Introduction

In chapter one, we reviewed information literacy and new literacies.  As information and/or education professionals, we need to know what forms the basis of lifelong learning for our patrons and students.  We also need to be aware of the best practices pedagogical theories and practices so that we can help our patrons and students become lifelong learners and develop their information (and other) literacy skills.

Pedagogy and Andragogy

The term pedagogy refers to teaching, as well as the knowledge and skill required to teach. We typically use this term to discuss traditional teaching in K through 12 environments.  The term comes from the Greek word for pedagogue meaning teacher or tutor.

The term andragogy evolved in the 1970s when educators started thinking about the differences between educating children and adults.  The roots of the word also lay in Greece using the Greek word for teacher prefixed by the word for male (I know it sounds sexist but it was the 1970s!)

Introduction to Learning Theories

In their celebrated work, “How People Learn: Introduction to Learning Theories,” Hammond, et al. (2001) chronicle the history of pedagogy and learning theories from ancient times. Through the years, various learning theories have been developed.  Learning theories evolved from the early Greeks including Aristotle, who believed that knowledge arrived from experience (empiricism), and Plato, who believed that knowledge was found through reflection and dialogue (rationalism).  These lines of thought led to the development of the “Liberal Arts” education during the Renaissance.

During The Enlightenment, the ideas of Plato and Aristotle are resurrected by Rene Descartes (1596-1650) and John Locke (1632-1704), respectively.  Descartes believes that knowledge is innate, while Locke believed that a child is born as a blank state and gains knowledge through experience.

Behaviorism

In the 19th and 20th centuries, psychologists began the scientific study of learning. Thorndike is considered the first to have approached the study of learning scientifically.  Thorndike concluded that people learned through trial and error, making connections stick through positive responses.

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), after studying behavior in rats, devised his theory of learning which proposed the idea that when students gain rewards or reinforcements, and when students are provided with simple questions at first and progress through questions of increasing difficulty gaining rewards along the way, students’ commitment to keep going is reinforced.

Piaget, ((1896-1980) felt that all learning occurred as either assimilation (fitting newly learned information into what they already know) or accommodation (when new information causes a change or adaptation of the new information into preexisting ideas and concepts).

Social Constructivism

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) broadened Piaget’s theories to include a social component.  According to Vygotsky, learning takes place in social context and involves social interactions leading to the development of theories of cooperative learning.

The Progressives

John Dewey (1859-1952) and Maria Montessori (1870-1952) built on the idea put forth by Piaget and Vygotsky.  The progressives introduced the notions of involving children in their own learning, free expression, and teachers as guides rather than authority figures.

Critical Pedagogy

Paolo Friere (1921-1997) is considered the father of critical pedagogy.  Friere found that education was a political activity and that education could be exclusionary and therefore a means of oppression for the poor.  Friere also advocated for cooperative educational practices whereby student and teacher work together to solve problems.

Modern Theories about Learning Styles

In a review of the literature from 2009-2015, Cuevas (2015) says that methodologically sound studies refute the idea of learning styles. Newton and Miah (2017) argue that the concept of learning styles is a myth that has been disproved repeatedly and found to have no beneficial use. They warn of the potential harms of continuing to use learning styles as a tool in education. Yet, their 2017 study found that 32% of participants were committed to the continued use of Learning Styles in their teaching.

Despite the controversy surrounding the validity of learning styles, it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of they are.

To find out what your learning style is, there are many different tests available, including this one from LearningStylesQuiz.com

Alternatives exist as well, including the “Big 5 Personality Test” or OCEAN, a personality test that is accepted by academic psychology and supported by research. The Big 5 Personality Test, tests Agreeableness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Openness, and Neuroticism. More more information about how these personality traits relate to learning and professional development, read Zewude et al. (2024), “A Serial Mediation Model of Big 5 Personality Traits, Emotional Intelligence, and Psychological Capital as Predictors of Teachers’ Professional Well-Being.”

Face to Face vs Online Learning

Online learning is quickly growing into a major force in education today.  Online education takes many forms – full classes and degree programs available online, an alternative to traditional high schools, or as an adult and continuing education tool.  Read the following articles for more information:

Chapter 2 Assessments