What are teaching theories?

What is a teaching theory?

A teaching theory is a proposed explanation of how we absorb, process and retain knowledge. 

There are many theories about how we learn, and teachers can use these to assist with planning and modifying their approaches to teaching. 

Here are some of the most prominent approaches linked to teaching theories: 

• Bloom’s taxonomy
• Growth mindset 
• Flipped learning
• SOLO taxonomy
• Philosophy for children
   

And here are some of the most influential teaching theorists: 

• Lev Vygotsky
• Jean Piaget
• Abraham Maslow
• John Dewey
• Sir Ken Robinson 

What are some of the most prominent schools of thought in education?

Behaviourism
Behaviourism proposes that all learning is a reaction to stimuli. In this sense, learning is a system of rewards and targets, whereby students evolve over time owing to positive and negative reinforcement. 

In this mode, classroom practice centres on what the teacher does to impact and influence their students, and learners are thought to be more passive than in other approaches.

Cognitivism and constructivism
These approaches are concerned with how students think and process information.

Cognitivism proposes that learning happens as a result of reflecting on and making connections with prior knowledge. Learners are, therefore, active, using what is already known and stored in their memories to build further knowledge and develop cognitive skills. 

Constructivism focuses on how individual experiences affect learning, proposing that students’ varying perspectives will mean that they approach new knowledge in different ways. Learning is, therefore, a pupil-driven process of discovery where they use skills and knowledge accessible to them.

Social constructivism
Social constructivism emphasises the importance of social interaction in learning. It sees education as an active, collaborative process that happens through a shared experience of social interaction.

Thus, teachers guide pupils and scaffold development through hands-on tasks and activities designed to bridge the gap between what is already known, and can be done, and what is new, unfamiliar and to be learned. 

Further reading:

• Aubrey, K, and Riley, A, Understanding and Using Educational Theories (SAGE), 2022

• Avis, J, Fisher, R, and Thompson, R, Teaching In Lifelong Learning: A guide to theory and practice (third edition) (Open University Press), 2018
   
• Information Literacy Group website: Pedagogic Theory

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