Behaviorism- The animal and human behavior is explained through this concept where the human behavior is conditioned in a particular way towards a stimulus. It is a learning theory that operates on the principle of stimulus-response (Raiola, 2014). This principle explains that behavior is affected by external stimuli and need not require the consciousness or internal mental states. The key ideas involved are that the learner is passive and respond to the environmental stimuli. The basic idea involved is that the behavior of an individual is shaped by positive or negative reinforcement. The philosophy behind behaviorism is that it emphasize on the outward thoughts and behavioral aspects that dismiss the inward experiential and procedural aspects. The philosophy behind behaviorism is that the environment is the deciding factor that determines the behavior of an individual that opposes the inner psychic processes. The philosophy behind this theory is that it comprises of the stimulus and response equation. Behaviorism excludes the concepts of feelings, thoughts and other mental processes and genetic factors that cannot be studied objectively and in observable terms. There is no utility of the introspection which uses the state of inward experiences or consciousness in this theory (Siemens, 2014).
Concept of behaviorism can be applied in the teaching practice where there is role of external factors in the learning process. The reinforcements provided in the learning environment are the factors that are required around the learner for the learning process (O’Donnell & King, 2014). As a chef tutor in the hospitality school, I have a lot of scope to apply the concept of behaviorism my teaching area in the hospitality school. In my teaching area, the behaviorism can be applied in a way where appraisal can be used to motivate my learners. The positive praises, emotions and compliments provided to my learners are fulfilling in a way where they feel motivated to learn new things in the hospitality management.
Cognitivism- It involves the use of intelligence or human cognition to enable people to make hypothesis and develop their intelligence. It involves the way to think and gain knowledge. Cognitivism encompasses the examining of memory, learning, intelligence and problem-solving problems. The learner in this process is viewed as the information processor focusing on the internal mental activities and understanding of the way how people learn through the process of understanding. The mental processes are explored in this concept with memory, thinking, problem-solving and knowing that defines the change in the learner’s schemata (Reigeluth, 2013).
The principles of cognitivism are that it uses the mental processes influenced by extrinsic and intrinsic factors that brings about learning in an individual. In this way, learning becomes easier with acquiring of new information and can be stored in the memory for a long time. The principle of cognitive learning explains that the brain is the processing area for information and interpretation as we learn new things. Cognitivism involves the learning principles that involve the acquisition and knowledge understanding, formation of attitudes and beliefs, problem-solving and decision-making. This is distinct from emotional processes that are involved in intending and wanting. The main idea behind cognitivism is the cognitive development. It is the physiological development where a person absorbs the external stimuli that are the interactions which help in producing skills and knowledge (Sternberg & Zhang, 2014).
This theory is applied in the teaching area which uses the cognitive development as the main step. Attention is the main step in learning as a part of cognition. During my tutor classes at the hospitality school, this theory is applied where learning takes place when the learners show attention towards my class. It helps to develop interest by paying attention towards the class and in the process develop skills and produce knowledge. This theory is applied in a way the learner receives information, process it and organize in the existing scheme. The learner in the classroom acts as an active participant in the learning process who would acquire knowledge and store in their memory. I, as a teacher, can facilitate learning and organize information that would help the learners to acquire information and store in their memory and prior knowledge (Talbot-Smith et al., 2013).
Constructivism- It is a theory that is based on scientific study and observation. This learning theory is based on the idea that people are able to construct their own knowledge and understanding when they experience and reflect on the experiences (Duffy & Jonassen, 2013). When individuals encounter new things, they relate them to the prior knowledge and also discarding the irrelevant information. The principles of constructivism are that learning is an active process where the learner utilizes the sensory input and makes meaning out of it. Through learning, individuals learn in which the crucial action is mental. This theory uses the guiding principles like learning structure revolves around the primary concepts. It values and seeks the point of view of the students and adapt the instructions that addresses the suppositions of the students. It also assesses the learning of the student from the context of teaching process.
The philosophy of constructivism is that everything is measured from the observer point of view. The conceptions about the reality are brought into being through the philosophy of constructivism. It is used in teaching where the teachers act as the facilitators to provoke thoughts in the learners to solve tasks. In this learning process, the students use their own thoughts and experiences to solve problems (Kiraly, 2014). In my profession as a chef tutor, I have applied this theory in a way where I evaluate the deficiencies and skills of the students through group discussion and offer them the opportunity to critical thinking and problem solving. When I allow the students to work together in groups, they exchange their thoughts and suggestions to find solutions to their problems.
The hospitality school deals with the catering and hotel operations that teach culinary arts and meal science. In this hospitality school, the customer and guests are focused to provide them with the best hospitality and meal experience in every possible situation. In this school, I work as a chef tutor in providing them the best career in hospitality sector and teaching them the best culinary arts and authentic guest experience. As a chef tutor, I put emphasis on the practical skills combines with science that provides an artistic content to the culinary arts to give best guest experience. The students pursue degree like Bachelors, Bachelor of Business Administration in the hospitality school covering core subjects that can be applied in the hospitality management business.
In the learning environment, I teach them important aspects in the hospitality operations in kitchens like craft-based learning and in the world of beverages and foods. The classroom comprises of the learners pursuing their bachelor degree who are taught about the kitchen safety, food preparations and healthy cooking. The content of the learning environment is to demonstrate the food budgeting, key nutrition and food preparation lessons to the students. The delivery of the teaching is through projector and whiteboard along with kitchen tasks that helps them to gain hands-on experience and the teacher acts as a teacher and facilitator in teaching and encouraging the students to use the technique properly and in correcting them when required.
There are three main learning theories that are behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism. These learning theories have applications in the learning environment that have implications in the learning and teaching. Behaviorism is concerned with the observation and acquiring of the behavior in the environment. Constructivism is the learning environment where the learners construct their own meaning based on their prior knowledge and past experiences. Cognitivism deals with the thinking process. All these three learning theories have different implications in the learning environment depending on the student’s thinking process, responses and consequences related to the responses. In the learning environment, behaviorism can be applied in a way where the teachers provide positive environment through praising. The learners would be motivated and encouraged to pursue their learning and takes an active part in the learning environment. Constructivism can be applied in a way where the learners process and store the information that they perceive so that they are able to retrieve it when required. Teachers, through this, help the learners to solve problems through activities and in connecting new information to the schema. Cognitivism can be applied to the learning environment where the learners would use their thinking skills in processing of information, decision making and problem solving.
There are several strengths and weaknesses of these learning theories. Observable behavior in behaviorism is useful in experiments and research as it provides clear evidences and explanation about a phenomenon (Roberts, 2016). It adopts the effective interventions that are useful in changing the harmful or maladaptive behaviors in the learners that would help to promote a positive learning environment. However, it does not take into account the thoughts, moods and feelings and other learning types (Kolb, 2014). Constructivism is useful as it provides the hand-on experience to the learners and in better accessibility to the information related to the class (Thomas et al., 2014). However, this hands-on training is extensive and requires long-tem development that is costly and eliminates the standardized grades and testing (Fosnot, 2013). Cognitivism has many practical applications where the experiments are used and the learners use their thinking skills to solve problems and make logical decisions (Schell & Janicki, 2013). It has scientific approach and takes into account the good internal validity to investigate questions based on memory and prior knowledge. However, the cognitive approaches use the cognitive processes that cannot be directly observed. At times, it lacks scientific basis and leads to poor judgment and issues related to internal validity. It also ignores the behavior related factors as it is not able to observe the causes of behavior (Pritchard, 2013).
Out of the three learning theories, constructivism is the most applicable learning theory that could be applied in my learning environment as the learners would be able to learn based on the hands-on experiences and creative culinary art workshops. It is the way where they are able to seek meaning based on their knowledge and understanding along with discoveries made during the learning. Learners act as the active participants where they construct their own sense of ideas and facts that can be used in their learning environment. However, the other two learning environments are also required in creating a rich, knowledgeable and creative learning environment for the learners.
References
Duffy, T. M., & Jonassen, D. H. (Eds.). (2013). Constructivism and the technology of instruction: A conversation. Routledge.
Fosnot, C. T. (2013). Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Kiraly, D. (2014). A social constructivist approach to translator education: Empowerment from theory to practice. Routledge.
Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press.
O’Donnell, A. M., & King, A. (Eds.). (2014). Cognitive perspectives on peer learning. Routledge.
Pritchard, A. (2013). Ways of learning: Learning theories and learning styles in the classroom. Routledge.
Raiola, G. (2014). Motor control and learning skills according to cognitive and ecological dynamic approach in a vision on behaviorism, cognitive, Gestalt and phenomenology theories. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(15), 504.
Reigeluth, C. M. (Ed.). (2013). Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (Vol. 2). Routledge.
Roberts, J. (2016). Language teacher education. Routledge.
Schell, G., & Janicki, T. J. (2013). Online course pedagogy and the constructivist learning model. Journal of the Southern Association for Information Systems, 1(1).Eysenck, H. J., & Rachman, S. (2013). The Causes and Cures of Neurosis (Psychology Revivals): An Introduction to Modern Behaviour Therapy Based on Learning Theory and the Principles of Conditioning. Routledge.
Siemens, G. (2014). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.
Sternberg, R. J., & Zhang, L. F. (Eds.). (2014). Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles. Routledge.
Talbot-Smith, M., Abell, S. K., Appleton, K., & Hanuscin, D. L. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of research on science education. Routledge.
Thomas, A., Menon, A., Boruff, J., Rodriguez, A. M., & Ahmed, S. (2014). Applications of social constructivist learning theories in knowledge translation for healthcare professionals: a scoping review. Implementation Science, 9(1), 54.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download