Exploring Learning Theories: Connecting Theory to Practice

Exploring Learning Theories: Connecting Theory to Practice

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand the links between learning theories and classroom practice and consider the learning needs of individuals.

What do you already know about learning theories and teaching practice?

Eliciting Prior Knowledge

Engage in a discussion to find out what the students already know about learning theories and teaching practice.

6 Main Learning Theories

Introduce and discuss the six main learning theories: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Humanism, Constructivism, Andragogy, and Connectivism.

Engagement Strategies

Explore strategies to engage students in passive activities, such as Q&A, note-making techniques, and activities like true/false and gap fill.

Note-Making Techniques

Teach note-making techniques including mind maps, charts, spidergrams, and linear notes to support different learning styles.

Contextualizing Content

Discuss the importance of contextualizing content to learners' own specialism to make learning relevant and meaningful.

Visual Learning Preferences

Utilize images and color to appeal to learners with visual learning preferences.

Overview of Learning Theories

Provide a brief overview of the historical background and key figures associated with each learning theory.

Active Learning Methods

Introduce the 25 active learning methods and discuss their relevance in engaging students and promoting deeper learning.

Connectivism

Explore the concept of Connectivism as a modern learning theory and its potential implications for the future of education.

Private Study

Encourage students to engage in private study and further reading on today's topics to deepen their understanding of learning theories.

Foundation Reading

Introduce the foundation reading for the next session, focusing on initial and diagnostic assessment.

Interactive Session

Plan for an interactive session where students can explain back in their own words verbally, in writing, or visually, using a poster.

True/False Activity

Conduct a true/false activity to help students make sense of the information learned in the session.

Gap Fill Exercise

Engage students in a gap fill exercise to test their understanding of key concepts related to learning theories.

Reflective Practice

Introduce Gibbs' reflective cycle as a tool for reflective practice and its relevance to teaching and learning.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.