Learning Theories
About 6 min · Child Development and Pedagogy · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 349 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Learning Theories form the conceptual backbone of Child Development and Pedagogy in TN TET. This topic explains how children acquire knowledge, skills and behaviours—and what teachers must do to facilitate that process.
Key ideas
- Behaviourism views learning as observable change in behaviour caused by external stimuli; the mind is a "black box" and internal processes are ignored.
- Classical Conditioning (Pavlov) pairs a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus alone triggers the response.
- Operant Conditioning (Skinner) states that behaviour is shaped by its consequences—reinforcement increases behaviour, punishment decreases it.
- Connectionism (Thorndike) proposes that learning is forming stimulus–response (S–R) bonds; his Laws of Readiness, Exercise and Effect guide drill-based instruction.
- Gestalt/Insight Learning (Köhler, Wertheimer) emphasises perception of the whole pattern; learners reorganise the field and suddenly "see" the solution (aha moment).
Quick reference
- Pavlov — bell + food → salivation; classical conditioning; involuntary response.
- Skinner — reinforcement/punishment; operant conditioning; voluntary behaviour.
- Thorndike — Law of Effect; trial-and-error; S–R bonds.
- Piaget — 4 stages; schema, assimilation, accommodation; child as lone scientist.
- Vygotsky — ZPD, scaffolding, MKO (More Knowledgeable Other); learning is social.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. A teacher arranges desks in groups and encourages students to discuss a maths problem together before presenting their solution. Which learning theory is primarily reflected in this practice?
2. According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, a child in the concrete operational stage (7-11 years) can perform which of the following tasks that was not possible in the pre-operational stage?
3. A student initially struggles with long division but gradually improves after the teacher breaks the problem into smaller steps, provides guided practice and slowly reduces help as the student gains confidence. This instructional approach is best explained by which concept?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 21 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
Read the full noteFlashcards for this topic
Saves this lesson and its 3 questions in this browser on this phone. No sign-in; nothing about you is saved or sent. A saved copy is not updated until you save it again. Parts that load from the server when you use them (the AI tutor, adaptive practice, sign-in) still need a connection.