Theories of learning
Understanding how people learn, what motivates them and the importance of their learning aspirations is at the heart of planning for effective learning.
The responses of learners and teachers to active learning approaches in Teaching and Learning Programme resources provide overwhelming evidence of their success in motivating and engaging learners and supporting their learning.
Resources in this section include videos of educationalists and teachers talking about learning, teaching and motivating learners and their experiences of using some active learning approaches. You can use the videos, the guidance documents and activities that accompany them to stimulate discussion about learning theories and how they underpin good practice.
There are many definitions of pedagogy. Perhaps the simplest is 'The science of teaching' (Oxford English Dictionary). However, the term denotes more than just a set of teaching techniques. Pedagogy encompasses:
- what is taught or learned – the content
- how it is taught or learned – approaches to teaching and learning
- why it is taught or learned – the underpinning values, philosophy or rationale.
The Teaching and Learning Programme has refined the term ‘active learning’ to embrace 10 key pedagogy approaches that have been shown to be particularly valuable stepping stones to improving professional practice. Find out how and why these approaches work in Effective teaching and learning where you will also find practical ideas to translate the theory into practice.
The 10 approaches do not claim to provide either an exhaustive list of strategies for teaching and learning or a complete theoretical underpinning. You will also notice that there is an overlap and complementarity between them. To avoid an ‘atomised’ approach it is important to see the framework as a whole and to draw on the most appropriate strategy or strategies for each situation.
If you are new to these approaches, start by watching the video in Effective teaching and learning and using the card activity Talking teaching, training and learning. You will find ideas for how to get the most out of the activity in the downloadable booklet. The 10 Quick start guides explain how and why the approaches work, and offer quick, practical ideas for using them.
Resources for teacher educators
- Getting the most out of these resources- Technology and the expert learner - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) Rate21st century learning - Quicktime Windows Media Player
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateInterview with Professor Stephen Heppell - PDF Word
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateEffective teaching and learning - Info and Web
- Active learning - Info
- no ratings (0 ratings) RateWhat is active learning? Information sheet - Word
- Challenging learners - Web
(1 ratings) Rate - Supporting reflective practice - Info
- Bloom's taxonomy and task design - Info
- Questioning for learning - Info
- What is motivational dialogue? - Info
(1 ratings) Technical information
