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Matthew Korich

3-2-2014
EDCI 531 Final paper
Integrating theories of education.
Introduction:
The multiple learning theories that we have discussed all seem to have a great deal of
important ideas and information to share about the ways that we as human beings learn and
grow. I would argue that by virtue of the fact that there are so many various learning theories,
they should all in fact fit together into one integrated theory of learning. Just as each individual
has their own individualized requirements to engage in learning so too, does each individual
theory fit different requirements to help individuals learn most efficiently. Therefore the
Integrated Learning Theory would state that no one theory truly reveals the nature of learning
in the whole, but together the theories are able to be used in conjunction with one another to have
a synergistic effect. Behaviorism, Cognitive Information Processing, Situated Cognition,
Constructivism, and the work of Robert Gange, all of these present ideas that help us to
understand the human mind, and they all approach the subject from different points of view.
Combining these points of view, and being able to look at the mind through all of these
viewpoints should provide us with a very clear perspective of how learners can be assisted most
effectively as opposed to viewing students from a single point of view. In this paper I will
discuss the aspects of each of the aforementioned theories that seem to fit together well with the
other theories to create a system that can be used to help guide learners in the right direction,
after discussing the theories I will provide some possible applications for this integrated learning
theory along with some recommendations for its use in various learning environments.

Matthew Korich
3-2-2014
EDCI 531 Final paper
Literature:
Behaviorism introduces ideas of stimuli and responses. To achieve a desired response
from our students we need to be able to provide the proper stimulus. Put simply, Behavior is
more likely to reoccur if it has been rewarded or reinforced. (Driscoll, 2005, p. 35)
Behaviorism seems to overlook some aspects of human learning due to the fact that it is
essentially only interested in those behaviors which are observable and measurable, therefore
behaviorisms position in the integrated theory of learning is that which behaviorism is most
suited for, using stimuli to attempt to create desired responses. Behaviorist principles are seen
often in use in elementary school situations (Students behavior is rewarded/punished using
stimuli such as; gold stars for good behavior, teacher praise upon providing a correct answer, loss
of privilege for improper behavior, and poor grades when material is not put to use correctly on
assignments.)
Cognitive information processing (CIP) is essentially as far from behaviorism as can be.
CIP is focused on how learners take in knowledge, discussing the stages of processing
information; Sensory level, working memory, long-term memory. (Driscoll, 2005, p. 74-75) CIP
gives us, as instructional designers, a better understanding of how the information we present
will be encoded into memory and gives us important information about how the mind works.
On trials in which arrays contain 4 or fewer items, change-detection accuracy is high (Luck &
Vogel, 1997). However, beyond this 4-item limit, accuracy progressively declines (Luck and
Vogel, 1997 and Vogel et al., 2001). This is interpreted as evidence that to-be-remembered
information has exceeded the capacity of primary memory storage. (Shipstead, Lindsey,

Matthew Korich
3-2-2014
EDCI 531 Final paper
Marshall & Engle, 2014) Working memory seems to be limited and attempting to overload a
learners memory can lead to loss of information, lack of processing and a lack of learning.
Situated Cognition discusses the idea that people learn from the situation, or the
environment. Proponents of situated cognition argue that knowledge remains inert and unused
if taught in contexts that separate knowing from doing (Driscoll 2005, p. 156) Understanding
this should help designers of instructional materials develop their curricula and projects in ways
that are most beneficial to their trainees and/or students needs. Why develop materials that
dont allow your students to practice what they are learning when by simply making the material
more accurate to real world experiences would make the learning so much more meaningful.
Where does knowledge come from? How do we gain understandings of complicated
concepts? Constructivists argue that knowledge is constructed by the learner, The constructivist
approach to identifying learning goals emphasizes learning in context. Brown et al. (1989), for
example, argued that knowledge that learners can usefully deploy should be developed.
Moreover, this can only be done in the context of meaningful activity (Driscoll, 2005, p. 388)
Constructivism encourages students to learn what they want to learn, there is no use of objectives
of the common sense but individual students have learning goals. Understanding how to create a
product that encourages students to take ownership in their education is considered terribly
important in enabling students to learn.
Robert Ganges research has proven to be pivotal in the field of instructional design
already, and for good reason! Gange discusses what he calls the Events of Learning The
events that Gange discusses are; Gaining attention, informing the learner of the objective,
stimulating recall of prior learning, presenting the stimulus, providing learning guidance,

Matthew Korich
3-2-2014
EDCI 531 Final paper
eliciting performance, providing feedback, assessing performance, and enhancing retention and
transfer. Understanding these events that occur during learning can help guide designers in
creating materials that effectively teach new concepts and guide student learning.
Applications:
Each of these theories have something important to contribute to the field of instructional
design. Each one provides a different perspective on learning and in a world where there are an
incredible number of learners who learn in their own unique way, understanding the ways that
those people learn is instrumental in being able to provide curriculum and products used to aid in
teaching. One context in which these learning theories can be applied is in the development of
educational video games. Research findings strongly support the argument that learning
outcomes from games for learning are affected by the instructional methods and strategies
employed in the games and not necessarily by the games in and of themselves. (Weiness, Kerr
& Koenig, 2011, p. 7) The ability to use these learning theories effectively in the creation of
learning materials should lead to higher student retention rates. Incorporating aspects of each of
these theories into products may be somewhat difficult but keeping in mind the limitations of our
learners working memory, understanding what Gange discusses in terms of the events that aid in
instruction [gaining attention through enhancing retention.] Constructivism encourages allowing
students to construct their own knowledge, Move beyond participation via game playing to
game making that involves more than just a handful of pre-selected choices of graphics,
aesthetics and characters. (Peppler & Kafai, 2007, p.2) In educational video game development
Peppler and Kafai argue that players should be able to create their own aspects of the game, or
even build their own games. This allows students to become more involved and encourages

Matthew Korich
3-2-2014
EDCI 531 Final paper
them to take ownership in their learning. The emergence of MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer
Online Games) has led researchers to look at how learning takes place within video games rather
than being simply derived from it. ("The video game," 2009) Video games are a great medium
to encourage learning, games are massively popular with young to old learners thus using a game
to help with learning concepts can act as the first event of learning discussed by Gange, gaining
attention.
Conclusion:
There are so many different ways that students learn, no one theory seems to have the
answers to what it takes to teach universally. Combining a series of these theories and using
each one in ways that it is most efficient seems like the greatest way to approach teaching
various students in various ways. Using various simulations keeping in mind these learning
theories training and learning can become an experience that leads to meaningful learning that
will stay with the student longer than would be anticipated when ignoring the fact that different
people learn in different ways and each perspective can be more or less useful to individuals.

Matthew Korich
3-2-2014
EDCI 531 Final paper

Works Cited:
Canadian Council on Learning, (2009). The video game debate--bad for behaviour, good for
learning? Lessons in learning Canadian Council on Learning.

Driscoll, M. (2005). psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Peppler, K., & Kafai, Y. (2007). What videogame making can teach us about literacy and
learning: Alternative pathways into participatory culture. Retrieved from
http://eric.ed.gov/?q=video games &ft=on&id=ED521155

Shipstead, Z., Lindsey, D., Marshall, R., & Engle, R. (2014). The mechanisms of working
memory capacity: Primary memory, secondary memory, and attention control. Journal of
Memory and Language, 72(April 2014), 116-141. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749596X14000059

Wainess, R., Kerr, D., & Koenig, A.(2011). Improving the way we design games for learning by
examining how popular video games teach.(CRESST Report 798). Los Angeles, CA:
University of California, National Center for Research on Evaluation,Standards, and
Student Testing (CRESST).

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