Educators in post-secondary education are hired primarily for their subject experience. Post-secondary educators do not need to have a mastery of learning theories like educators in the K-12 sectors as they approach teaching differently depending on the contexts. Additionally, the choice of a theoretical approach has implications for technology use to support learning (Kattari, 2015). The two theories are Maslow’s learning theory and Vygotsky’s social development theory. The goal of higher education is to create well-prepared minds for productive roles in society. Higher education prepares students for future careers, active citizenship, personal development, and research and innovation. Thus, higher education should prioritize different purposes while maintaining quality. The standard of higher education is maintaining effective and quality interaction between teachers, students, and institutional learning environment. The content of learning, learning opportunities, facilities, and educators should help students achieve their learning goals.
| Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs | Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory | |
| Description of the theory | The theory addresses the learner’s personal development (Schulte, 2018). Learning is a broad concept focusing on all areas of human growth. | The theory emphasizes on the importance of social interaction in learning (Vygotsky, 1978). |
| Key concepts of the theory | The key concepts are physiological needs, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. | The key concepts are social interaction, the more knowledgeable other, and the zone of proximal development. |
| What is the role of the instructor? | The instructor plays a facilitator role to help the learner grow as a person. Humanistic theories encourage students to be in charge of learning and personal growth. The instructor makes sure that the learning environment meets the lower needs of the students, particularly safety, esteem and a sense of belonging. | The role of the instructor is to plan activities that will enable learners to learn from each other. The instructor has to be aware of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) for each student and apply ZPD to understand students’ ability to solve problems independently (Yarbrough, 2018). |
| What you want the student to know? | The instructor wants the student to know that he/she plays a big part in the learning process (Schulte, 2018). Learners play an active role in the planning, execution, and evaluation of their learning. Lastly, the instructor wants the student to know the goal of learning is much more than career development. | Learners adopt an active role in the learning process. Students collaborate with other students and the teacher to facilitate construction of meaning. Higher learning students have to understand that education is a reciprocal experience between learners and the teacher. The environment, including the socio-cultural environment, also affects the construction of meaning. |
| How the student demonstrates his/her knowledge? | Students demonstrate knowledge by moving up the hierarchy of needs. Students grow or learn when they demonstrate higher hierarchy needs such esteem and self-actualization. | Students demonstrate knowledge by pushing themselves to learn new concepts every day. Scaffolding is a teaching method where teachers help learners are in their zone of proximal development. Teachers intervene gradually as the learner progress. |
| Recommendations for incorporating technology | The theory supports the use of technology in learning. Technology opens new opportunities for students while promoting innovation and creativity. For instance, students can engage with others online, form networks, and apply what they learn in class through social activism. | The theory stresses the importance of social interaction in learning. Modern technology improves social interaction by making it possible for students to communicate with each other and the educator when they are outside of class. |
| Traditional Learning Environment | Maslow’s theory is not implemented in a traditional learning environment. A traditional environment the teacher and the learners are physically present. The instruction is given through one modality, often the teacher, and learners adopt a passive role. Since learners play a passive role, the educator might not meet all the needs of the students. | |
| Distance learning environment | In a distance learning environment, there is no face-to-face interaction between the learner and the teacher. Learning takes place online through email, online chats, and other electronic means. Both learners and the teacher play an active role in learning. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs motivates students to learn in an environment where there is no instructor to be accountable to |
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Reflection
Learning theories provide a framework to guide the learning process. Vygotsky developed the social development theory in the early 20th century as an alternative to the instructionist model in a traditional classroom. The theory is still applicable today as educators are yet to accept innovative model of education. Both Maslow’s and Vygotsky’s theory propose an engaging model where students play an active role in the learning process. The theories encourage collaboration in the construction of meaning, and this can be made possible through technology (Kattari, 2015). Technology has opened new opportunities for both educators and learners to promote creativity and active learning. For example, educators use videos and PowerPoint presentations to create engaging lessons. Technology is a channel which can be used to implement some of the innovative strategies suggested by the learning theories.
Distance learning is centered on technology as the learner, and the educator are not in the same location. Students engage with their peers and instructors through text message and emails. These communication options are limited, and they are not engaging. Technology is continually evolving, and educators have to adopt them to improve learning outcomes. While face-to-face communication is not possible, many applications offer free audio and video calls and instant messaging. Educators should encourage students to use audio/video calls to connect with them and other students to make communication more fulfilling. Educators can also use social media to supplement learning and engage with learners. They can create Facebook pages for the specific courses they teach to enhance available content. With the average person spending approximately four hours a day on social media, the students are more likely to read posted content and engage with other students and the instructor on social media. Incorporating technology is different in a traditional environment. Educators in a traditional environment use technology to supplement teaching while technology is the only medium of delivering lessons/ instructions. Educators can use technology to follow up with students after a traditional classroom session.
Learning theories have taught me that students learn using several learning styles. For example, Maslow views learning as a process of personal development while Vygotsky describes learning as a social process. Learning about various theories has equipped me with new knowledge to guide my learning and future professional practice. I have also learned that technology plays a crucial role in modern education, and it makes it possible for students and educators to engage beyond the classroom. Educators, especially those in distance-learning classes have to be open to new technologies if they want to engage with students better.
References
Kattari, S. K. (2015). Examining ableism in higher education through social dominance theory and social learning theory. Innovative Higher Education , 40 (5), 375-386.
Schulte, M. (2018). Adult Learning Degree and Career Pathways: Allusions to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education , 66 (1), 62-64.
Yarbrough, J. R. (2018). Adapting Adult Learning Theory to Support Innovative, Advanced, Online Learning--WVMD Model. Research in Higher Education Journal , 35 .
