​Act 1 INTRODUCTION [& Assignments]

​“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.” 
― T.H. White, The Once and Future King
 The course text provides a very specific and concise definition of learning:
Learning is an enduring change in behavior, or in the capacity to behave in a given fashion, which results from practice or other forms of experience.

From its opening pages, our course text defines learning in an operational way (that is, how you know learning has happened). But throughout the course, the concept of learning will be defined in different ways, from different perspectives.
 
This course provides you with a framework for understanding important learning theories through a scientific lens. Although major theoretical perspective on learning include many complex ideas, constructs and applications to the field of education, this course focuses on the scientific advancements that led to eventual definitions of specific approaches to, and theories of, learning.
 
You will apply knowledge of learning sciences to the analysis of educational events, culminating in the appropriate identification of learning theory constructs and concepts that help explain the nature of specific research variables associated with your doctoral research agenda.
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This image represents the three fundamental theoretical approaches to learning that are the subject of this course. As indicated, the focus of this course examines how each of these perspectives have been defined through scientific investigations. The image illustrates that there is some overlap in approaches from one theoretical perspective to the next, but for the purposes of this course the three approaches will be presented separately. But the course begins with an overview of science and how the field of psychology became a scientific discipline to help describe, predict and perhaps control human behavior. Learning, as you might imagine, became a central focus to this endeavor as human behavior began to be studied with a scientific lens. Act 1 of the course provides an overview of science, the genesis of psychology as a scientific field, and the important scientific discoveries that led to development of behaviorism as the dominant learning paradigm for many years.
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Act 1 presents readings, information and examples to help you learn how to perform the following skills. These skills (except 1.8) will be measured on Exam #1:

Part 1: Science & Learning

1.1 Differentiate between the epistemological approaches of rationalism and empiricism. 

1.2 Identify and describe the attributes of a good theory.

1.3 Explain the relationship between educational theories, models and methods.

1.4 Describe how science represents a “way of knowing,” and differentiate between science and other ways of knowing.

1.5 Define and identify examples of the following terms associated with the scientific method: observation, problem, hypothesis, experiment, independent variable, dependent variable, extraneous variable, prediction, results, operationalize

1.6 Distinguish between definitions and examples of basic and applied science/research.

1.7 Distinguish between the constructs of learning and instruction.

1.8 Categorize definitions of learning based on alternate theoretical frameworks.

Part 2: Foundations of Psychology as a Science

2.1 Identify definitions and examples of the Aristotelian Laws of Contiguity, Similarity and Contrast.

2.2 Identify examples of research investigations and describe major theoretical and/or scientific contributions to the field of educational psychology by Willhelm Wundt, William James, and Herman Ebbinghaus.

Part 3: Behaviorism

3.1 Describe the theoretical assumptions about learning that define behaviorism.

3.2 Identify examples of research investigations and describe major theoretical and/or scientific contributions defining the behaviorist’s perspective on learning by Thorndike, Pavlov, Watson, Guthrie and Skinner.

3.3 Describe and identify examples and components of the following fundamental components of behaviorism theory: Connectionism, Laws of Effect, Exercise & Readiness, Classical conditioning, Contiguous conditioning, Operant conditioning

3.4 Describe the following basic processes observed and defined by Pavlov: Acquisition, Extinction, Spontaneous Recovery, Generalization, Stimulus discrimination, Latent inhibition

3.5 Describe the fundamental unconditioned stimuli and corresponding emotional unconditioned responses Watson believed were innate.

3.6 Explain Guthrie’s Principle of Associative Strength.

3.7 Identify each component of Skinner’s scientific model of operant conditioning.

3.8 Distinguish between definitions and examples of positive and negative reinforcements.

3.9 Differentiate between different types of reinforcing stimuli schedules.

3.10 Compare and contrast classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

3.11 Interpret specific educational research, teaching and/or leadership scenarios based on behaviorist principles and/or research.
Act 1 ASSIGNMENTS
As you complete the following, record your notes as they support the Act 1 objectives :

  • Read Schunk text CHAPTER 1 (note: if you have not yet received a copy of the course text, you can download Chapters 1 and 3 on the course notes page)
  • ​Review the web material for Act 1, Part 1 (Science & Learning)
  • Review the web material for Act 1, Part 2 (Beginnings)
  • ​Read Schunk text CHAPTER 3
  • ​Review the web material for Act 1, Part 3 (Behaviorism)

Once your notes are complete, study them and complete the Act 1 practice exam so you are clear how each objective will be measured. Adjust your study materials accordingly.

Take Exam #1.

Complete the Act 1 project.
Once you are ready to dive in, click the button below to access the first part of Act 1. All pages for Act 1 are accessible from the ACT 1 menu above as well.
Questions?  Email Greg Sherman.