Does technology improve learning? This question forms the basis, not only in relation to digital technologies, for any changes made to an existing education structure. An initial issue with this question is firstly it requires a common consensus on what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘desirable’ learning and, secondly, that technologies are a conduit for the ‘correct’ type of learning to occur. Ignoring the current debate whether we can assess learning technologies through the lens of a 19th century knowledge based curriculum, I have explored whether technology, regardless of its impact, can meet the core principals behind three of the most common theories of learning from the 20th Century.
Behaviourist theories have are concerned in external factors for learning, ‘the effects of learning rather than the process of learning’ (Selwyn, p66). The learner is perceived as a passive recipient of the knowledge presented in order to retain this information for future reference. Skinner’s concept of ‘operant conditioning’ encapsulates the key elements of this theory where a learner responds to a stimulus and, based on the results, responds appropriately to the stimulus when presented with it again. In computing terms support for this method of learning can be seen most clearly through adaptive, self-paced tasks which provide instant feedback for the user, in theory the majority of online learning technologies such as Mathletics or MangaHigh.
Cognitivist theories, in contrast to behaviourist theories, are concerned with the internal factors associated with the learning process and the manner in which new knowledge is processed by the brain. This theory focusses on how a learner’s existing understanding forms the foundation for learning to take place. Through prior experience a learner associates a specific set of behaviours to respond to a situation, when a new situation or piece of information is provided it is compared with the pre-existing system which will then require adapting to take into account the new knowledge. Rather than seeing learning as the accumulation of new information, cognitivists see it as an ongoing evaluation and development of structures. In relation to learning technologies, this can be seen through computer-based problem solving program where learners are encouraged to construct new knowledge, with minimal instruction, in order to create a solution of their own.
Whereas behaviourist and cognitivist theories are based around the individual, constructionist theories explore learning as a more social and active process, focussing on how individuals construct meaning based on prior experience and socio-cultural contexts. The learner is active; receiving and acting upon new information in light of previous experiences. Learning is learner-centered, problem based, iterative and highly interactive and takes place in meaningful contexts through processes such as exploration, inquiry, interpretation and reflection. In computing terms, this theory of learning can be identified through more open-ended programs for testing conceptual models, such as realistic simulations, which allow the learner to explore and create, ‘technologies as tools to learn with, rather than learn from’ (Selwyn, p75).
When looking at the potential merger of learning and technology we need to take care that we are not simply exploring which learning theory fits with the use of learning technologies, as this sees the technologies as merely a way to substitute traditional teaching practice. Instead, as Eric Klopfer (2008) states, the intellectual capabilities being pursued are the priority and the ‘technology is the vehicle for getting these intellectual capabilities into schools’. It is, maybe a little simplistically, possible to see that technology can support these three theories in providing learning opportunities but the bigger question is whether the use of technology provides a more effective method in delivering these opportunities and, if so, whether it provides the learner the opportunity to actually learn more than our traditional methods.