Recency Bias (Tversky & Kahneman)
Summary: Recency bias is type of cognitive bias that gives emphasis or greater importance for events that happened recently over ones that took place a long time ago. Examples may include the recent performance of stocks compared to ones from several years ago. Originator: Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman [iii] in the early 1970s. Keywords: recency bias, […]
What is Plagiarism? A Guide
Plagiarism is a serious problem in education. The good news is that it is easy to detect and avoid. Read our guide to learn more about the issue and our recommended tools for both teachers and students. What is Plagiarism? It can be defined as the use of other peoples’ ideas, concepts, words without giving […]
Icebreakers for the School Year
As an educator, sometimes you need a good icebreaker for the beginning of the semester to help improve classroom dynamics. We wanted to share our recommendations! Our favorite resource comes from our good friends over at Icebreakers.Ws. They’ve collected over one hundred of the best icebreakers and team building activities (wow!). The best part is […]
Dunning-Krueger Effect
The Dunning-Krueger Effect is a cognitive bias that provides people with limited competence the illusion that they are better than they actually are; in other words, people naturally overestimate their own lack of ability (one is blind to their own foolishness) in “Mount Stupid.” Originators: Social psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger (1999) Summary: A […]
Situated Learning Theory (Lave)
Summary: Situated Learning Theory posits that learning is unintentional and situated within authentic activity, context, and culture.
Originator: Jean Lave
Key Terms: Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP), Cognitive Apprenticeship
Situated Learning Theory (Lave)
In contrast with most classroom learning activities that involve abstract knowledge which is and out of context, Lave argues that learning is situated; that is, as it normally occurs, learning is embedded within activity, context and culture. It is also usually unintentional rather than deliberate. Lave and Wenger (1991) call this a process of “legitimate peripheral participation.”
Knowledge needs to be presented in authentic contexts — settings and situations that would normally involve that knowledge. Social interaction and collaboration are essential components of situated learning — learners become involved in a “community of practice” which embodies certain beliefs and behaviors to be acquired. As the beginner or novice moves from the periphery of a community to its center, he or she becomes more active and engaged within the culture and eventually assumes the role of an expert.
Other researchers have further developed Situated Learning theory. Brown, Collins & Duguid (1989) emphasize the idea of cognitive apprenticeship: “Cognitive apprenticeship supports learning in a domain by enabling students to acquire, develop and use cognitive tools in authentic domain activity. Learning, both outside and inside school, advances through collaborative social interaction and the social construction of knowledge.”
Fun Online Activities to Try at Home While Social Distancing
Dear Learning Theories Family, We hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy during this very challenging time. As we need to practice “social distancing” — that is, the need to “flatten the curve” by staying at home — education has shifted online. This can be an additional burden to need to spend […]
Stereotype Threat (Steele, Aronson)
Summary: Stereotype threat is a phenomenon that occurs when people are at risk for living up to a negative stereotype about their group. For example, a woman may fail to reach her career goal of being a scientist because of how she changes her behavior in response to perceptions about her own gender. Originators: Claude […]
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer)
Summary: A cognitive theory of multimedia learning based on three main assumptions: there are two separate channels (auditory and visual) for processing information; there is limited channel capacity; and that learning is an active process of filtering, selecting, organizing, and integrating information.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Summary: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (often represented as a pyramid with five levels of needs) is a motivational theory in psychology that argues that while people aim to meet basic needs, they seek to meet successively higher needs in the form of a pyramid.