A Comprehensive Guide to Different Learning Theories
Educational theorists, from philosophers like Socrates and Rousseau to researchers like Howard Gardner today, have addressed learning theories. Many of his ideas continue to influence both homeschoolers and traditional educators. A little familiarity with some of the most popular ideas among homeschoolers will help you understand the wealth of materials available as you begin to make decisions for your family.
Jean Piaget and cognitive development
He proposed that children go through several distinct stages of cognitive growth. First comes the sensorimotor stage (from birth to two years), during which the child learns primarily through sensation and movement. In the preoperational stage (ages two to seven), children begin to master symbols such as language and begin to be able to formulate hypotheses based on past experiences. In the stage of concrete operations (7 to 11 years), children learn to generalize from one situation to other similar ones, although such reasoning is usually limited to their own concrete experience.
Finally, at the formal operational stage (older than eleven years), children can handle abstractions, formulate hypotheses, and engage freely in mental speculation. Although the rate at which children progress through the stages varies considerably, the sequence of stages is uniform for all children.
Therefore, to be appropriate and effective, learning activities must be adapted to the cognitive level of the child.
Rudolf Steiner and the Waldorf schools
Steiner divided children’s development into three stages: up to age seven, children learn primarily by imitation; from seven to fourteen years old, feelings and emotions predominate; and after the age of fourteen, the development of independent reasoning skills becomes important. Waldorf education tends to emphasize arts and crafts, music, and movement, especially in the younger ages, and textbooks are eschewed in favor of books that students make themselves. Waldorf theories also hold that the emphasis should be on developing the self-awareness and judgment of the individual, detached from the political and economic aspects of society well into adolescence.
Montessori and the Prepared Environment
The work of the Italian physician Maria Montessori emphasized the idea of the prepared environment: Providing the right environment and tools, so that children can develop their full potential. Montessori materials are carefully selected and designed to help children learn to function in their cultures and to be independent and competent. The emphasis is on beauty and quality, and confusion or clutter is avoided: Manipulative tools are made of wood instead of plastic, are simple and functional, and television and computers are discouraged.
Charlotte Mason: guiding natural curiosity
Charlotte Mason was a 19th century educator who advocated informal learning during the early years of the child in contrast to the Prussian system of regimented learning then in vogue. He recommended the study of nature to develop both observation skills and an appreciation of the beauty of creation and extended that approach to teaching history and geography through travel and the study of the environment rather than as collections of data to master. She felt that children learn best when instruction takes into account their individual abilities and temperaments, but she stressed the importance of developing good habits to govern one’s temperament and establish a solid foundation of good moral values.
Holt and unschooling
Educator John Holt wrote extensively about school reform in the 1960s. Although he originally proposed the word “unschooling” simply as a more satisfying alternative to “homeschooling.” Unschooling now generally refers to a home schooling style, in which learning is not separate from life, and children learn primarily by following their interests. Children learn best, he argued, not when they are taught, but by being part of the world, free to interest them more, answering their questions when they are asked, and being treated with respect rather than condescension.
Gardner and Multiple Intelligences
The psychologist Howard Gardner maintains that intelligence is not a single unitary property and proposes the existence of “multiple intelligences”. He identifies seven types of intelligence: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Because each person has a different mix of these intelligences, learning is better tailored to each individual’s strengths, rather than emphasizing the linguistic and logical-mathematical approaches traditionally used in schools. A bodily kinesthetic learner, for example, could comprehend geometric concepts presented with practical manipulatives much more easily than if they were presented in a more logical, traditional narrative fashion. A teaching approach that recognizes a variety of learning styles could encourage many people who are now lost to conventional methods.