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Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi said that children learn best through activities -
Froebel
Friedrich Froebel created the concept of kindergarten, recognizing that children have unique needs and capabilities -
Dewey
John Dewey stressed continuing learning experiences from school age into the real world -
Pavlov
Ivan Pavlov first published his work on classical conditioning -
Thorndike
Edward Thorndike promulgates his theorems: the law of recency, the law of effect, and the law of exercise -
Tyler
Ralph Tyler stated "Each [learning] objective must be defined in terms which clarify the kind of behavior which the course should help to develop". -
Dale's Cone of Experience
Edgar Dale developed the "Cone of Experience" representing the various types of learning experiences -
Skinner
B. F. Skinner published "The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching", stating the requirements for increasing human learning and the desired characteristics of effective instructional materials -
Bloom
In "Taxonomy of Education Objectives", Benjamin Bloom identifies the three principal domains of learning: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. -
Mager
Robert F. Mager's "Preparing objectives for programmed instruction" outlined the steps for defining learning objectives. -
Crowder
Norman Crowder introduced branching programming to either skip ahead through easy material, or review remedial frames as needed. -
Glaser
Robert Glaser introduced the concept of criterion-referenced measures, which judges the acquisition of learner behaviors against a set of standards, rather than against other learners' performance. -
Lumsdaine
Arthur Lumsdaine linked behavioral psychology to learning, stating that training devices should be designed to provide efficient learning conditions, especially guided practice and prompt feedback. -
Gagné
Robert M. Gagné stated his Nine Events of Instruction that enhance student learning. He indicated that a learner must master subordinate skills before approaching a superordinate one, so instructional materials must be designed accordingly. -
Cognitivism
The theory of cognitivism addressed the internal mechanics of learning. -
Scriven
Michael Scriven suggested formative evaluation of learning materials: gathering feedback on drafts of the materials from learners before they are in their final form enables educators to evaluate their effectiveness and revise accordingly. -
Papert
Seymour Papert's theory of Constructionism proposed using mental models. Learners use what they already know to acquire new knowledge, favoring authentic learning tasks. -
Design-Based Research
Design-based research theory allows real-world complexities to influence learning materials. -
Lave and Wenger
"Situated Learning" by Lave and Wenger places learning in central participation within a community, rather than rote knowledge acquisition. More educators begin to place learning and learners within a cultural-historical context. -
Mayer
Dr. Richard E. Mayer introduces learning principles like Segmentation and Fostering Generative Processing to apply classroom-acquired knowledge to real-world situations. -
Connectivism
Connectivism, as proposed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes, is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization. The first learning theory based on digital natives.