It documented the preceding era's educational beliefs and styles in the field of mathematics and the results from implementing those beliefs on a wide scale.
The study sought to organize three themes including; "broad sociopolitical forces, particularly highly publicized educational policy statements; trends in mathematics research and theories of learning and instruction" (Mathematics, 2004, pg. 16). These themes, in particular, were focused on the effect (or lack thereof) they had on the field of mathematics. What the review seemed to find was that there were a number of areas of improvement that could take place in the field. One such area was that "too much instruction, particularly under the influence of behaviorism, had come to mean that students simply memorized what the teacher directed them to learn" (Mathematics, pg. 17).
Since the course allowed us to discover the differences in learning styles and theories it is interesting that one of those theories (behaviorism) was being denigrated in this article. Noting the shortfalls of behaviorism is just one of the aspects of the review that catches the reader's eye.
What the study seemed to find in regards to learning theories is that most students are not going to learn to their greatest capabilities by simply learning to repeat mechanical associations. The study showed improvements in teaching when instructors "adopted the position that for slow learners, one needs to carefully target instructional objects, because the amount of material to be mastered over time will be less than that for more capable students" (Mathematics, pg. 20).
What the study seemed most concerned about, however, was that scientifically-based research be used in a more appropriate manner in order to make educational policies and decisions more effective. One interesting tidbit was the study's assertion that "constructivism offers no one, simple perspective on teaching" (Mathematics, pg. 22) and it further stated "(math) literature contains examples of highly individual constructivism, social constructivism and even emancipatory constructivism" (Mathematics, pg. 22).
As the above research seems to verify, it is easy to find a number of studies and an abundance of literature that lends credence to the thought(s) that teaching is a highly individualized endeavor, and that new and old teachers will all have their own styles of teaching that will be influenced by the 'theories of the day."
Spada
Finally there was the recent study conducted in Canada to discern some of the "epistemological, technical, and ethical challenges in doing research on instructed second language (L2) learning in Canadian school settings" (Spada, 2005, pg 328). Spada set out to see if any of the classroom research methods used in Canadian school "have been influenced by cognitive-interactionist theories of...
Learning Theory and Its Implications for the Theory and Practice of Instructional Design Paradigm Shift in Instructional Learning Theory PARADIGM SHIFT IN INSTRUCTIONAL LEARNING Because of the global changes transforming every aspect of life there is a need to transform traditional instruction into learner-centered instruction. This requires a re-thinking of the roles played by the teacher and the students in the learning process which involves a major change in one's basic assumption
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Abstract Theories of learning are critical for informing pedagogical practice and promoting a deeper understanding of human behavior and mental processes. Behaviorism offers corresponding theories of learning that focus mainly on observable and measurable outcomes in performance. Cognitive theories of learning emphasize numerous complex thought processes such as assimilation and accommodation of new material, and also takes into account emotional aspects such as motivation. Behavioral learning theories and cognitive learning theories
Learning theories play a large role in the cultivation of curriculum within the realm of education. The purpose of this discussion is to describe how a selected learning theory influences curriculum. For the purposes of this discussion, we will focus on Social learning theory. Our research will contain a discussion of the learning theory, a description of how it affects curriculum design, and thoughts on the use of the theory
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