Vygotsky's Theory Of The Behaviourist Model Of Learning

The Behaviourist model of learning focuses largely on learning through observation. Behaviourists assert that learners need reinforcements to bring about a positive stimulus for the right actions they commit and in turn, should receive punishments for any mistakes or wrongdoing. The theory suggests, the environment and its surroundings shape many forms of behaviour and the learning process has to be made up of small steps. Baum (2005) describes the main principles of behaviourism as those centred on connections with the stimulus and response and its effects based on the further reinforcement and/or punishment. Behaviourism was first established in the 1880s and is continuing to develop in the twentieth-first century. While there has been lots …show more content…
Hence, a teacher’s objective should be to encourage children to produce their own knowledge through their own personal experiences (Rummel, 2008). Through a very similar theory, Vygotsky produced his work around ‘social’ constructivism. It placed more emphasis on the social side of learning. Piaget leaned towards the notion that teachers had a more limited role but Vygotsky and his theory stressed that teachers play a very important part in learning. School activities in a constructivist setting involve lively engagement, problem solving, and teamwork. Instead of being just a learning initiator, the teacher should be a guide from beginning to end and act as facilitator and fellow explorer among the learners to help them challenge and create their own thoughts and ideas. Gulati asserts that, no matter in what ways constructivism is interpreted in its learning strategies for individual and social diversity, when planning school curriculums, the theory should be given much more attention as it is the key to fostering engaged and productive children. (Gulati,