Learning Theory: Bandura
Samantha LuzeLearning Theory: BanduraEPSY 302-Hawkes6/20/15Samantha LuzeEPSY 302- HawkesLearning Theory Paper6/16/15Social Learning Theory: Albert BanduraAfter choosing the teaching profession there are many questions that one might be asked frequently: “What subject are you going to teach?”, “You know you won’t get paid that well right?”, “Are you going to be a principal eventually?” While these questions are typical of the general population, there is one question that students will be asked by their education professors: “What theory of learning will you implement in the classroom?” There are three main theories of learning: Constructivism, Behaviorism, and Social Learning Theory. As a student, and later a teacher, it is our job to learn about these various theories and decide how to apply them in the classroom. After learning about these different theories, I relate the most to Social Learning Theory and that is what I will be detailing in my paper.Social learning theorist Albert Bandura was born in 1925 in Canada. He grew up on a wheat farm and later when to college at the University of British Colombia. Bandura went on to obtain his degree/B.A. in “Social Learning” in 1949. Bandura then continued his education at the University of Iowa, where he later received his doctorate in “Social Learning” in 1952. The next step in his education was to participate in a clinical internship at the Wichita Kansas Guidance Center. After completing all these educational opportunities, Bandura accepted a teaching position at Stanford University. While all these achievements show that Bandura possessed a remarkable mind, he did not start out with an interest in learning and behaviorism. This interest was cultivated while he was at the University of Iowa.He has written numerous “frameworks” for his work and has gained many honorary degrees in his name from numerous universities worldwide. All Bandura’s combined written works, and his many studies of person’s behavior contributed for what he is commonly known. Bandura named his theory “Social Learning Theory” or “Social Cognitive Theory (SCT).” Social Cognitive Theory is based primarily on the interrelationship between personal goals, environmental factors, and behavior. The studies Bandura conducted focused on both observational and modeling processes. According to his theory, the learning gains knowledge as “his or her environment converges with personal characteristics and personal experience.” (Albert Bandura) Any new experiences the learner has are evaluated in comparison to previous memories, which help guide the learner as to how they should approach new problems in their present. SCT also provides “the theoretical framework for interactive learning used to develop both Constructivism and Cooperative Learning. (Albert Bandura)”There are four key points to Bandura’s process: 1.) Attention, 2.) Retention, 3.) Reproduction, and finally 4.) Motivation: gaining the attention of the students in a way that relates to them, helping the students retain and reproduce the information by having them do exercises relating to the assignment, and providing them with the reinforcement needed to give them the proper motivation. He formed these four steps, informed by both behavioral and cognitive philosophies and their ideas of self-observation, self-response, and judgement. Bandura’s most well -known experiment is known as the “Bobo doll experiment” and involved children and their learning and development. Bandura took three groups of children and conducted an experiment concerning how children observed information and processed that into action. He provided one group of children with a video of an adult showing aggressive behavior toward a Bobo doll, one group with a video of an adult showing caring and compassionate behavior towards the doll, and the last group with an adult showing ambivalent/ neither good nor bad behaviors towards the doll. After having the children watch these videos, they were sent to a room with a Bobo doll and their responses were recorded. The three groups had three very different responses based on the video they were required to watch: the group of children shown the aggressive video attached, hit, and yelled at the doll, the children who were shown compassionate behavior modeled this and were kind to the doll, and the children who witnessed ambivalent behavior didn’t interact with the doll at all. Bandura realized that the children all modeled the behavior they witnessed the adults doing. Bandura also looked closer at how gender played into the children’s responses, and saw that girls and boys acted similarly, but still slightly differently. Boys showed more physical abuse, while the girls showed more verbal aggression towards the doll. He concluded from his experiment that people learn by observing the actions and behaviors of others.Because he felt that the learning and teaching of individuals was heightened or improved through observation, Bandura used vicarious learning in his “Social Learning Theory.” Vicarious learning uses the idea of instructional learning, such as incorporating video clips into lessons. This could be used to provide more individualized study in the classroom; for instance, if you have a great deal of Native American students in a class, using videos showing these social and cultural ideas can increase interest in the lesson. Relating to students in this way promotes their interest in what you are saying as it pertains more closely to their lives. Some other examples of vicarious learning are peer teaching, small groups, recordings, etc. The model provided must be appropriate to the student, and must contain the behavior that you wish your students to emulate. Following up the lesson with the students doing or reinforcing the behavior is extremely important. For example, if you provide the students with positive reinforcement- extra recess time, candy, etc. - they will be more likely to continue the behavior.Another aspect of Bandura’s research is the idea of self-efficacy, or the idea that people’s actions can produce outcomes of their own making. “Much empirical evidence now supports Bandura’s contention that self-efficacy beliefs touch virtually every aspect of people’s lives-whether they think productively, self-debilitating, pessimistically, or optimistically. (Frank Pajares)” How well you as a teacher can motivate your students to learn is greatly influenced by their state of mind. Without this belief that they can impact their future, students may lack the incentive to want to try in your classroom, affecting their ability to learn and your ability to reinforce desired behaviors.As the youngest sibling in my family, I remember emulating the actions of my older brothers. I have firsthand knowledge of how people- especially children- learn through observation. In my work at Ecco. Inc. I have used the ideas of SCT in teaching clients I work with how to do everyday tasks. Over several months of repeating certain tasks and teaching certain tasks, nothing is more rewarding than seeing one of these marvelous individuals doing something without my having to show them. I also have experience teaching using “Social Learning Theory” through my being a teaching aide in an art class. Art deals mainly with demonstrating a task for students and helping them emulate what you are teaching them; many times using the basic knowledge and tweaking the assignment to suit their previous experiences. Through all this experience, I can see myself furthering my use of this learning theory in my future classroom, having witnessed its success first hand.Sources:Bandura, A. (1986)?Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory.?Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall."Albert Bandura." Psychology History. Web."Learning Theory."?Learning Theory. Web."Credo Reference Where Are You From?" Credo Reference Where Are You From? Web. McLeod, S. A. (2011). Bandura - Social Learning Theory. Retrieved frombandura.html"Skinner versus Bandura." Skinner versus Bandura. Web.Snowman, Jack, and Robert F. Biehler. "Social Learning Theory." Psychology Applied to Teaching. 10th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. 243-49. Print.Pajares (2002). Overview of social cognitive theory and of self-efficacy. Retrieved 6/20/2015 from“Social Cognitive Theory.” Social Cognitive Theory. University of Twente, n.d. Web. 20 June 2015. ................
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