Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Learning, Development and Educational Theory Syllabus

Learning, Development and Educational Theory syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Learning, Development and Educational Theory in Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Theories of Learning

   4 topics

   • Behaviourism and its classroom applications
     • Classical and operant conditioning
     • Reinforcement, reward and sanction systems
   • Constructivism and social constructivism
     • Piaget's stages of cognitive development
     • Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and scaffolding
   • Cognitivism and information processing
   • Social learning theory and modelling
2. 2

   Cognitive Science for Teaching

   6 topics

   • Working memory and long-term memory
     • Cognitive load theory
     • Reducing extraneous load in lesson design
   • Schema theory and prior knowledge
   • Retrieval practice and the testing effect
   • Spaced and interleaved practice
   • Dual coding and multimedia learning principles
   • Debunking neuromyths (e.g. learning styles)
3. 3

   Motivation and Mindset

   4 topics

   • Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
   • Self-determination theory
   • Growth mindset and attribution theory
   • Self-efficacy and metacognition
4. 4

   Child and Adolescent Development

   4 topics

   • Physical, cognitive and social development across phases
   • Language acquisition and communication development
   • Emotional and identity development in adolescence
   • Impact of attachment and early experience on learning

Learning, Development and Educational Theory flashcards for Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

19 of 50 cards from the Learning, Development and Educational Theory deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In behaviourism, what is classical conditioning and who first demonstrated it?

   Classical conditioning is learning by association, in which a previously neutral stimulus comes to trigger a response after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus. It was demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov using dogs that salivated to a bell.

2. Define operant conditioning and name its originator.

   Operant conditioning, developed by B.F. Skinner, is learning in which behaviour is shaped by its consequences: reinforcement increases a behaviour's frequency and punishment decreases it.

3. Distinguish positive and negative reinforcement.

   Positive reinforcement adds a pleasant stimulus to strengthen a behaviour (e.g. praise); negative reinforcement removes an unpleasant stimulus to strengthen a behaviour (e.g. ending a detention once work is done). Both increase the behaviour.

4. List two practical classroom applications of behaviourist principles.

   Examples include reward/sanction systems (merits, house points), praise and immediate feedback, behaviour charts/token economies, clear routines, and shaping desired behaviour through successive reinforcement.

5. What is constructivism's central claim about how knowledge is formed?

   Constructivism holds that learners actively build (construct) their own understanding and knowledge by connecting new experiences to existing mental structures, rather than passively receiving information.

6. How does Piaget's constructivism differ from Vygotsky's social constructivism?

   Piaget emphasised individual cognitive construction through stages of development and interaction with the physical world; Vygotsky's social constructivism stresses that learning is mediated by social interaction, language and culture, with knowledge constructed collaboratively before being internalised.

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

   The ZPD is the gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance from a more knowledgeable other. Effective teaching targets tasks within this zone.

8. What is scaffolding in a social-constructivist classroom?

   Scaffolding is temporary, adjustable support (prompts, modelling, questioning, partial solutions) given by a teacher or peer to help a learner accomplish a task within their ZPD; the support is gradually withdrawn as competence grows.

9. What does cognitivism focus on as the basis of learning?

   Cognitivism focuses on internal mental processes such as attention, perception, memory, encoding and retrieval, treating the mind as an information processor rather than a 'black box'.

10. Outline the three stores of the multi-store (information processing) model of memory.

    Sensory memory (brief, large capacity, modality-specific), short-term/working memory (limited capacity, brief duration), and long-term memory (effectively unlimited capacity, durable). Information moves on via attention and rehearsal/encoding.

11. State the four processes of Bandura's social learning theory.

    Attention, Retention, Reproduction, and Motivation. A learner must notice the model, remember the behaviour, be able to reproduce it, and have motivation (e.g. expected reinforcement) to perform it.

12. What was the key finding of Bandura's Bobo doll experiment?

    Children who watched an adult behave aggressively toward a Bobo doll were more likely to imitate that aggression, demonstrating that behaviour can be learned through observation and modelling without direct reinforcement.

13. Define vicarious reinforcement.

    Vicarious reinforcement is when a learner becomes more likely to imitate a behaviour after observing that behaviour being rewarded in another person (the model).

14. What are the components of Baddeley and Hitch's working memory model?

    The central executive (attentional control), the phonological loop (verbal/auditory information), the visuospatial sketchpad (visual/spatial information), and the episodic buffer (integrates information across systems and links to long-term memory).

15. According to Miller, what is the capacity of short-term memory?

    Approximately $7 \pm 2$ items (the 'magic number seven'), though more recent estimates suggest around 4 chunks. Capacity can be extended by chunking information into meaningful units.

16. What is the difference between working memory and long-term memory in terms of capacity and duration?

    Working memory has very limited capacity (a few items) and short duration (seconds without rehearsal); long-term memory has effectively unlimited capacity and can last a lifetime.

17. Define a schema in schema theory.

    A schema is an organised mental framework or structure of related prior knowledge that helps a person interpret, organise and recall new information.

18. Why does prior knowledge matter for learning according to schema theory?

    New information is understood and stored by connecting it to existing schemas; rich relevant prior knowledge reduces working-memory load and makes new material easier to encode, comprehend and retrieve.

19. What is the testing effect (retrieval practice effect)?

    The finding that actively retrieving information from memory (e.g. through low-stakes quizzing) produces stronger, more durable long-term learning than simply re-reading or reviewing the same material.

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