, and the media are calling for better “results.” And yet almost no attention is being publicly paid to how people learn naturally, and what sort of teaching best addresses natural learning.
Definition This approach to learning emphasizes the fact that individuals perceive and process information in very different ways. The learning styles theory implies that how much individuals learn has more to do with whether the educational experience is geared toward their particular style of learning than whether or not they are “smart.” In fact, educators should not ask, “Is this student smart?” but rather “How is this student smart?” Discussion The concept of learning styles is rooted in the classification of psychological types. The learning styles theory is based on research demonstrating that, as the result of heredity, upbringing, and [...]
Albert Bandura may be most well known for his work on social cognitive theory and observational learning. But it’s important for educators and parents to know about a buried treasure at the heart of social cognitive theory – self-efficacy beliefs. Self-efficacy is what helps nurture effort, perseverance, resilience, serenity, and optimism in the face of adversity. Bandura defines self-efficacy as “the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.” (Bandura, 1995, p. 2). In simpler terms, it’s best captured in Henry Ford’s famous quote: “Whether you think you can or you [...]
Definition Observational learning, also called social learning theory, occurs when an observer’s behavior changes after viewing the behavior of a model. An observer’s behavior can be affected by the positive or negative consequences–called vicarious reinforcement or vicarious punishment– of a model’s behavior. Discussion There are several guiding principles behind observational learning, or social learning theory: The observer will imitate the model’s behavior if the model possesses characteristics– things such as talent, intelligence, power, good looks, or popularity–that the observer finds attractive or desirable. The observer will react to the way the model is treated and mimic the model’s behavior. When [...]
Your child is super frustrated about something, but isn’t able to communicate clearly what has gone wrong. You feel your emotions getting the best of you as you also become aggravated trying to help. Instead of getting to the root of the issue, tempers rise. With a younger child, an extreme temper tantrum may erupt or an older child may resort to yelling or even crying. Sometimes our emotions get the best of us, but they are essential to our development and ability to deal with social situations. Emotional intelligence, also knows as EQ, has been discovered to be an [...]
