| Information processing | Efforts to understand how we take in and store new information and how we retrieve it when it is needed.
|
 |
|
|
| Meaningful learning | Occurs when information is effectively organized, structured, and taught so as to maximize its usefulness.
|
|
|
|
| Short-term memory | Severely limited storage system that holds only a small amount of information for merely seconds. Also referred to as working memory.
|
|
|
|
| Long-term memory | Seemingly limitless and permanent storage system where we keep information for a long time.
|
|
|
|
| Presentation | Informative talk a more knowledgeable person makes to less knowledgeable persons.
|
|
|
|
| Authentic learning | Learning that occurs when students engage in real experiences, for example learning library skills in the library rather than reading about them.
|
|
|
|
| Scaffolding | Teachers providing extra support and help to make sure that students can complete a task successfully.
|
|
|
|
| Reciprocal teaching | When the teaching function is slowly and systematically given over to students.
|
|
|
|
| Problem solving | Requires learners to consider how they would attain a goal. Different types of problems include well-structured problems (subject matter–related) and ill-structured problems (life-related).
|
|
|
|
| Efficacy | Having a sense of control over one's circumstances.
|
|
|
|
| Invitational learning | Occurs when teachers communicate to learners that they are "responsible, able, and valuable" people.
|
|
|
|
| Behaviorists | Advocates of behavioral learning theory.
|
|
|
|
| Contiguity | Simple stimulus-response pairing or connection. When one stimulus is regularly associated with another, a response (S-R connection) is established. If two events occur together repeatedly they will eventually become associated, so that even if only one of the events occurs, the response will occur with it.
|
|
|
|
| Classical conditioning | Learning that occurs when we already have an established connection (contiguity) between a stimulus and a response, and then a new stimulus is paired with the original stimulus long enough to evoke the same response when the original stimulus is absent.
|
|
|
|
| Operant conditioning | Learning facilitated through reinforcement. Behaviors are strengthened or weakened depending upon the reinforcement or punishment received.
|
|
|
|
| Reinforcement | A principle of learning that recognizes that learners are more likely to do things when they feel good about doing them, usually by receiving some reward or recognition.
|
|
|
|
| Observational learning | Also called social learning. Occurs when learners learn by watching; in order for observational learning to be effective, learners must attend to someone's behavior, retain what they observed the "model" do, imitate or reproduce the behavior they saw, and experience reinforcement or satisfaction as a consequence.
|
|
|
|
| Programmed instruction (PI) | Instruction whereby the material to be learned is usually presented in small parts (called frames) so students can teach themselves. Learners respond to the information; if their responses are correct, they receive positive reinforcement and the next step or frame is presented.
|
|
|
|
| Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) | The use of computers to present programmed instruction or to assist learners with specific learning tasks.
|
|
|
|
| Mastery learning | Allows students to study academic material at their own pace until they learn it.
|
|
|
|
| Precision teaching | Overlearning through continued practice.
|
|
|
|
| Applied behavioral analysis (ABA) | Based on principles of operant conditioning. Teachers reward or reinforce learners when they do the right thing.
|
|
|
|
| Baseline | Information about how often a specified student presently performs a desired behavior.
|
|
|
|
| Intervention | A reinforcement given to students every time they perform a desired behavior in order to encourage them to behave appropriately more often. Used in applied behavioral analysis.
|
|
|
|
| Behavior modification | Systematic attempt to change behavior by using rewards or adversive stimuli that are linked to those behaviors.
|