Learning Theories

Situated learning theory proposes that people learn best when knowledge is acquired inside the real activities, settings, and relationships where

Guided discovery is a teaching approach in which students uncover ideas for themselves while a teacher supplies structure, hints, and

Discovery learning theory proposes that people understand ideas more deeply when they uncover principles on their own rather than receiving

Construction of knowledge is the idea that learners do not simply absorb facts the way a sponge soaks up water.

Constructionism learning theory holds that people learn most deeply when they build something real and shareable, such as a program,

Language and thought are so closely intertwined that most people never notice where one ends and the other begins. Every

The More Knowledgeable Other is a person who understands a task, idea, or skill better than the learner and helps

Scaffolding theory describes how a more skilled person gives temporary, adjustable support so a learner can complete a task that

Vygotsky sociocultural theory holds that thinking begins between people before it settles inside a single mind. A child learns to

The Piaget stages describe four broad phases of thinking that Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed to explain how children’s minds