The Primary Types of Educational Learning Theories

In the disciplines of education and psychology, the education learning or educational learning theory is usually defined as the idea or hypothesis on how people and animals would undergo the process of learning for understanding and comprehending the complex process of learning. The education learning theory has the two primary goals – the first is providing us with the conceptual framework and vocabulary in interpreting and understanding the examples of learning that we observe, and the second is providing us with suggestions on how and where to find solutions to practical problems.

According to various experts and researchers, there are at least 22 educational learning theories that have their own specific definitions and purposes. However, many experts would agree that there are four education learning theories that are commonly discussed and studied in the subject areas of psychology and education. The four primary education learning theories are commonly used as field of studies or topics of discussion in academic settings such as universities and colleges in both undergraduate courses and in postgraduate education.

The four primary educational learning theories are the theories of behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism, and transformative learning. The behaviourism theory is based on three basic assumptions. The first assumption is that learning is expressed or personified by a change in behaviour. The second assumption is that the environment would shape the behaviour. The third assumption is that the principles of contiguity or proximity and reinforcement are essential for the explanation of the process of learning. The cognitivism theory is based on the assumption that the ways people would think would affect their behaviour.

Educational Learnings

Benefits of Educational Learning Games for Children

Educational learning games are structured plays that have been designed in teaching people especially children for learning about a specific subject and helping them in learning a particular skill during the activity of playing. The primary learning games include board games, card games and video games. Whether you are a kindergarten class teacher, or a primary school teacher, or a parent educating your child through the home education approach, it would already cross your mind that there are several benefits in using educational games for children in the classroom or at home.

You should take note that educational learning games should only serve as supplemental tools for teaching children and in helping them in learning. Those games should never replace the formal teaching tools that are used for educating children in a formal classroom, or the recommended teaching tools used under the home education approach. However, various research studies and educational experts have stated that educational games provide several benefits for children when used as supplemental teaching tools in the classroom, and if used by parents in their home education methods.

The various benefits of using educational learning games for children in the classroom and at the home include developing motor skills especially for preschool children and kindergarten students. Other benefits include the enhancement of creativity and memory skills. Board games in numbers and mathematics would require the child to regularly memorise and repeat a game, which encourages brain activity. Educational games that involve creativity would push the children in thinking of other options for finding an answer.

Educational Learnings

Internet and Novels as Sources of Educational Learning

Educational learning can be accumulated anywhere we go. It is not limited inside the classroom, the school or academic environments. There are many educational materials outside the traditional school and academic confines. These materials include published books, internet and magazine articles and many others.

• Published Books – Aside from textbooks and text references which may or may not be suggested by schools, almost all published books are sources of educational learning. One best example are novels. Authors of novels base their writing on facts and verified information. They are supposed to do this because they are subject to regulation by the government and the industry they are in. For example, an author writing a novel with a story about independently produced movies, or indie films, use facts. The author should have enough knowledge to do this, or else he will be criticised for using fallacies. He could be a player in the indie film industry himself and have enough knowledge about it. Alternatively, he could interview or have as consultant a person who has the sufficient knowledge.

• Articles from the Internet or Magazines – Another source of educational learning are written articles from the internet or magazines. At first glance these sources may not be academic or educational; however, they contain lots of information which are indeed educational. For example, blogs written by student nurses where they post their sentiments are sources of information about what it is truly to be inside nursing schools. Even the comments in these blogs, news articles and other articles can be sources of educational or academic learning.

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Educational Learning in an Office Setting

As much as the term “educational learning” connotes schools, teachers and students grouped into a class, it can also happen in the workplace. As we all know, after students graduate from courses they have chosen in university they will proceed to take up postgraduate studies or work for public and private enterprises. It is a traditional practice for employers to select only the best learners and students who have shown the best aptitude. Therefore, if we think about it the office is a huge source of theoretical knowledge coming from students who have studied it in schools and who are willing to apply it into practical situations through the knowledge and skills they have acquired in the educational learning system of a university or other academic institution.

Since the school is supposed to arm you with enough knowledge and skills to prepare you to get a job and manage your life when you become an adult, you will have a lot of opportunity to display what you have learned outside of school. Nonetheless, you may find that there are still many things that you will need to learn and prepare for in the real world which even the best schools cannot adequately prepare you for such as how to deal with office politics, how to cultivate relationships with your superiors and colleagues and how to handle office conflicts. This presents an element of educational learning that you must take into account.

In addition, you will also acquire educational learning when you get to learn new things in your area of specialisation that you studied for in school. When you are already working, you are assigned a set of duties and responsibilities where you will need to consistently apply your knowledge of. However, all the theories and concepts you have learned in school may still be inadequate sometimes especially if you work in a field whose knowledge is highly dynamic and is constantly evolving, such as the field of computers, medicine and information technology.

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Working as a Teacher at an Educational Learning Center

If you are a recently certified teacher for the primary education level, the first thing you would probably do is obtaining a teaching job to gain some work experience. A good start would be teaching job at an educational learning center or after school programme, which provides supplemental learning for preschool children and primary school students in the early grades. Many of those programmes are located within the school facilities or in community centers.

Various public school districts in local communities in the United States have carried out after school programmes so that it would not be difficult for you to find educational learning centers in the state where you live. Aside from gaining valuable teaching work experience, there are several advantages or benefits in initially working as a teacher in an after school programme. The settings in the after school programmes are much smaller compared to traditional classrooms so that you would only be teaching a few students.

The curriculum in the programmes consist of simple subject areas such as basic reading, writing and language skills, basic mathematics, arts and crafts, and basic science. In addition, educational games and learning activities are also carried out in the after school programmes that would both be enjoyed by the children and the teachers. Therefore, there is less stress and pressure in working as a teacher in an educational learning center compared to an actual primary school setting. The small setting of the center would enable you to engage in personal or one-on-one interaction with students who may need more attention than other students.

Educational Learnings