Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) / DET Theories and Principles for Planning and Enabling Learning Syllabus

Theories and Principles for Planning and Enabling Learning syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Theories and Principles for Planning and Enabling Learning in Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) / DET, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Theories of Learning

   4 topics

   • Behaviourist approaches
     • Classical and operant conditioning (Pavlov, Skinner)
     • Reinforcement, shaping and application to practice
   • Cognitivist approaches
     • Information processing and memory
     • Cognitive load theory and its implications
   • Constructivist and social learning approaches
     • Piaget, Vygotsky and the zone of proximal development
     • Bandura's social learning and scaffolding
   • Humanist and andragogical approaches
     • Maslow and Rogers: learner-centred education
     • Knowles' principles of adult learning (andragogy)
2. 2

   Models of Learning, Curriculum and Communication

   3 topics

   • Experiential and reflective learning models
     • Kolb's experiential learning cycle
     • Honey and Mumford learning styles debate
   • Curriculum models and approaches
     • Product, process and praxis models
     • Spiral and integrated curriculum design
   • Communication and motivation theory
     • Models of the communication process and barriers
     • Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; Herzberg and Maslow
3. 3

   Applying Theory to Inclusive Practice

   3 topics

   • Translating theory into planning and delivery
     • Justifying method selection with theory
     • Evaluating the impact of theory-informed practice
   • Theories of inclusion and identity
     • Social and medical models of disability
     • Theories underpinning equality and diversity practice
   • Bloom's taxonomy and learning domains
     • Cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains
     • Using taxonomies to write outcomes and assessments

Theories and Principles for Planning and Enabling Learning flashcards for Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) / DET

20 of 51 cards from the Theories and Principles for Planning and Enabling Learning deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the core claim of behaviourism about learning?

   Learning is a change in observable behaviour produced by conditioning. The mind is treated as a 'black box'; only stimuli and responses matter, not internal mental processes.

2. Distinguish classical conditioning (Pavlov) from operant conditioning (Skinner).

   Classical conditioning pairs a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a reflexive (involuntary) conditioned response. Operant conditioning shapes voluntary behaviour through consequences (reinforcement and punishment) that follow the behaviour.

3. In operant conditioning, define positive vs negative reinforcement, and positive vs negative punishment.

   Positive reinforcement = add a pleasant stimulus to increase behaviour. Negative reinforcement = remove an unpleasant stimulus to increase behaviour. Positive punishment = add an unpleasant stimulus to decrease behaviour. Negative punishment = remove a pleasant stimulus to decrease behaviour.

4. What is Thorndike's Law of Effect?

   Responses followed by satisfying consequences are strengthened and more likely to recur, while responses followed by discomfort are weakened. This anticipated Skinner's operant conditioning.

5. Give two practical classroom applications of behaviourist theory.

   Use of clear learning objectives and praise/rewards to reinforce desired behaviour; structured, repetitive drill-and-practice, smaller chunked steps, immediate feedback, and behaviour-management systems.

6. What is the central focus of cognitivist approaches to learning?

   Internal mental processes — how learners perceive, process, store and retrieve information. The mind is likened to an information processor (input, processing, storage, output).

7. Outline the information-processing model of memory (Atkinson and Shiffrin).

   Information passes through sensory memory, then short-term/working memory, then long-term memory. Attention moves data into working memory; rehearsal and encoding transfer it into long-term memory for retrieval.

8. What is cognitive load theory (Sweller) and its three load types?

   Working memory has limited capacity, so instruction should manage cognitive load. Intrinsic load = inherent difficulty of material; extraneous load = load from poor instructional design; germane load = effort devoted to building schemas. Reduce extraneous load to free capacity.

9. What is a schema in cognitive theory?

   A mental framework or structure that organises knowledge, enabling learners to interpret new information by linking it to existing knowledge. Learning involves building, refining and reorganising schemas.

10. State the central principle of constructivism.

    Learners actively construct their own knowledge and meaning from experience, building on prior knowledge, rather than passively receiving information. The teacher is a facilitator rather than a transmitter.

11. Contrast Piaget's cognitive constructivism with Vygotsky's social constructivism.

    Piaget emphasised individual construction through stages of cognitive development and processes of assimilation and accommodation. Vygotsky emphasised that learning is social, mediated by language, culture and interaction with more knowledgeable others before being internalised.

12. Define Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

    The gap between what a learner can do unaided and what they can achieve with guidance from a more knowledgeable other. Effective teaching targets this zone.

13. What is 'scaffolding' (Bruner) and what should happen to it over time?

    Temporary, structured support (prompts, modelling, cues) given to help a learner perform a task within their ZPD. Support is gradually removed (faded) as the learner becomes competent and independent.

14. Summarise Bandura's social learning theory and the four stages of observational learning.

    People learn by observing and imitating models (vicarious learning), mediated by cognition. The four stages are: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation/reinforcement.

15. What is self-efficacy (Bandura) and why does it matter in teaching?

    A learner's belief in their own capability to succeed at a specific task. Higher self-efficacy increases effort, persistence and resilience, so teachers build it through achievable challenges, feedback and modelling.

16. What is the core belief of humanist approaches to learning?

    Learning should be learner-centred and focus on the whole person, personal growth and self-actualisation. Learners have a natural drive to learn when their emotional and psychological needs are met.

17. State Maslow's hierarchy of needs in order, and its teaching implication.

    From base to top: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualisation (with self-transcendence sometimes added). Implication: lower needs (e.g. a safe, comfortable environment) must be met before learners can engage and reach their potential.

18. List the three core conditions Carl Rogers said a facilitator must provide.

    Congruence (genuineness/realness), unconditional positive regard (acceptance and respect), and empathic understanding. These create the climate for significant, self-directed learning.

19. What is andragogy and who developed it?

    Knowles' theory of adult learning, contrasted with pedagogy (teaching children). It holds that adults learn differently and need approaches suited to their experience and self-direction.

20. State Knowles' five assumptions about adult learners (andragogy).

    Adults are self-directed; they bring a reservoir of experience; their readiness to learn is linked to social roles; they are problem-centred and want immediate application; and motivation is largely internal.

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