How do you know if your K-12 learning theories are working?

1 Identify your learning theories

Before you can evaluate your learning theories, you need to identify what they are and how they inform your teaching practice. Learning theories can be categorized into three broad perspectives: behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist. Behaviorist theories focus on observable behaviors and responses to stimuli, such as rewards and punishments. Cognitivist theories emphasize the mental processes and structures that underlie learning, such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. Constructivist theories stress the active role of learners in constructing their own knowledge and meaning from their experiences and interactions. You may use one or a combination of these perspectives in your teaching, depending on your goals, content, and context.

2 Align your learning theories with your objectives and assessments

Once you have identified your learning theories, you need to make sure they are aligned with your learning objectives and assessments. Learning objectives are statements that describe what students should know, understand, or be able to do by the end of a lesson or unit. Assessments are methods or tools that measure how well students have achieved the learning objectives. Alignment means that your learning theories, objectives, and assessments are consistent and coherent, and that they support each other. For example, if your learning theory is behaviorist, your objectives should be specific and observable, and your assessments should be based on performance and feedback. If your learning theory is constructivist, your objectives should be open-ended and inquiry-based, and your assessments should be based on portfolios and reflections.

3 Collect and analyze data

The next step is to collect and analyze data that can help you evaluate your learning theories. Data can be quantitative or qualitative, and can come from various sources, such as tests, surveys, interviews, observations, journals, or artifacts. Data can provide you with evidence of student learning, engagement, motivation, attitudes, behaviors, or challenges. You can use different methods to analyze your data, such as descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, content analysis, thematic analysis, or discourse analysis. The purpose of data collection and analysis is to answer your evaluation questions, such as: How well are students learning? How are students applying their knowledge and skills? How are students interacting with the content, the teacher, and each other? How are students responding to the learning environment? How are students feeling about their learning?

4 Interpret and communicate your findings

After you have collected and analyzed your data, you need to interpret and communicate your findings. Interpretation means making sense of your data and drawing conclusions based on your evaluation questions. Communication means sharing your findings with others who are interested or involved in your teaching and learning process, such as students, parents, colleagues, administrators, or researchers. You can use different formats and media to communicate your findings, such as reports, presentations, posters, blogs, podcasts, or videos. The goal of interpretation and communication is to inform and improve your practice, as well as to contribute to the knowledge base of learning theories.

5 Reflect and revise your learning theories

The final step is to reflect and revise your learning theories based on your findings. Reflection means thinking critically about your learning theories and how they affect your teaching and learning outcomes. Revision means making changes or adjustments to your learning theories or your teaching strategies to better suit your students' needs and goals. You can use different tools or models to guide your reflection and revision, such as the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, the Gibbs reflective cycle, or the Kolb experiential learning cycle. The aim of reflection and revision is to enhance your professional growth and development, as well as to foster a culture of inquiry and innovation in your classroom.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?