The Science of Learning
Brain science shows us that learning happens when our brain makes connections. The synapses in our brain fire and make connections between the new information we receive and the information we already know. Educational theorists like Piaget, Gagne, Bruner, and Vygotsky teach us that knowledge is constructed, therefore giving us the Constructivist Theory.
Here are some basic principles of the Constructivist Theory:
Learning is constructed by the learner and builds upon itself as the learner continues to acquire new information. Teachers can activate a learner’s prior knowledge and facilitate making connections between what they already know and new information.
We are constantly learning and this to say, learning never stops. The process of taking in new information is a recursive process that allows us to generate multiple outcomes from one learning experience. For example, if your students are giving a presentation about the role of local government in the community, they are also learning how to compose their thoughts and ideas in order to communicate their message effectively to a group of people.
Learning requires active engagement and participation. In order to learn, we must do something. Passive learning experiences require no activity on the part of the learner. It’s just information in and poof, it’s gone. Active learning experiences require the learner to communicate, collaborate, move/interact, and to demonstrate learning. Consider these attributes when you are planning learning experiences for your students.
Vygotsky teaches us that learning is social and is greatly impacted when we interact with others. This may seem hard to facilitate when planning for online course delivery, however, using the design to deliver approach will help you to plan effectively and engage with students in the virtual learning environment.
Context matters and learning is contextual. We don’t learn isolated facts, we memorize/recall isolated facts. Context provides WHY things matter. It is the connections between concepts that provide learning. When a student memorizes a list of the bones in the body they should also be learning why each bone is important and how it functions in conjunction with the other bones. Otherwise, the list of bones they memorize will disappear over time. Adding context to that list along with active learning experiences will cement learning in the brain over a long period of time.