Learning Theories Simplified
...and how to apply them to teaching
- Bob Bates - Independent Consultant, UK
Are you struggling to get your head around John Dewey’s educational pragmatism? What exactly is Jean Piaget saying about cognitive development? Maybe you’re running out of time and patience making sense of Carol Dweck’s mindsets? Have you reached breaking point reading Daniel T. Willingham on educational neuroscience?
Written for busy teachers, trainers, managers and students, this 'dip-in, dip-out' guide makes theories of learning accessible and practical. It explores 130 classic and contemporary learning theorists in an easy-to-use, bite-sized format with clear relevant illustrations on how each theory will benefit teaching and learning.
Each model or theory is explained in less than 350 words, followed by a 'how to use it' section.
What's new to this edition:
- A new early childhood theorists section
- A new communication theories section
- Additional ‘on trend’ theorists throughout
- New ‘critical view’ features added to each entry.
Bob’s extensive knowledge of putting educational theory into practice shines through in this book. He gives clear explanations of each theory, often relating them to his own teaching experiences. He uses realistic examples to help the reader engage with the theory, with useful tips to put each into practice. I recommend this book to practitioners in the further education sector as well as in schools.
Ann Gravells
A really clear understanding of key theorists for students starting a degree
Although good clear academic information as yet the book does not meet the course criteria.
A good book which breaks down theory into more understandable wording
I use this book for teaching teachers in the first year of their two year programme. They are required to explore a range of resources focusing on the theory of learning and the title does exactly what it says it is going to do - provide a simplified approach to the theories of learning. My students use this as a starting point and as many of my trainees have come from vocational occupations where they have never had to write assignments at this level, they need something that is explained clearly and allows them to digest the information. This then helps them to move on to more in-depth sources and thus, develop their knowledge further.
This is a useful starting point for anyone interested in exploring key learning theories and how they are applied in education today.
A really good all rounder, great for students to find accessible info on a wide range of theories
This book covers a plethora of learning theories in an easy to read, contextualised format. The 'How to use it' and 'critical perspective' sections are very useful too.
Students loved the simplicity and coverage of this text. Even though it covers a lot of theories in little depth the summary of the range provided an excellent opportunity to expose students to a much wider range of theories. An excellent text for a survey of learning theories course.
Another excellent introductory guide for students here. The importance of this book cannot be understated. It underpins all courses associated with education in it's many formats. With the changing nature of HE students it is important to provide clarity and initial foundations of understanding in relation to the key topics we cover. Bob Bates book provides an easy to ready, comprehensive guide to key topics in Educational Theory that are vital to the developing understanding of students new to the area. Considering the dearth of educational theories we can no longer expect students to have an automatic understanding of these. This is a must-read book for any education related courses.
