History of learning
In the past, learning was a very simple process. Boys imitated their fathers and learned how to hunt and forage for food, while girls learned how to cook from their mothers.
With the advent of the industrial age, learning became more prescribed. People needed certain skills that needed to be learned. “Education focused on reading, writing, and calculating at relatively low levels of application."(De Beers, 2006).
In the 1950s, Behaviorism focused on studying behavioral patterns. By providing reward and punishment, the theorists claimed that learning certain desired objectives was possible. In the context of education today, this method is still prevalent in many schools. Awarding grades is such an example. Students try and perform well in order to receive good grades. This pleases the teacher, their parents, and they move on to the next level of learning. Not much attention was given to whether students understood the learning, or whether they enjoyed it.
Vygotsky's (1978) theory of social cognition comes as a breath of fresh air to the otherwise depressing picture of students sitting in rows of desk as they listen to the instructor. He claims that students learn from their environment. The environment includes parents, teachers, siblings and their peers. Students will learn a language, for example, only if they are given an opportunity to engage with people in their environment.
The "Zone of Proximal Development", according to Vygotsky, is the stage where learning occurs. At this stage, educators scaffold the students learning by providing them with the necessary support. They allow them to interact with their peers in order to facilitate collaboration and communication. Today, some educators prefer to use the term 'learner' as opposed to 'student', marking the significant shift from teaching to learning.
With the advent of the industrial age, learning became more prescribed. People needed certain skills that needed to be learned. “Education focused on reading, writing, and calculating at relatively low levels of application."(De Beers, 2006).
In the 1950s, Behaviorism focused on studying behavioral patterns. By providing reward and punishment, the theorists claimed that learning certain desired objectives was possible. In the context of education today, this method is still prevalent in many schools. Awarding grades is such an example. Students try and perform well in order to receive good grades. This pleases the teacher, their parents, and they move on to the next level of learning. Not much attention was given to whether students understood the learning, or whether they enjoyed it.
Vygotsky's (1978) theory of social cognition comes as a breath of fresh air to the otherwise depressing picture of students sitting in rows of desk as they listen to the instructor. He claims that students learn from their environment. The environment includes parents, teachers, siblings and their peers. Students will learn a language, for example, only if they are given an opportunity to engage with people in their environment.
The "Zone of Proximal Development", according to Vygotsky, is the stage where learning occurs. At this stage, educators scaffold the students learning by providing them with the necessary support. They allow them to interact with their peers in order to facilitate collaboration and communication. Today, some educators prefer to use the term 'learner' as opposed to 'student', marking the significant shift from teaching to learning.